activation energy - Answer-energy needed to start a chemical reaction; lowered by
enzymes
active transport - Answer-movement of molecules across a membrane requiring
energy to be expended by the cell
adaptation - Answer-inherited characteristic that increases an organism's chance of
survival
allele - Answer-the different forms of a gene; could be dominant or recessive
amino acid - Answer-basic building blocks of proteins
analogous structures - Answer-structures that do not have a common evolutionary
origin but are similar in form or function
anaphase - Answer-the third phase of mitosis, during which the chromosome pairs
separate and move toward opposite poles
antibiotic - Answer-compound that blocks the growth and reproduction of bacteria
antibody - Answer-a substance produced by the body that destroys or inactivates a
pathogen that has entered the body
antigen - Answer-substance (usually foreign) that stimulates the production of an
antibody
archaea - Answer-domain of unicellular prokaryotes that have cell walls that do not
contain peptidoglycan
ATP - Answer-a nucleotide that stores and transfers energy within cells
autotroph - Answer-organism that can capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and
use it to produce its own food; also called a producer
bacteria - Answer-domain of unicellular prokaryotes that have cell walls containing
peptidoglycans
bacteriophage - Answer-virus that infects bacteria
base deletion - Answer-mutation which results in the loss of nucleotide pairs in a
gene; have a major effect on the resulting protein
base insertion - Answer-mutation which results in the addition of nucleotide pairs in a
gene; have a major effect on the resulting protein
, base-pair substitution - Answer-a type of point mutation where one nucleotide and its
partner are replaced by another pair of nucleotides
behavioral adaptation - Answer-an inherited behavior that helps an organism survive;
like escaping from predators or find a mate
binary fission - Answer-asexual reproduction in prokaryotes by which one cell divides
into two identical cells
fetus - Answer-an unborn or unhatched vertebrate in the later stages of development
showing the main recognizable features of the mature animal
fever - Answer-a rise in the temperature of the body
fitness - Answer-the ability of an individual to survive and reproduce in its specific
environment
food chain - Answer-a series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating
and being eaten
food web - Answer-a diagram that shows the feeding relationships between
organisms in an ecosystem
fossil - Answer-the remains (or an impression) of a plant or animal that existed in a
past geological age and that has been excavated from the soil
gamete - Answer-egg or sperm sex cell that contains a single set of chromosomes
(haploid), one from each homologous pair
gene - Answer-sequence of DNA that codes for a protein and thus determines a trait
binomial nomenclature - Answer-Classification system in which each species is
assigned a two-part scientific name including the genus and species
biodiversity - Answer-the variety of different species in a given area
biogeochemical cycle - Answer-process in which elements, chemical compounds,
and other forms of matter are passed from one organism to another and from one
part of the biosphere to another; like the carbon and nitrogen cycle
biomass - Answer-the total amount of living matter within a given trophic level
capsid - Answer-the outer covering of protein surrounding the nucleic acid of a virus
carbohydrate - Answer-organic compound used by cells to store and release energy;
composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen
carbon cycle - Answer-the organic circulation of carbon from the atmosphere into
organisms and back again