Bio WGU study for OA c190 QUESTION AND CORRECT ANSWER

Bio WGU study for OA c190 QUESTION AND CORRECT ANSWERAdaptation- The adjustment or changes in behavior, physiology, and structure of an organism to become more suited to an environment. Aerobic- A process that requires oxygen. Allele -An alternative form of a gene. An example would be genes that encode eye color—some encode blue eyes (one allele), while others encode brown, green, or hazel eye colors (other alleles). ... amino acids - A small organic molecule with the structure of an amino group, a carboxylic acid group, and an "R" group, which are all bonded to a single central carbon atom. The difference between the "R" group is what distinguishes one amino acid from another. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. Anaerobic- A process that occurs without oxygen. Anaphase- A stage within the mitosis phase of cell division (also known as cell reproduction). Anaphase starts when sister chromatids separate from each other and ends when each set of separated, sister chromatids arrives at the opposite poles of the cell. anaphase I- The third stage of Meiosis I—the two homologous chromosomes separate and migrate toward opposite poles. anaphase II- The third stage in Meiosis II—the centromeres separate and the sister chromatids (now individual chromosomes) move toward the opposite poles of the cell. artificial selection- Deliberate mating between two individuals who were selected based on desired traits. asexual reproduction - A type of reproduction where genetically identical offspring are created from a single parent. This type of reproduction does not utilize meiosis or gametes. Bacteria and fungi are examples of organisms that reproduce in this manner. ... Atom- The basic unit of matter that cannot be further broken down without losing its unique properties. One atom consists of a dense nucleus surrounded by a cloud of electrons. Autosomal- Describes a trait associated with alleles located on autosomes (non sex chromosomes). autosomal chromosome- A chromosome not involved in sex determination. biogeochemical cycle- The processes that transfer chemical elements between biotic and abiotic components in an ecosystem. There are several main cycles: the water cycle, the carbon cycle, the nitrogen cycle, and the phosphorus cycle. Biome- A large naturally occurring community of plants and animals occupying a major habitat. Examples include tropical forest and arctic tundra. Biomes- A pattern of distribution of ecosystems across the globe, where similar environmental conditions lead to similar animal and plant adaptations. Examples of biomes include tropical rainforests, deserts, and tundra. biosphere- All areas on, within, and around the planet Earth that are capable of supporting life. Calvin cycle (Calvin-Ben son cycle or light-independent reaction)- The set of chemical reactions that take place in chloroplasts during photosynthesis. The cycle is light-independent because it takes place after the energy has been captured from sunlight. Also called Calvin-Benson Cycle, Benson-Calvin Cycle. Carbohydrates- The extracellular surface of the cell membrane is decorated with carbohydrate groups attached to lipids and proteins. These short carbohydrates play a role in giving a cell its identity (i.e., distinguishing self from non-self) and are the distinguishing factor in human blood types. carbon cycle- The biogeochemical cycle through which carbon flows between the atmosphere, water, land, and ecosystems. cell cycle- A series of phases in the life of the cell through which it grows and divides. cell wall- Protective and reinforcing structure found in certain cells, situated outside the plasma membrane. Bacterial cell walls are mainly built of peptidoglycan, although they may also contain lipidic molecules. Among eukaryotes, plants and fungi possess cell walls, made of cellulose and chitin, respectively. cellular respiration- Use of oxygen to release energy from nutrients; also called aerobic respiration. Centromere- A specific section of a chromosome where spindle fibers attach during cell division; also the connection point of sister chromatids. Chlorophyll- A plant pigment used to absorb light energy for photosynthesis. Chlorophyll gives plants their green color because it absorbs red and blue light particularly well, while reflecting green. Chloroplast- An organelle found in plants and photosynthetic protists (single-celled eukaryotic organisms) that contain pigments such as chlorophyl. Its primary function is to capture solar energy and convert it into chemical energy through the process of photosynthesis. Chloroplast absorbs sunlight energy and uses the energy to power the synthesis of organic food molecules (sugars). A chloroplast contains its own DNA as a single circular chromosome. Sister Chromatid - One of two identical copies of a chromosome duplicated during the S phase of the cell cycle. A centromere connects two sister chromatids together. When joined together, sister chromatids compose one chromosome. Chromatids are separated from each other during mitosis or meiosis II. Citric acid cycle- The 2nd stage of aerobic cellular respiration that occurs when acetyl CoA combines with a four-carbon molecule and goes through a cycle of reactions, ultimately producing ATP, NADH, FADH2, and CO2. climate change- It is the full range of climatic disruptions that have occurred as a probable result of human alteration of the atmosphere. In other words, it is recent climate warming—and weirdness—that is probably caused by human activities and technology use. Codominance- A form of dominance where both alleles of a gene pair in a heterozygote are fully expressed. This results in offspring with a phenotype that is neither dominant nor recessive. A typical example showing codominance is the ABO blood group system. Codons- A sequence of three nucleotides in an mRNA molecule that specifies which amino acid should be added to a growing polypeptide chain. Commensalism- A symbiotic relationship in which one species benefits and the other does not, but also is not harmed. Competition- A type of interspecific interaction where both species are harmed. complementary base pairing- Describes the hydrogen bonding that occurs between specific nucleotides on opposing strands of DNA or RNA. In DNA, adenine is paired with thymine, and guanine is paired with cytosine. When RNA is made from DNA, adenine is paired with uracil, and guanine is paired with cytosine. Consumers- An organism that must eat or absorb complex food molecules derived from the bodies of other organisms. Consumers get their energy and nutrients from such food molecules. Humans and other animals are consumers, as are fungi and most bacteria. covalent bonds- Covalent bonds represent the sharing of the electrons (negatively charged subatomic particles between atoms). The number of covalent bonds that can form is dictated by the number of unpaired electrons in the outer valence shell of the atom. Cytoplasm- The substance that fills the inside contents of a cell between the plasma membrane and the nucleus. Contains a semifluid medium, composed mainly of water, and organelles (organelles are present only if it is a eukaryotic cell). Cytoskeleton- A eukaryotic cell structure formed by a series of protein filaments. The cytoskeleton is a scaffold for the cell structure and a framework for many cellular activities, including movement and cell division. Decomposer- Bacteria and fungi that colonize dead material and absorb food molecules from it. deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)- A nucleic acid polymer that contains the genetic instructions for all living organisms. DNA is composed of two strands of nucleotides that are intertwined in a double helix. Detritivores- Animals that feed on dead organic matter. Some detritivores specialize on eating dead animals (e.g., vultures) and others feed on dead plant material (e.g., earthworms). Disaccharide- A carbohydrate made of two monosacch