Life Science GLOSSARY angiosperm (AN-jee-uh-sPURM) A A plant that has flowers and produces seeds en- abiotic factor (AY-by-AHT-i hk) closed in fruit. (p. 379) A nonliving physical or chemical part of an ecosystem. (p. 474) Animalia (AN-U h-MAL-yu h) Part of a classification system that divides all living active transport things into six kingdoms. Kingdom Animalia includes The process of using energy to move materials multicellular organisms, from humans and lions to through a membrane. (p. 60) insects and microbes, that rely on food for energy. (p. 223) adaptation A characteristic, a behavior, or any inherited trait that antibiotic makes a species able to survive and reproduce in a A medicine that can block the growth and reproduc- particular environment. (p. xxxvii) tion of bacteria. (p. 65 7) addiction antibody A physical or psychological need for a habit-forming A protein produced by some white blood cells to at- substance, such as alcohol or drugs. (p. 722) tack specific foreign materials. (p. 651) adolescence (Ao- u hi-EHS-uhns) antigen The stage of life from the time a human body begins A particular substance that the body recognizes as to mature sexually to adulthood. (p. 711) foreign and that stimulates a response. (p. 654) dulthood appendicular skeleton (AP-u hn-DIH K-yu h-lu hr) he stage of life that begins once a human body com- The bones of the skeleton that function to allow letes movement, such as arm and leg bones. (p. 592) its growth and reaches sexual maturity. (p. 712) archaea (AH R-kee- u h) algae Single-celled organisms without nuclei that can Protists that live mostly in water and use sunlight as survive in extreme environments. Archaea is a plural a source of energy. Algae is a plural word; the singu- word; the singular is archaean. (p. 290) lar is alga. (p. 303) Archaea (AH R-kee- u h) allele (uh-LEEL) Part of a classification system that divides all living An alternate form of a gene for a specific trait or things into six kingdoms. Kingdom Archaea includes gene product. (p. 103) microscopic single-celled organisms with a distinctive cell structure that allows them to live in amphibian extreme environments. (p. 223) A cold-blooded vertebrate animal that lives in water and breathes with gills when it is young; as an adult, artery it moves onto land and breathes air with lungs. A blood vessel with strong walls that carries blood (p. 439) away from the heart. (p. 645) ancestor A distant or early form of an organism from which arthropod later forms descend. (p. 189) An invertebrate animal with an exoskeleton, a seg- mented body, and jointed legs. (p. 414) asexual reproduction binomial nomenclature The process by which a single organism produces (by-NOH-mee-uhl NOH-mu hn-KLAY-c h u h r) offspring that have the same genetic material. The two-part naming system used to identify (p. 88) species. The first part of the name is the genus, and the second part of the name is the species. (p. 212) atom The smallest particle of an element that has the biodiversity chemical properties of that element. The number and variety of living things found on Earth or within an ecosystem. (p. 555) autonomic nervous system The part of the nervous system that controls involun- biology tary action and responses. (p. 683) The scientific study of life and all living things; ecology, biology, and botany are examples of bio- autotroph (AW-t u h-TRAHF) logical sciences. An organism that captures energy from sunlight and uses it to produce energy-rich carbon compounds, biome (BY-OHM) usually through the process of photosynthesis. A region of Earth that has a particular climate and (p. 324) certain types of plants. Examples are tundra, taiga, desert, grassland, temperate and tropical forests. axial skeleton (p. 494) The central part of the skeleton, which includes the cranium, the spinal column, and the ribs. (p. 592) biotic factor (by-AHT-i h k) A living thing in an ecosystem. (p. 494) B blood bacteria (ba k-TEE R-ee-uh) A fluid in the body that delivers oxygen and other A large group of one-celled organisms that materials to cells and removes carbon dioxide and sometimes cause disease. Bacteria is a plural word; other wastes. (p. 641 ) the singular is bacterium. (pp. 14, 725) blubber Bacteria (bak-TEER-ee-uh) A layer of fat in some sea mammals that lies be- Part of a classification system that divides all living neath the skin. It insulates the animal from cold and things into six kingdoms. Kingdom Bacteria includes stores reserve energy. (p. 456) microscopic single-celled organisms found in many environments. Bacteria can be associated with budding disease in other organisms. (p. 223) A process of asexual reproduction in which an organism develops as an outgrowth of the parent. behavior Each bud can grow into a new organism, breaking An organism’s action in response to a stimulus. (p. free and becoming separate and independent. 334) (p. 89) binary fission A form of asexual reproduction by which some singl- c ecelled organisms reproduce. The genetic material capillary is copied, and one cell divides into two indepen- A narrow blood vessel that connects arteries with dent cells that are each a copy of the original cell. veins. (p. 645) Prokaryotes such as bacteria reproduce by binary fission. (pp. 89, 284) carbohydrate (KAHR- boh-HY-drayt) A type of molecule made up of subunits of sugars and used for energy and structure. (p. 42) carbon cycle childhood The continuous movement of carbon through Earth, The stage of life after infancy and before the begin- its atmosphere, and the living things on Earth. ning of sexual maturity. (p. 7 10) (p. 482) chlorophyll (KLAWR-uh-f i h l) carrying capacity A light-absorbing chemical, a pigment, that traps the The maximum size that a population can reach in an energy in sunlight and converts it to chemical ecosystem. (pp. 242, 529) energy. Found in chloroplasts of plant cells and the cells of other photosynthetic organisms. (p. 48) cell The smallest unit that is able to perform the basic chloroplast (KLAW R-u h-PLAST) functions of life. (p. xxxi) An organelle in a plant cell that contains chlorophyll, a chemical that uses the energy from sunlight to cell cycle make sugar. (p. 23) The normal sequence of growth, maintenance, and division in a cell. (p. 80) chromosome The physical struture in a cell that contains the cell’s cell membrane genetic material. (p. 75) The outer boundary of the cytoplasm, a layer that controls what enters or leaves the cell; a protective circulatory system covering enclosing an entire cell. (p. 20) The group of organs, consisting of the heart and blood vessels, that circulates blood through the cellular respiration body. (p. 641) A process in which cells use oxygen to release energy stored in sugars. (pp. 50, 325, 615) classification The systematic grouping of different types of organ- cell wall isms by their shared characteristics. (p. 204) A protective outer covering that lies just outside the cell membrane of plant cells. (p. 2 1) cloning The process of using DNA technology to produce an central nervous system offspring that is genetically identical to its one The brain and spinal cord. The central nervous parent. (p. 154) system communicates· with the rest of the nervous system through electrical signals sent to and from cnidarian (ny-DAI R-ee -uhn) neurons. (p. 680) An invertebrate animal such as a jellyfish that has a body with radial symmetry, tentacles with stinging chemical energy cells, and a central internal cavity. (p. 400) Energy that is stored in the chemical composition of matter. The amount of chemical energy in a sub- commensalism (ku h-MEHN-su h-uHz-uhm) stance depends on the types and arrangement of its An interaction between two species in which one atoms. When wood or gasoline burns, chemical en- species benefits without harming the other; a type of ergy produces heat. The energy used by the cells in symbiosis. (p.523) your body comes from chemical energy in the foods you eat. (p. 47) community All the populations that live and interact with each chemical reaction other in a particular place. The community can live The process by which chemical changes occur. In a in a place as small as a pond or a park, or it can live chemical reaction, atoms are rearranged, and in a place as large as a rain forest or the ocean. chemical bonds are broken and formed. (p. 42) (p. 512) compact bone cytoplasm (SY-t u h-PLAZ-u hm) The tough, hard outer layer of a bone. (p. 591) A thick, gelatin-like material contained within the cell membrane. Most of the work of the cell is carried out competition in the cytoplasm. (p. 20) The struggle between two or more living things that depend on the same limited resource. (p. 519) D competitor data A species characterized by a relatively longer life Information gathered by observation or experimen- span, with relatively few offspring, when compared tation that can be used in calculating or reasoning. with an opportunist species. (p. 256) Data is a plural word; the singular is datum. compound deciduous (dih-SIHJ-oo-u hs) A substance made up of two or more different types A term used to describe trees and shrubs that drop of atoms. their leaves when winter comes; examples are maple, oak, and birch trees.