Biology words

Accomodation

The eye's ability to change focus

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Acrosome

Part of the sperm that contains enzymes

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Active Immunity

You have immunity if your immune system recognises a pathogen and fights it

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Active Site

The place on an enzyme where the substrate molecule binds

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Active Transport

Cells use energy to transport substances through cell membranes against a concentration gradient

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Adaptations

Features that organisms have to help them survive in their environment

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Aerobic Respiration

Respiration that involves oxygen

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Alcohol

A substance made by the fermentation of yeast

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Allele

Inherited characteristics are carried as pairs of alleles on pairs of chromosomes. Different forms of a gene are different alleles.

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Amino Acids

Small molecules from which proteins are built

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Anaerobic Respiration

Respiration without oxygen

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Antibiotic

Therapeutic drug acting to kill bacteria which is taken into the body

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Antibody

Protein normally present in the body or produced in response

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Antigen

Any substance that stimulates the production of antibodies - antigens on the surface of red blood cells determine blood group

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Antiviral Drug

Therpeutic drug acting to kill viruses

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Arteries

Blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart

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Asexual reproduction

Reproduction involving only one parent

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ATP

Molecule used to store energy in the body

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Auxin

A type of plant hormone

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Axon

Part of neurone that carries nerve impulses

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Bacteria

Single - celled micro-organisms which can either be free-living organisms or parasites (they sometimes invade the body and cause disease)

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Binocular Vision

The ability to maintain visual focus on an object with both eyes, creating a single visual image

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Binomial system

The scientific way of naming an organism

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Biodiversity

Range of different living organisms in a habitat

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Biological catalyst

Molecules in the body that speed up chemical reactions

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Biological control

a natural predator is released to reduce

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Biomass

Waste wood and other natural materials which are burned in power stations

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Blind Trial

A drugs trial where volunteers do not know which treatment they are recieving

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Blood Pressure

Force with which blood presses against the walls of the blood vessels

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Blood sugar level

Amount of glucose in the blood

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Body mass index

BMI - measure of someones weight in relation to their hieght

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Cancer

Life-threatening condition where body cells divide uncontrolably

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Capillaries

Small blood vessels that join arteries to veins

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Captive Breeding

Breeding a species in zoos to maintain the wild population

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Carbon dioxide

Gas present in the atmosphere at low percentage but important in respiration, photosynthesis and combustion; a greenhouse gas which is emitted into the atmosphere as a by- product of combustion

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Carbon Footprint

The total amount of greenhouse gases given off by a person in a given time

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Carbon Monoxide

Poisonous gas made when fuels burn in a shortage of oxygen

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Carotene

Plant pigment involved in photosynthesis

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Cell differentiation

When cells become specialised

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Cell membrane

Layer around a cell which helps to control substances entering and leaving the cell

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Central Nervous system

Collectively the brain and spinal cord

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CFC's

Gases which used to be used in refridgerators and which harm the ozone laye

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Chlorophyll

Pigment found in plants which is used in photosynthesis (gives green plants their colour)

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Cholesterol

Fatty substance which can block blood vessels

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Chromosomes

Thread- like structures in the cell nucleus that carry genetic information

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Clone

Genetically identical copy

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Collagen

Protein used for support in animal cells

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Combustion

Process where fuels react with oxygen to produce heat

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Community

All the plants and animals living in an ecosystem, eg; a garden

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Compost

Dead and decaying plant material

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Concentration

The amount of chemical dissolved in a certain volume of solution

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Conservation

A way of protecting a species or environment

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Conservation of mass

The total mass of reactants equals the total mass of products formed

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Crenation

When red blood cells shrink in concentrated solutions, they look partly deflated

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Crop Rotation

System of growing crops in a sequence

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Decay

to rot

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Decomposer

Organisms that break down dead animals and plants

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Dehydration

Result of body losing too much water

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Denitrifying Bacteria

Bacteria that convert nitrates into nitrogen gas

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Density

The density of a substance is found by dividing its mass by its volume

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Depressant

A drug that slows down the working of the brain

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Detritivore

An organism that eats dead materials, e.g: an earthworm

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Detritus

The dead and semi- decayed remains of living things

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Diastolic Pressure

The lowest point that your blood pressure reaches as the heart relaxes between beats

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Diet

What a person eats

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Diffuse

When particles diffuse they spread out

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Diploid

Cells that have two copies of each chromosome

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Disposal

Getting rid of unwanted substances such as plastics

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DNA

Molecule found in all body cells in the nucleus - its sequence determines how our bodies are made, and gives each one of us a unique genetic code

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DNA Bases

Four chemicals that are found in DNA, they make up the base sequence and are given the letters A, T, G and C

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Dominant Allele / characteristics

An allele that will produce the characteristic if present

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Double circulatory system

Where the blood is pumped to the lungs then returned to the heart before being pumped round the body

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EAR for protein

Estimated average daily requirement of proetin in diet

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Ecological niche

The role of an organism within an ecosystem

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Effiency

Ratio of useful energy output to total energy output

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Egestion

The way an animal gets rid of undigested food waste called faeces

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Endangered

A species where the numbers are so low they could soon become extinct

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Energy

The ability to 'do work', for example the human body needs energy to function

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Enzymes

Biological catalysts that increase the speed of a chemical reaction

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Evaporation

When a liquid changes in to a gas, it evaporates

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Evolution

The gradual change in organisms over millions of years caused by random mutations and natural selection

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Excretion

The process of getting rid of waste from the body

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Exponential Growth

The ever - increasing growth of the human population

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Extinct

When all memebrs of a species have died out

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Extrapolation

Making an estimate beyond the range of results

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Fertilisation

When a sperm fuses with an egg

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Fertiliser

Chemical put on soil to increase soil fertility and allow better growth of crop plants

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First - class protein

Proteins from meat and fish which contain all essential amino acids

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Flaccid

floppy

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Fungicide

Chemical used to kill fungi

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Gametes

The male and female sex cells (sperm and eggs)

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Gene

Section of DNA that codes for a particular characteristic

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Gene pool

The different genes available within a species

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Gene therapy

Medical procedure where a virus is used to 'carry' a gene into the nucleus of a cell (this is a new treatment for genetic diseases)

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Genetic engineering

Transfer of genes from one organism to another

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Genotype

The genetic make up of an organism

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Geotropism

A plant's growth response to gravity

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Global warming

The increase in the Earth's temperature due to increase in carbon dioxide levels

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Greenhouse gas

Any of the gases whose absorption of infrared radiation from the Earth's surface is responsible for the greenhouse effect, e.g; carbon dioxide, methane, water vapour

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Habitat

Where an organism lives, e.g; the worm's habitat is the soil

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Haemoglobin

Chemical found in red blood cells which carries oxygen

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Hallucinogen

A drug, like LSD, that gives the user hallucinations

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Haploid

Cells that have only one copy of each chromosome

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Heat stroke

Result of body being too hot; skin is cold, pulse is weak

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Herbicide

Chemical used to kill weeds

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Heterozygous

A person who has two different alleles for an inherited characteristic e.g: someone with blond hair may also carry an alleles for red hair

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Homozygous

A person who has two alleles that are the same for an inherited feature, e.g a blue-eyed person will have two blue alleles for eye colour

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Hormones

Chemicals that act on target organs in the body (hormones are made by the body in special glands)

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Hybrid

The infertile offspring produced when two animals of different species breed

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Hydroponics

Growing plants in mineral solutions without the need of soil

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Hypothalamus

Small gland in brain, detects temperature of blood

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Hypothermia

A condition caused by the body getting too cold, which can lead to death if untreated

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Inbreeding

Breeding closely related animals

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Indicator Species

Organisms used to measure the level of pollution in water or the air

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Insecticide

A chemical that can kill an insect

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Insulation

A substance that reduces the movement of energy; heat insulation in the loft of a house slows down the movement of warmth to the cooler outside

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Insulin

Hormone made by the pancreas which controls the level of glucose in the blood

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Intensive farming

Farming that uses a lot of artificial fertilisers and energy to produce a high yield per farm worker

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Kite Diagram

Method of displaying results from a transect line

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Kwashiorkor

An illness caused by protein deficiency due to lack of food. Sufferers often have swollen bellies caused by retention of fluid in the abdomen

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Legume

A plant that has bacteria inside root nodules that provide the plant with nitrates

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Lysis

To split apart

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Mammal

Animals that have fur and produce milk for their young

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Meiosis

Cell division that results in haploid cells

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Meristem

Tips of roots and shoots where cell division and elongation takes place

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Messenger RNA

Copy of a section of DNA used to carry the gene code to the ribosomes

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Metabolic Rate

The speed at which the amount of energy the body needs is released

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Microorganism

Very small organism which can only be viewed through a microscope - also known as a microbe

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Minerals

Natural solid materials with a fixed chemical composition and structure, rocks are made of collections of minerals; mineral nutrients in our diet are things like calcium and iron, theyy are simple chemicals needed for health

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Mitochondria

Structures in a cell where respiration takes place

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Mitosis

Cell division that results in genetically identical diploid cells

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Molecule

Two or more atoms which have been chemically combined

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Monohybird cross

A cross between two organisms that differ by a single characteristic. Used to follow the inheritance of a single pair of genes

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Motor Neurone

Nerve cell carrying information from the central nervous system to muscles

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Multicellular Organism

Organisms made up of many specialised cells

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Mutation

Where the DNA within cells have been altered (cancer)

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Mutualism

A relationship in which both organisms benefit

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Natural selection

Process by which 'good' characteristics that can be passed on in genes become more common in a population over many generations (good characteristics mean that the organism has an advantage which makes it more likely to survive)

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Nitrogen- fixing bacteria

Bacteria that convert nitrogen into ammonia or nitrates

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Nuclear transfer

Type of cloning that involves taking a nucleus from a body cell and placing it into an egg cell

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Nucleus

Central part of an atom that contains protons and neutrons

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Obesity

A medical condition where the amount of body fat is so great that it harms health

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Optium temperature

The temperature range that produces the best reaction time

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Osmosis

A type of diffusion which depends on the presence of a partially - permeable membrane that allows the passage of water molecules but large molecules such as glucose

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Oxygen debt

The debt for oxygen that builds up in the body when demand for oxygen is greater than supply

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Ozone Layer

Layer of the Earth's atmosphere that protects us from ultraviolet

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Painkiller

A drug that stops nerve impulses so pain is not felt

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Palisade Cells

Tightly packed together cells found on the upper side of a leaf

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Parasite

Organism which lives on (or inside) the body of another organism

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Partially- Permeable membrane

A membrane that allows some small molecules to pass through but not larger molcules

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Pathogen

Harmful organisms which invade the body and cause disease

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Performance enhancer

a drug used to improve performance in a sporting event

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Ph scale

scale in which acids have pH below 7, alkalis a pH of above 7 and a neutral substance a pH of 7

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Phenotype

The characteristic that is shown/ expressed

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Pholem

Specialised transporting cells which form tubules in plants to carry sugars from leaves to other parts of the plant

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Photosynthesis

Process carried out by green plants where sunlight, carbon dioxide and water are used to produce glucose and oxygen

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Phototropism

A plant's growth response to light

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Placebo

A dummy pill

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Plant hormones

Hormones that control various plant processes such as growth and germination

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Plaque

Build up of cholesterol in a blood vessel (which may block it)

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Plasma

Yellow liquid found in blood

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Plasmolysis

The shrinking of a plant cell due to loss of water, the cell membrane pulls away

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Pollination

The process of transferring pollen from one plant to another

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Pollutants

Unwanted residues found that can sometimes cause damage

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Population

Groups of organisms of the same species in a habitat

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Predator

Animal which preys on (and eats) another animal

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Prey

Animals which are eaten by a predator

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Producers

Organisms in a food chain that make food using sunllight

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Random

Having no regular pattern

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Rate of reaction

The speed with which chemical reaction takes place

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Reaction time

The time it takes for a driver to step on the brake after seeing an obstacle

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Recessive allelle / characteristic

Two recessive alleles needed to produce the characteristic

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Recycle

To reuse material

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Red blood cells

Blood cells which are adapted to carry oxygen

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Reflex

A muscular action that we take without thinking about

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Refraction

When a light ray travelling through air enters a glass block and changes direction

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Reptile

Cold blooded vertebrate having an external covering of scales or horny plates

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Respiration

Process occuring in living things where oxygen is used to release the energy in foods.

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Respiratory Quotient

The result of dividing carbon dioxide produced by oxygn used, can be used to determine the types of molecule used in respiration

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Ribosome

Structures in a cell wher protein synthesis takes place

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Saprophyte

An organism that bro funggi eaks down dead organic matter, usually used to refer t

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Second - class protein

Proteins form plants which only contain some essential amino acids

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Selctive breeding

Process of breeding organisms with the desired characteristics

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Sensory neurone

Nerve cell carrying information from receptors to central nervous system

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Species

Basic catergory of biological classification, composed of indivduals that resmble one another, can breed among themselves, but cannot breed with members of another species

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Speed time graph

A plot of how the speed of an object varies with time

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Spongy mesophyll cells

Found in the middle of a leaf with an irregular shae and large air spaces between them

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Stomata

Small holes in te surface of leaves which allow gases in and out of leaves

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Stroke

Sudden change in blood flow to the brain - can be fatal

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Substrate

Th substance upon which an enzyme acts

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Sustainable development

Managing a resource so that it does not run out

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Synapse

Gap between two neurons

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Systolic pressure

The highest point that your blood pressure reaches as the heart beas to pump blood through your body

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Temperature

A measure of the degree of hotness of a body on an arbitrary scale

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Temerature coefficient

Equation used to calculate the effect of temperature on the rate of an enzyme - controlled reaction

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Thrombosis

Blood clot in a blood vessel causing it to be blocked

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Tissue Culture

Process that uses small sections of tissue to clone plants

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Toxic

A toxic substance is one which is poisonous, e.g ; toxic waste

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Toxin

A poisonous substance

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Transect

Line across an area to sample organisms

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Trials

Tests to find if something works and is safe

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Trophic level

The stages in a food chain

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Tumour

Abnormal mass of tissue that is often cancerous

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Turgid

Plant cells which are full of water with their walls bowed out and pushing against neighbouring cells

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Turgor pressure

The pressure exerted on the cell membrane by the cell wall when the cell is fully inflated

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Units of alcohol

Measurement of alcoholic content of a drink

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Vacuum

Space containing hardly any particles

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Variation

The differences between individuals (because we all have slight variations in our genes)

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Vascular bundle

Group of xylem and pholem cells

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Vasoconstruction

In cold conditions the diameter of small blood vessels near the surface of the body decreases - this reduces the flow of blood

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Vasodilation

In hot conditions the diameter of small blood vessels near the surface of the body increases - this increases the flow of blood

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Vector

An animal that carries a pathogen without suffering from it

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Vegan

A type of diet; a person who does not eat animal or animal products

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Vegetarian

A type of diet; a person who does not eat meat or fish

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Veins

Blood vessels that carry blood back to the heart

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White blood cells

Blood cells which defend against disease

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Xanothophylls

Plant pigments involved in photosynthesis

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Xylem

Cells specialised from transporting water through a plant; xylem cells have thick walls, no cytoplasm and are dead, their end walls break down and they form a continous tube

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Biology words

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