Biology Key Terms From Chapter 6, Concepts 1 And 2

Front 1

cell theory

Back 1

generalization that all living things are composed of cells, and that cells are the basic unit of structure and function in living things

Front 2

micrograph

Back 2

photograph of the view through a microscope

Front 3

organelle

Back 3

part of a cell with a specific function

Front 4

plasma membrane

Back 4

thin outer boundary of a cell that regulates the traffic of chemicals between the cell and its surroundings

Front 5

nucleus

Back 5

in an atom, the central core that contains protons and neutrons; in a cell, the part that houses the cell's genetic material in the form of DNA

Front 6

cytoplasm

Back 6

region of a cell between the nucleus and the plasma membrane

Front 7

cell wall

Back 7

strong wall outside a plant cell's plasma membrane that protects the cell and maintains its shape

Front 8

prokaryotic cell

Back 8

cell lacking a nucleus and most other organelles

Front 9

eukaryotic cell

Back 9

cell with a nucleus (surrounded by its own membrane) and other internal organelles

Front 10

phospholipid bilayer

Back 10

two-layer "sandwich" of molecules that surrounds a cell