Wile Biology,module 1, The Study Of Life, Vocabulary

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Metabolism

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The sum total of all processes in an organism which convert energy and matter from outside sources and use that energy and matter to sustain the organism’s life functions

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Anabolism

Back 2

The sum total of all processes in an organism which use energy and simple chemical
building blocks to produce large chemicals and structures necessary for life

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Catabolism

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The sum total of all processes in an organism which break down chemicals to produce
energy and simple chemical building blocks

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Photosynthesis

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The process by which green plants and some other organisms use the energy of
sunlight and simple chemicals to produce their own food

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Herbivores

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Organisms that eat only plants

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Carnivores

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Organisms that eat only organisms other than plants

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Omnivores

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Organisms that eat both plants and other organisms

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Producers

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Organisms that produce their own food

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Consumers

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Organisms that eat living producers and/or other consumers for food

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Decomposers

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Organisms that break down the dead remains of other organisms

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Autotrophs

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Organisms that are able to make their own food

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Heterotrophs

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Organisms that depend on other organisms for their food

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Receptors

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Special structures that allow living organisms to sense the conditions of their internal
or external environment

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Asexual reproduction

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Reproduction accomplished by a single organism

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Sexual reproduction

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Reproduction that requires two organisms

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Inheritance

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The process by which physical and biological characteristics are transmitted from the
parent (or parents) to the offspring

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Mutation

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An abrupt and marked change in the DNA of an organism compared to that of its parents

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Hypothesis

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An educated guess that attempts to explain an observation or answer a question

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Theory

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A hypothesis that has been tested with a significant amount of data

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Scientific law

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A theory that has been tested by and is consistent with generations of data

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Microorganisms

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Living creatures that are too small to see with the naked eye

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Abiogenesis

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The idea that long ago, very simple life forms spontaneously appeared through
chemical reactions

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Prokaryotic cell

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A cell that has no distinct, membrane-bounded organelles

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Eukaryotic cell

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A cell with distinct, membrane-bounded organelles

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Species

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A unit of one or more populations of individuals that can reproduce under normal conditions, produce fertile offspring, and are reproductively isolated from other such units

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Taxonomy

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The science of classifying organisms

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Binomial nomenclature

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Naming an organism with its genus and species name. It it a two word naming system.