Foundational biology vocabulary spanning cells, genetics, ecology, and evolution for a general biology course. Front: the term. Back: a plain-language definition.
36 cards · basic cards · AI-written, checked twice. Edit anything.
- cell
- the basic unit of life; the smallest structure that can carry out all life processes
- nucleus
- the membrane-bound structure in eukaryotic cells that contains the cell's DNA
- mitochondrion
- the organelle responsible for producing energy (ATP) for the cell through cellular respiration
- chloroplast
- the organelle in plant cells where photosynthesis occurs
- ribosome
- the organelle that synthesizes proteins by reading messenger RNA
- photosynthesis
- the process by which plants convert light energy, water, and carbon dioxide into glucose and oxygen
- cellular respiration
- the process by which cells break down glucose to release energy in the form of ATP
- DNA
- the molecule that carries genetic instructions for all living organisms
- chromosome
- a structure made of DNA and proteins that carries genes
- gene
- a unit of DNA that codes for a specific trait or protein
- allele
- a variant form of a gene that produces different traits
- dominant trait
- a characteristic that appears in an organism when at least one dominant allele is present
- recessive trait
- a characteristic that appears only when two recessive alleles are present
- mitosis
- the process of cell division that produces two identical daughter cells
- meiosis
- the process of cell division that produces four sex cells with half the chromosome number