Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

Biology Unit 2 > Definitions > Flashcards

Definitions Flashcards

(98 cards)

Start Studying
1
Q

Habitat

A

habitat: part of an ecosystem in which an organism lives, feeds and reproduces

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Microhabitat

A

microhabitat: small region within a habitat that may have environmental conditions that differ from those prevailing in the larger habitat

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Range

A

range: geographic area enclosing all the habitats where a given species lives; sometimes referred to as distribution

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Migratory

A

migratory: refers to a population that moves to a new habitat at a predictable time, either on an annual basis or once in a lifetime

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Remote Sensing

A

remote sensing: data-gathering about an object from a distance, such as with LandSat satellite

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Community

A

community: biological unit consisting of all the populations living in a specific area at a specific time

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Qualitative

A

qualitative: refers to a description of an environment in imprecise terms, such as ‘warm’, ‘shady’

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Quantitative

A

quantitative: refers to a description of an environment using numerical values, such as ‘10 °C’, ‘75% cover’

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Micro Environment

A

micro-environments: conditions in a small region of a habitat

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Tolerance Range

A

tolerance range: extent of variation in an environmental factor within which a particular species can survive

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Adaptations

A

adaptations: features that appear to equip an organism for survival in a particular habitat

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Transpiration

A

transpiration: loss of water from the surfaces of a plant

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Stomata

A

mata: (singular = stoma) openings, typically on a leaf surface, through which water vapour and carbon dioxide can move

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Dormancy

A

dormancy: condition of inactivity resulting from extreme lowering of metabolic rate in an organism

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Competition

A

Interaction between individuals of the same or different species that use one or more of the same resources in the same ecosystem

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Limiting Factor

A

Environmental conditions that affects the types of organisms that can survive in a given habitat

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Niche

A

Ways of life of organisms in an ecosystem; roles of species in a community

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Niche Overlap

A

Situation in an ecosystem in which different species are in competition for the same energy and space resources; in reality, niche overlap in natural ecosystems is typically zero or minimal

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Conduction

A

Transfer of heat between two materials that are in direct contact with each other

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Convection

A

Transfer of heat by air or water currents

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Countercurrent Exchange

A

Anti-parallel arrangement of vascular tissue that enables heat to be transferred from a vessel carrying fluid from the core to an extremity, to a vessel carrying fluid from an extremity to a core

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Ectothermic

A

Organism whose body temperature is governed by external sources of heat

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Endothermic

A

Organism whose body heat is generated from internal metabolic sources

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Endocrine Glands

A

also called ductless glands; glands that produce one or more hormones, and secrete them directly into the bloodstream where they circulate to particular targets

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
endocrine system
system of ductless glands that produce hormones and release them directly into the bloodstream
26
Evaporation
loss of water in vapour form from the surface of a body of water
27
Homeostasis
condition of a relatively stable internal environment maintained within narrow limits
28
Homoeothermic
refers to an organism that is able to maintain an internal body temperature within a narrow range
29
Hypothalamus
tiny region of brain below the thalamus that controls various essential functions, including those associated with the autonomic nervous system
30
Negative Feedback
a regulatory mechanism that maintains a relatively steady value for body variables, such as blood glucose concentration, temperature and water concentration
31
Nervous Control System
brain, spinal cord and all nerves of the body
32
Osmoreceptors
specialised nerve cells in the hypothalamus of the brain that detect changes in blood concentration and release hormones in response
33
Osmoregulation
maintenance of constant internal salt and water concentrations in internal fluids (homeostasis) in spite of different concentrations in the external environment
34
Osmosis
net movement of water across a partially permeable membrane without an input of energy and down a concentration gradient
35
peripheral nervous system (PNS)
in vertebrates, all nerve cells that in whole or part lie outside the brain and spinal cord
36
physiological features
particular aspect of the function of an organism or any its parts
37
pituitary
endocrine gland attached to the hypothalamus, influences the production of thyroxin by the thyroid
38
Poikilothermic
refers to an organism having a body temperature that can vary greatly with changes in the external environment
39
Radiation
heat energy, in the form of infrared heat rays, lost from the surface of a warm body
40
Structural Features
particular aspects of the structure of an organism or any of its parts
41
Behavior
activities that animals perform in response to internal and external stimuli
42
Behavioral Features
activities that an animal performs in response to internal and external stimuli
43
Circadian Rhythm
refers to a pattern of activity following a 24-hour cycle
44
Classical Conditioning
type of learned behaviour in which an animal forms an association between two stimuli, one significant and one insignificant, so that the response normally associated with the significant stimulus occurs when only the insignificant stimulus is presented
45
Communication
transmission of information between organisms
46
Geotropism
response of a shoot or root to gravity
47
Day-Neutral Plants
plants that flower regardless of the length of day
48
Echolocation
technique in which animals emit sounds and detect the presence of objects by the echoes produced as the sound is reflected
49
Habituation
type of learned behaviour in which the response to a repeated stimulus gradually decreases
50
Heliotropism
also called solar tracking; ability of some plants to move so that they remain either perpendicular or parallel to the sun’s rays throughout the day
51
Imprinting
form of rapid and irreversible learning occurring during the early stage of an animal’s life
52
innate behaviour
behaviour that is essentially the same in all members of a species and which can occur without an individual having had prior experience of the behaviour; previously known as instinctive
53
insight learning
type of learned behaviour in which an animal applies previous experience to the solution of a new problem
54
Learned Behaviours
behaviours that develop or change as a result of experience
55
Long Day Plants
plants that flower when day-length increases (night-length shortens) to a particular critical point, generally in late spring or early summer
56
Migration
refers to the predictable movements of organisms over large distances, which may occur once in the lifetime of an organism (e.g. eels) or yearly (e.g. muttonbirds)
57
Nastic Movement
plant movement in which direction of movement is independent of direction of stimulus causing the movementplant movement in which direction of movement is independent of direction of stimulus causing the movement
58
Operant Conditioning
form of trial-and-error learning
59
Photoperiod
refers to the relative lengths of day and night in a 24-hour period
60
Photoperiodism
response of plants to particular periods of light and dark in terms of flowering or germination of seeds
61
Phototropism
movement of a plant in response to light
62
Play Behaviour
patterns of behaviour in young animals that appear to provide practice of behaviours that are seen in adults
63
Reproductive Behaviours
behaviour patterns associated with courtship, mating and care of the young
64
Rhythmic Behaviours
behaviours that are repeated at regular intervals, such as feeding or sleeping behaviours
65
Short Day Plants
plant that flowers when day-length shortens (night lengthens) to a particular critical point, generally in late summer, autumn or winter
66
Social Hierarchy
the different ranks of importance or dominance within an animal group
67
Social Interactions
interactions that involve two or more individuals and may involve cooperation, as in mating, or conflict as in defending a territory or competing for a mate
68
Solar Tracking
also called heliotropism; ability of some plants to move so that they remain either perpendicular or parallel to the sun’s rays throughout the day
69
Territorial Behaviour
behaviour associated with defending an area against other individuals, usually of the same species
70
Thigmotropism
a plant response to contact with a solid object
71
Tropism
a directional growth response of a plant to an environmental stimulus
72
Bird Pollinated
refers to flowering plants for which the transfer of pollen to other flowers of the same species occurs through the agency of birds
73
Breeding Season
the period when mature members of an animal population have sperm and eggs ready for release and fertilisation
74
Broadcast Spawning
release of eggs and sperm into the external environment by groups of fish
75
Desiccation
drying out
76
Insect Pollinated
refers to flowering plants for which the transfer of pollen to other flowers of the same species occurs through the agency of insects
77
Invertebrate
any animal that lacks a backbone
78
K-Selection
a situation in which a species, in comparison with an r-selected species, breeds less frequently and has fewer offspring in which great parental care is invested
79
Marsupials
type of mammal that gives birth to very undeveloped embryo-like young; generally have a pouch; member of subclass Marsupialia of class Mammalia
80
Mass Spawning
refers to the spawning when very large numbers of fish gather in one area and synchronously release their eggs and sperm into the external environment
81
Menstrual Cycle
monthly cycle under hormonal control that occurs in sexually mature human females and involves egg formation and release, and preparation of the uterus for a possible pregnancy
82
Monogamy
situation in which animals form a pair bond and one male mates with one female for one or more breeding seasons or for life
83
Oviparity
mode of reproduction in which embryonic development occurs outside the mother’s body but within an egg that provides nutrition from the egg yolk
84
Oviparous
describes animals that lay eggs from which young hatch after laying
85
Placenta
organ that permits exchange of materials between the blood of a mother and her fetus
86
Pollination
transfer of pollen from anther to stigma
87
polyandry
one kind of polygamy in which one female has multiple male partners during a breeding season
88
Polygamy
situation in which one male or one female has multiple partners during a breeding season
89
Polygyny
one kind of polygamy in which one male has multiple female partners during a breeding season
90
R-selection
a situation in which a species, in comparison with a K-selected species, breeds more often and produces larger numbers of offspring in which little or no parental care is invested
91
Reproductive Strategies
contrasting modes of reproduction that commit energy either to producing very large numbers of offspring with little or no parental care (r-selection) or smaller numbers but with greater parental care (K-selection)
92
Serial Polygyny
situation in which one male displays and attracts passing females in turn for mating
93
Spawning Season
period of year during which fish or other aquatic organisms release their eggs and sperm into the external environment
94
Vectors
refers to insects or other animals that carry pollen from one flower to another flower of the same species; can also refer to a carrier of a disease from one host to another
95
Viviparity
mode of reproduction in which embryonic development occurs within the mother’s body, with young being born as miniature adults
96
Viviparous
describes animals that give birth to live young (in contrast to laying eggs)
97
Wind pollinated
refers to flowering plants for which the transfer of pollen to other flowers of the same species occurs through the agency of wind
98
Zooplankton
small free-floating organisms living in ocean that include the larvae of fish and other aquatic species

Biology Unit 2 (6 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions