DEFINITIONS

 movement as an action by an organism or part of an organism causing a change of

position or place
 respiration as the chemical reactions in cells that break down nutrient molecules and
release energy for metabolism
 sensitivity as the ability to detect or sense stimuli in the internal or external
environment and to make appropriate responses
 growth as a permanent increase in size and dry mass by an increase in cell number or cell
size or both
 excretion as removal from organisms of the waste products of metabolism (chemical
reactions in cells including respiration), toxic materials, and substances in excess of
requirements
 nutrition as taking in of materials for energy, growth and development; plants require
light, carbon dioxide, water and ions; animals need organic compounds and ions and usually
need water
 species as a group of organisms that can reproduce to produce fertile offspring
 binomial system of naming species as an internationally agreed system in
which the scientific name of an organism is made up of two parts showing the genus and
species
 tissue as a group of cells with similar structures, working together to perform a shared
function
 organ as a structure made up of a group of tissues, working together to perform specific
functions
 organ system as a group of organs with related functions, working together to perform
body functions
 diffusion as the net movement of particles from a region of their higher concentration to
a region of their lower concentration down a concentration gradient, as a result of their
random movement
 osmosis as the net movement of water molecules from a region of higher water
potential (dilute solution) to a region of lower water potential (concentrated solution),
through a partially permeable membrane
 active transport as the movement of particles through a cell membrane from a region
of lower concentration to a region of higher concentration using energy from respiration
 catalyst as a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction and is not changed
by the reaction
 enzymes as proteins that function as biological catalysts
 photosynthesis as the process by which plants manufacture carbohydrates from raw
materials using energy from light
 limiting factor as something present in the environment in such short supply that it
restricts life processes
 A balanced diet contains the proper quantities and proportions of the needed nutrients
to maintain good health. It must have balanced amounts in proper proportions
of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and water intake.
 ingestion as the taking of substances, e.g. food and drink, into the body through the
mouth
 mechanical digestion as the breakdown of food into smaller pieces without
chemical change to the food molecules
 chemical digestion as the breakdown of large, insoluble molecules into small,
soluble molecule
 absorption as the movement of small food molecules and ions through the wall of the
intestine into the blood
 assimilation as the movement of digested food molecules into the cells of the body
where they are used, becoming part of the cells
 egestion as the passing out of food that has not been digested or absorbed, as faeces,
through the anus
 transpiration as loss of water vapour from plant leaves by evaporation of water at the
surfaces of the mesophyll cells followed by diffusion of water vapour through the stomata
 translocation in terms of the movement of sucrose and amino acids in phloem from
regions of production (source) to regions of storage OR to regions where they are used in
respiration or growth (sink)
 circulatory system as a system of blood vessels with a pump and valves to ensure
one-way flow of blood
 Double circulation is the type of circulation in which blood moves twice through the
complete heart in one complete cardiac cycle.
 Single circulation in which blood moves once through the heart in one complete
cardiac cycle
 pathogen as a disease-causing organism
 transmissible disease as a disease in which the pathogen can be passed from one
host to another
 active immunity as defence against a pathogen by antibody production in the body
 passive immunity is short-term defence against a pathogen by antibodies acquired
from another individual, e.g. mother to infant
 aerobic respiration as the chemical reactions in cells that use oxygen to break down
nutrient molecules to release energy
 anaerobic respiration as the chemical reactions in cells that break down nutrient
molecules to release energy without using oxygen
 Excretion is defined as the removal of toxic materials, the waste products of
metabolism, and substances in excess of requirements in the body.
 Deamination as the removal of the nitrogen-containing part of amino acids to form
urea
 nerve impulse as an electrical signal that passes along nerve cells called neurones
 reflex action as a means of automatically and rapidly integrating and coordinating
stimuli with the responses of effectors (muscles and glands)
 synapse as a junction between two neurones
 sense organs as groups of receptor cells responding to specific stimuli: light, sound,
touch, temperature and chemicals
 hormone as a chemical substance, produced by a gland and carried by the blood, which
alters the activity of one or more specific target organs
 homeostasis as the maintenance of a constant internal environment
 gravitropism as a response in which parts of a plant grow towards or away from
gravity
 phototropism as a response in which parts of a plant grow towards or away from the
direction from which light is coming
 drug as any substance taken into the body that modifies or affects chemical reactions in
the body
 asexual reproduction as a process resulting in the production of genetically
identical offspring from one parent
 sexual reproduction as a process involving the fusion of the nuclei of two gametes
(sex cells) to form a zygote and the production of offspring that are genetically different
from each other
 fertilisation as the fusion of gamete nuclei
 pollination as the transfer of pollen grains from the anther to the stigma
 self-pollination as the transfer of pollen grains from the anther of a flower to the
stigma of the same flower or different flower on the same plant
 cross-pollination as transfer of pollen grains from the anther of a flower to the
stigma of a flower on a different plant of the same species
 sexually transmitted infection as an infection that is transmitted via body fluids
through sexual contact
 inheritance as the transmission of genetic information from generation to generation
 chromosome as a thread-like structure of DNA, carrying genetic information in the
form of genes
 gene as a length of DNA that codes for a protein
 allele as a version of a gene
 haploid nucleus as a nucleus containing a single set of unpaired chromosomes, e.g. in
gametes
 diploid nucleus as a nucleus containing two sets of chromosomes, e.g. in body cells
 mitosis as nuclear division giving rise to genetically identical cells
 meiosis as reduction division in which the chromosome number is halved from diploid to
haploid resulting in genetically different cells
 genotype as the genetic make-up of an organism in terms of the alleles present
 phenotype as the observable features of an organism
 homozygous as having two identical alleles of a particular gene
 heterozygous as having two different alleles of a particular gene
 dominant as an allele that is expressed if it is present
 recessive as an allele that is only expressed when there is no dominant allele of the gene
present
 sex-linked characteristic as a characteristic in which the gene responsible is
located on a sex chromosome and that this makes it more common in one sex than in the
other
 variation as differences between individuals of the same species
 mutation as genetic change or sudden change in the genetic material
 gene mutation as a change in the base sequence of DNA
 adaptive feature as the inherited functional features of an organism that increase its
fitness which helps an organism to survive and reproduce in its environment
 fitness as the probability of an organism surviving and reproducing in the environment in
which it is found
 evolution as the change in adaptive features of a population over time as the result of
natural selection
 process of adaptation as the process, resulting from natural selection, by which
populations become more suited to their environment over many generations
 food chain as showing the transfer of energy from one organism to the next, beginning
with a producer
 trophic level as the position of an organism in a food chain, food web, pyramid of
numbers or pyramid of biomass
 food web as a network of interconnected food chains
 producer as an organism that makes its own organic nutrients, usually using energy
from sunlight, through photosynthesis
 consumer as an organism that gets its energy by feeding on other organisms
 herbivore as an animal that gets its energy by eating plants
 carnivore as an animal that gets its energy by eating other animals
 decomposer as an organism that gets its energy from dead or waste organic material
 population as a group of organisms of one species, living in the same area, at the same
time
 community as all of the populations of different species in an ecosystem
 ecosystem as a unit containing the community of organisms and their environment,
interacting together
 genetic engineering as changing the genetic material of an organism by removing,
changing or inserting individual genes
 sustainable resource as one which is produced as rapidly as it is removed from the
environment so that it does not run out
 sustainable development as development providing for the needs of an
increasing human population without harming the environment