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| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |
A |
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autotroph |
any organism that makes its own food using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide; plants are autotrophs; such an organism is said to be autotrophic |
B |
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blueprints |
a set of plans you use to build a house with; so called because they used to be printed in dark blue ink on light blue paper; we use the word to mean any set of instructions used to build anything |
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C |
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category |
a group of things that have something in common: 5th graders, apples, tropical fish... |
cell wall |
a hard, rigid covering to a cell that keeps the cell the same shape |
chlorophyll |
the chemical that allows an autotroph to create its own food through photosynthesis |
chloroplast |
an organelle found in some cells; it contains chlorophyll; organisms with chloroplasts are autotrophic |
chromosome |
a complicated string of molecules that provide the blueprints for a cell; they allow a cell to make new copies of itself, and they provide instructions on how the cell should run itself |
classification |
a category; a group of things with something in common: foods you like, foods you don't like, foods you want to eat every day |
classify |
to put things into categories or classifications; to group things according to their traits |
cytoplasm |
the jelly-like substance that makes up most of the cell; it's made of proteins, fats, and water |
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E |
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eukaryote |
an organism whose cells have a nucleus containing all its chromosomes; such an organism is said to be eukaryotic |
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H |
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heterotroph |
an organism that cannot make its own food like plants and must eat other organisms (alive or dead) to generate energy in its cells; we are heterotrophs; such an organism is said to be heterotrophic |
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K |
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kingdom |
the very top group of classifications used to sort animals by their traits |
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M |
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membrane |
a thin, flexible sheet of tissue; a cell membrane is the covering of the cell; the nuclear membrane is a double layer surrounding the nucleus |
mitochondrion |
an organelle which converts food to usable energy; it is the motor that drives all organisms; the plural is mitochondria |
multicellular |
having more than one cell; fungi, plants, and animals are multicellular |
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N |
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nucleus |
the central organelle of eukaryotic cells: it contains the chromosomes and in general runs the cell; it is surrounded by the nuclear membrane |
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O |
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organelle |
a tiny part of a cell that functions like an organ does in a full body (like the brain, the stomach, etc.); organelles have specific jobs and work together to keep the cell alive |
organism |
a living thing; all organisms are made up of cells |
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P |
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photosynthesis |
the process used by autotrophs to create their own food using sunlight as an energy source; molecules of water (H2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) are converted into sugar (C6H12O6), with oxygen left over (O2) |
prokaryote |
members of the Kingdom Monera; their single cells do not have a nucleus: all their chromosomes are just scattered all through the cytoplasm |
protozoan |
a member of the Kingdom Protists; the plural is protozoa, which was also the old name for the whole kingdom |
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R |
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rigid |
not flexible; stiff |
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S |
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species |
the other end of the classification scale from Kingdoms: the smallest group of organisms, usually defined as being able to have children with each other: horses, roses, bread mold; |
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T |
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traits |
a distinguishing feature; a characteristic: one trait of dogs is that they have four legs; another is that they are eukaryotic and heterotrophic |
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U |
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unicellular |
having one cell: monerans and protists are unicellular |