Download GLOSSARY FOR KS345 A Alkali Metals Group 1 of the periodic

GLOSSARY FOR KS345
A
Alkali Metals
Group 1 of the periodic table.
Atomic Mass
Relative Atomic Mass: The mass of one atom of an element compared with onetwelfth of the mass of one atom of carbon-12.
Atomic Number
The number of protons (and therefore electrons) in an atom.
Atom
A single unit of an element.
Acid
A substance with a pH of less than 7.
Abdomen
The posterior of the three body regions of an adult insect.
Antennae
In arthropods, paired feelers used for sensing.
Allele
One of 2 or more forms of a gene.
Adaptation
When organisms change to suit their environment.
Amphibian
Four-legged creatures that live on land and in water.
Anaerobic
Without oxygen.
Aerobic
With oxygen.
Arachnid
A class of eight-legged arthropods.
Anthropod
Organisms with jointed feet, exoskeletons, and segmented bodies.
B
Block
The periodic table is split up into four blocks: s, d, p and f, based on the element's
characteristic orbital.
Base
A substance with a pH of more than 7.
Bacteria
Single celled Prokaryote organisms and have a wide range of shapes.
Bunsen Burner
A heat source used in laboratories, comprising a gas flame.
Bulb
The part of a plant that stores energy.
Bee
Insect of the Apoidea family, which pollinate flowers and make honey.
Butterfly
An insect of the order Lepidoptera, with four parts to its lifecycle.
Bird
Warm-blooded egg laying vertebrate.
Breed
A group of domestic animals or plants that distinguish it from others of the same
species.
Bread
A staple food, made by baking a dough of flour, water and additional ingredients
(e.g. yeast and salt).
Beekeeper
A person who keeps bees.
Bumblebee
A group of social bees. A large bee of the genus Bombus.
Bulb
Part of a plant that stores energy during dormant periods.
C
Carbon Dioxide
A gas found in air used in photosynthesis and breathed out by animals.
Chlorophyll
The chemical in plants responsible for absorbing sunlight.
Chloroplasts
Small organelles in the cells of plants containing chlorophyll.
Caterpillar
The larval form of a moth.
Cocoon
Protective cases of fibrous material spun by insect larvae for the pupal stage.
Compound Eye
An eye consisting of repeated units, each acting as a visual receptor.
Compost
Decomposed organic matter which is used as fertiliser and soil amendment.
Cockroach
A beetle of the order Blattaria.
Cells
The basic structure of all organisms. A membrane bound structure, containing
biomolecules.
Chromosomes
A structure within the cell that carries genetic information.
Code
A programming pattern found in living organisms' DNA.
Carnivore
An organism that gets its energy from eating animal tissue.
Competition
When organisms in or between the same species compete for the same resources.
Consumer
An organism that can't make its own food supply.
Classification
A way of distinguishing between organisms.
Conifer
A cone-bearing woody plant.
Crustacean
Shelled organisms that are relatives of insects.
Carpel
The female reproductive organ of plants, typically contains one or more ovules.
D
DNA
The molecule that contains the genetic code in all organisms.
Double Helix
Strands of DNA held together by bases to form a ladder pattern.
Diploid
A cell with two sets of chromosomes - 46 in humans, one set from the father and one
set from the mother.
Disease
An abnormal condition of an organism which interrupts the normal bodily functions.
E
Electron
A negatively charged particle. Electrons orbit the atomic nucleus in energy levels.
Element
A substance which cannot be broken down into any simpler substance by chemical
means.
Element
Pure chemical substance made from one atom type.
Explosion
A violent release of energy caused by a reaction.
Exoskeleton
An external shell on an invertebrate.
Egg
Female reproductive body, containing the ovum and albumen. Egg case may be a
shell.
Ethanol
A simple alcohol
Extinction
When a species ceases to exist
F
Flower
The part of a plant which produces seeds.
Fruit
The plant structure that contains seeds.
Fertiliser
A mixture that is added to soil to help the growth of plants.
Food Chain
Linear sequence in which organisms feed on one another.
Food Web
A map of the feeding connections in a habitat/ecological community.
Feathers
Forms the plumage of a bird.
Fish
An aquatic vertebrate.
Fungi
An organism that breaks down dead material. Kingdom Fungi, seperate from plants,
animals and bacteria.
Flowers
The seed bearing part of a plant, consisting of reproductive organs, petals and calyx.
G
Gene
A length of DNA which codes for a single protein.
Green
The colour of grass and tree leaves!
Group
The elements in a column of the periodic table.
Gas
A substance of neither fixed volume nor fixed shape e.g. Steam.
Germinate
Growth of an embryonic plant contained in a seed. Results in a seedling.
Glucose
A common sugar with 6 Carbons, 12 Hydrogens and 6 Oxygen atoms.
H
Habitat
An area inhabited by a particular species of organisms.
Herbivore
Organism that gets its energy from eating plant material.
Head
The part of a bee with the eyes and antennae.
Hive
A place where a group of bees live.
Honey
A sweet substance made from nectar by bees.
Haploid
A cell with only half the number of chromosomes (23 in humans) e.g. one set from
the mother.
Hair
Roots have hairs which collect water and nutrients.
Halogens
Group 7 of the periodic table.
I
Insect
A class within arthropods that have a chitinaus exoskeleton, three body segments,
compound eyes, six legs and two antennae.
Inverterbrate
An organism with no backbone.
J
K
L
Locus
The position of an allele within the chromosome.
Ladybird
Brightly coloured beetle of the family Coccinerllidae.
Leaf
The organ of a plant specialising in photosynthesis.
Liquid
A substance of fixed volume but not of fixed shape e.g. Water.
Lifecycle
For example, the stages that an insect goes through in its life.
M
Molecules
A group of two or more atoms bonded together. In biology, also refers to proteins,
carbohydrates etc.
Membrane
The lipid bilayer surrounding a cell.
Mollusc
A phylum (subset) of invertebrates.
Mushroom
The fruiting body of a fungus.
Mosquito
A small insect of the family Culicidae whose mouthparts are adapted for piercing
skin.
Moth
Of the order Lepidoptera. Nocturnal insect with feathery antennae.
Mendeleev
Dmitri Mendeleev is generally noted as the creator of the modern periodic table. His
theory was to leave room for elements not yet discovered.
Microscope
An instrument used to look closely at small items.
N
Nectar
A sweet liquid made by flowers.
Nutrients
Chemical substances essential to the growth and health of organisms.
Nitrogen
The most abundant gas in air, essential in fertilisers.
Neutron
A neutral (uncharged) particle in the atomic nucleus. It's mass is approximately 1
atomic unit.
Noble Gases
Group 8 (or 0) of the periodic table, low reactivity.
O
Omnivore
An organism that eats both plants and animals.
Oxygen
The gas essential to animal life made by plants and produced by plants
in photosynthesis.
Orbital
The region in an atom where an electron is most likely to be found.
Organism
A living thing.
P
Pollen Sac
A pouch on a bee that holds pollen.
Pollination
The transfer of pollen from the anther to the stigma in plants, enabling fertilisation
and sexual reproduction.
Proboscis
The long tongue-like organ of an insect.
Plant
An organism which doesn't move, and produces its own food supply. Belongs to
kingdom Plantae.
Predator
An organism that eats other organisms.
Protein
A linear polymer built from small amino acids.
Prey
An organism which is eaten by a predator.
Pupa
The non-feeding stage between larvae and adult in the metamorphosis insects.
Pollen
Powdery grains that contain the male reproductive cells of plants.
Palisade
Large cells found in leaves containing chloroplasts.
Phloem
The tube in a plant which carries sugar and nutrients.
Phosphorous
An element which is essential to photosynthesis.
Photosynthesis
The process by which plants convert carbon dioxide and water into sugar and
oxygen.
Potassium
A metal element which is essential in fertilisers.
Petal
Brightly coloured modified leaves, used to attract pollinators.
Pollinator
A biotic agent, e.g. a bee that carried pollen from the anthers to the stigmas.
Periodic Table
A table arranging every element in order of atomic number.
Period
A horizontal row of the periodic table.
Proton
A positively charged particle in the atomic nucleus. It's mass is approximately 1
atomic unit.
Pest
General term for organisms which may cause illness or damage materials those are
important to humans, e.g. locusts eating crops.
Q
R
Reptile
Scaly, cold-blooded vertebrates.
Royal Jelly
A honey bee secretion used to feed larvae and queen bees.
Root
The organ of a plant that takes in water and nutrients from the soil or air.
Reaction
When one or more substances are transformed into others.
S
Species
A group of organisms able to interbreed.
Sting
A defence mechanism in bees.
Snail
Mollusc of the class Gastropoda with a spiral shell and retractile foot, with a distinct
head.
Spider
An invertebrate with eight legs and two body segements of the order Araneae.
Slug
A snail-like invertebrate, of the class Gastropoda, with one foot and no shell.
Seed
The part of a plant that can grow into a new plant.
Seedling
Young plant that develops out of a plant embryo from a seed.
Shoot
A small stem.
Soil
A combination of minerals and organic matter. Composed of broken rock altered by
chemical and environmental processes.
Spore
The way that fungi and some plants reproduce.
Stamen
The male reproductive organ, that produces pollen in plants.
Stem
The above ground structure in a plant that supports leaves and flowers. Has vascular
tissue.
Stigma
In flowers, part of the female reproductive organs that take in pollen.
Sunlight
The total frequency spectrum of electromagnetic radiation given off by the sun.
Salt
Produced with water when an acid reacts with a base.
Solid
A substance of definite shape and volume e.g. Ice.
Solution
When a solid (solute) is dissolved in a liquid (solvent).
Synthetic
An element too unstable to occur naturally on Earth.
T
Temperature
A measure of heat intensity within a substance.
Thorax
The part of the body between the head and abdomen.
U
V
Vertebrate
An organism with a backbone.
Virus
An infectious agent that is unable to grow or reproduce outside of a host cell.
W
Wasp
Flying stinging insects related to bees and ants of the order Hymenoptera.
Wings
The organs on an insect designed to aid flight.
Woodland
An area of forest, which can be a habitat.
Waggle Dance
The dance by bees used to communicate what food they have found.
X
Xylem
The tube in a plant which carries water and minerals.
Y
Yeast
A micro-organism used in bread-making and alcoholic beverages.
Z