Ultimate AP Biology Vocabulary
polar - Answer- Molecule with partial charges. Mixes with water.
nonpolar - Answer- No partial charges. Do not mix with water.
electronegativity - Answer- Attraction of an atom for electrons in a covalent bond.
cohesion - Answer- Water molecules sticking to each other.
adhesion - Answer- Water molecules sticking to other surfaces.
solute - Answer- Something dissolved in a solution.
solvent - Answer- Dissolving agent of a solution.
isomers - Answer- Same atoms but different arrangement.
structural isomers - Answer- Differ in arrangement of atoms.
geometric isomer - Answer- Differ in arrangement around a double bond.
enantiomers - Answer- Structures that are like a mirror-image.
alpha glucose - Answer- Monomer for starch and glycogen.
beta glucose - Answer- Monomer for cellulose and chitin.
cellulose - Answer- Carbohydrate component of plant cell walls.
starch - Answer- Storage polysaccharide of plants.
glycogen - Answer- Extremely branched polymer of glucose.
chitin - Answer- Polysaccharide found in arthropod exoskeletons and fungal cell walls.
-ose - Answer- Suffix of a sugar.
tryiacylglycerol - Answer- Glycerol and three fatty acids.
steroids - Answer- Made of four rings of carbon.
cholesterol - Answer- Steroid common in cell membranes, also in many hormones.
peptide bond - Answer- Bonds that connect amino acids.
Fredrick Sanger - Answer- Determined amino acid sequence of proteins.
,disulphide bridges - Answer- Reinforce tertiary structure.
primary structure - Answer- Chain of amino acids.
secondary structure - Answer- Either an alpha helix or beta pleated sheet.
tertiary structure - Answer- Results from interactions between side chains.
quaternary structure - Answer- Results from two or more polypeptide subunits.
-in - Answer- Suffix of a protein.
purines - Answer- Bases with a double-ring structure.
pyrimidines - Answer- Bases with a single-ring structure.
phosphodiester bonds - Answer- Bonds between phosphate group and pentose sugar in nucleic
acids.
synthesis - Answer- To put together.
digestion - Answer- To break apart.
dehydration synthesis - Answer- Condensation reaction where molecules are connected by loss of
a water molecule.
hydrolysis - Answer- Reaction where water split into
two hydrogens and one oxygen; this breaks a polymer.
anabolism - Answer- Metabolic pathways that construct molecules, requiring energy.
catabolism - Answer- Metabolic pathways that break down molecules, releasing energy.
natural selection - Answer- A population can change over time if individuals with more fit traits
leave more offspring than less fit individuals.
evolutionary adaptation - Answer- An accumulation of inherited characteristics that enhance
organisms' ability to survive and reproduce in specific environments.
artificial selection - Answer- Humans modifying species for desired traits through selective
breeding.
decent with modification - Answer- Darwin's way of referring to evolution.
MRSA - Answer- Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
fitness - Answer- Individuals whose inherited traits confer an advantage have a better chance of
surviving in a given environment and will leave more offspring.
homology - Answer- Similarity resulting from common ancestry.
,homologous structures - Answer- Same structure, different function. Comes from common
ancestor.
comparative embryology - Answer- Embryos of vertebrates share many anatomical homologies.
vestigial structures - Answer- Are little or no importance to organism, but remain from an ancestor.
biogeography - Answer- Geographic distribution of species.
microevolution - Answer- Change in genetic makeup of a population from generation to
generation.
macroevolution - Answer- Evolutionary change above the species level.
population - Answer- Group of individuals of the same species living in the same area.
population genetics - Answer- Study of allele frequency distribution and change under the
influence of evolutionary processes.
gene pool - Answer- All the genes in a given population at a given time.
allele frequency - Answer- Proportion of an allele in a gene pool.
Hardy-Weinberg Theorem - Answer- Helps measure changes in allele frequencies over time
. Provides an "ideal" population to use as a basis of comparison.
mutation - Answer- Changes in the nucleotide sequence in DNA.
sexual recombination - Answer- Crossing over and shuffling of genes during meiosis.
genetic drift - Answer- Change in allele frequencies due to chance.
bottleneck effect - Answer- When a population has been dramatically reduced, and the gene pool
is no longer reflective of the original population's.
founder effect - Answer- When a small number of individuals colonize a new area; the new gene
pool is not reflective of original population.
gene flow - Answer- When a population gains or loses alleles., movement of alleles into or out of a
population due to the migration of individuals to or from the population.
genetic variation - Answer- Heritable variations in a population.
discrete characteristics - Answer- Characteristics that are classified on an either-or basis,
determined by a single gene locus.
quantitative characteristics - Answer- Characteristics that vary along a continuum, usually due to
influence of two or more genes.
, geographic variation - Answer- Difference in variation between population subgroups in different
areas.
cline - Answer- A graded change in a trait along a geographic axis.
relative fitness - Answer- Fitness of a particular genotype.
directional selection - Answer- Shift toward a favorable variation.
disruptive selection - Answer- Shift toward the extremes.
stabilizing selection - Answer- Shift that favors the mean.
heterozygous advantage - Answer- Maintains recessive alleles in a population,
sexual selection - Answer- Natural selection for mating success.
sexual dimorphism - Answer- Differences between the sexes in secondary sexual characteristics.
speciation - Answer- Origin of new species and the source of biological diversity.
biological species concept - Answer- Species is a group of populations whose members have the
potential to produce fertile offspring.
reproductive isolation - Answer- Barriers that impede members of two different species fro
producing fertile offspring.
prezygotic barriers - Answer- Barriers that impede mating or hinder fertilization.
habitat isolation - Answer- When two species encounter each other only rarely.
temporal isolation - Answer- When two species breed at different times of day, season, or years.
behavioral isolation - Answer- Incompatible courtship rituals, pheromones, or bird songs.
mechanical isolation - Answer- Morphological differences prevent fertilization.
gametic isolation - Answer- When sperm can't fertilize the eggs.
postzygotic barriers - Answer- Barriers that prevent the hybrid zygote from becoming a fertile
adult.
reduced hybrid viability - Answer- When the genes of different species interact and impair hybrid
development.
reduced hybrid fertility - Answer- Sterile hybrids due to uneven chromosome number.
hybrid breakdown - Answer- Hybrid is fertile, but when they breed the next generation is sterile.
allopatric speciation - Answer- When a population is divided; leads to speciation.
polar - Answer- Molecule with partial charges. Mixes with water.
nonpolar - Answer- No partial charges. Do not mix with water.
electronegativity - Answer- Attraction of an atom for electrons in a covalent bond.
cohesion - Answer- Water molecules sticking to each other.
adhesion - Answer- Water molecules sticking to other surfaces.
solute - Answer- Something dissolved in a solution.
solvent - Answer- Dissolving agent of a solution.
isomers - Answer- Same atoms but different arrangement.
structural isomers - Answer- Differ in arrangement of atoms.
geometric isomer - Answer- Differ in arrangement around a double bond.
enantiomers - Answer- Structures that are like a mirror-image.
alpha glucose - Answer- Monomer for starch and glycogen.
beta glucose - Answer- Monomer for cellulose and chitin.
cellulose - Answer- Carbohydrate component of plant cell walls.
starch - Answer- Storage polysaccharide of plants.
glycogen - Answer- Extremely branched polymer of glucose.
chitin - Answer- Polysaccharide found in arthropod exoskeletons and fungal cell walls.
-ose - Answer- Suffix of a sugar.
tryiacylglycerol - Answer- Glycerol and three fatty acids.
steroids - Answer- Made of four rings of carbon.
cholesterol - Answer- Steroid common in cell membranes, also in many hormones.
peptide bond - Answer- Bonds that connect amino acids.
Fredrick Sanger - Answer- Determined amino acid sequence of proteins.
,disulphide bridges - Answer- Reinforce tertiary structure.
primary structure - Answer- Chain of amino acids.
secondary structure - Answer- Either an alpha helix or beta pleated sheet.
tertiary structure - Answer- Results from interactions between side chains.
quaternary structure - Answer- Results from two or more polypeptide subunits.
-in - Answer- Suffix of a protein.
purines - Answer- Bases with a double-ring structure.
pyrimidines - Answer- Bases with a single-ring structure.
phosphodiester bonds - Answer- Bonds between phosphate group and pentose sugar in nucleic
acids.
synthesis - Answer- To put together.
digestion - Answer- To break apart.
dehydration synthesis - Answer- Condensation reaction where molecules are connected by loss of
a water molecule.
hydrolysis - Answer- Reaction where water split into
two hydrogens and one oxygen; this breaks a polymer.
anabolism - Answer- Metabolic pathways that construct molecules, requiring energy.
catabolism - Answer- Metabolic pathways that break down molecules, releasing energy.
natural selection - Answer- A population can change over time if individuals with more fit traits
leave more offspring than less fit individuals.
evolutionary adaptation - Answer- An accumulation of inherited characteristics that enhance
organisms' ability to survive and reproduce in specific environments.
artificial selection - Answer- Humans modifying species for desired traits through selective
breeding.
decent with modification - Answer- Darwin's way of referring to evolution.
MRSA - Answer- Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
fitness - Answer- Individuals whose inherited traits confer an advantage have a better chance of
surviving in a given environment and will leave more offspring.
homology - Answer- Similarity resulting from common ancestry.
,homologous structures - Answer- Same structure, different function. Comes from common
ancestor.
comparative embryology - Answer- Embryos of vertebrates share many anatomical homologies.
vestigial structures - Answer- Are little or no importance to organism, but remain from an ancestor.
biogeography - Answer- Geographic distribution of species.
microevolution - Answer- Change in genetic makeup of a population from generation to
generation.
macroevolution - Answer- Evolutionary change above the species level.
population - Answer- Group of individuals of the same species living in the same area.
population genetics - Answer- Study of allele frequency distribution and change under the
influence of evolutionary processes.
gene pool - Answer- All the genes in a given population at a given time.
allele frequency - Answer- Proportion of an allele in a gene pool.
Hardy-Weinberg Theorem - Answer- Helps measure changes in allele frequencies over time
. Provides an "ideal" population to use as a basis of comparison.
mutation - Answer- Changes in the nucleotide sequence in DNA.
sexual recombination - Answer- Crossing over and shuffling of genes during meiosis.
genetic drift - Answer- Change in allele frequencies due to chance.
bottleneck effect - Answer- When a population has been dramatically reduced, and the gene pool
is no longer reflective of the original population's.
founder effect - Answer- When a small number of individuals colonize a new area; the new gene
pool is not reflective of original population.
gene flow - Answer- When a population gains or loses alleles., movement of alleles into or out of a
population due to the migration of individuals to or from the population.
genetic variation - Answer- Heritable variations in a population.
discrete characteristics - Answer- Characteristics that are classified on an either-or basis,
determined by a single gene locus.
quantitative characteristics - Answer- Characteristics that vary along a continuum, usually due to
influence of two or more genes.
, geographic variation - Answer- Difference in variation between population subgroups in different
areas.
cline - Answer- A graded change in a trait along a geographic axis.
relative fitness - Answer- Fitness of a particular genotype.
directional selection - Answer- Shift toward a favorable variation.
disruptive selection - Answer- Shift toward the extremes.
stabilizing selection - Answer- Shift that favors the mean.
heterozygous advantage - Answer- Maintains recessive alleles in a population,
sexual selection - Answer- Natural selection for mating success.
sexual dimorphism - Answer- Differences between the sexes in secondary sexual characteristics.
speciation - Answer- Origin of new species and the source of biological diversity.
biological species concept - Answer- Species is a group of populations whose members have the
potential to produce fertile offspring.
reproductive isolation - Answer- Barriers that impede members of two different species fro
producing fertile offspring.
prezygotic barriers - Answer- Barriers that impede mating or hinder fertilization.
habitat isolation - Answer- When two species encounter each other only rarely.
temporal isolation - Answer- When two species breed at different times of day, season, or years.
behavioral isolation - Answer- Incompatible courtship rituals, pheromones, or bird songs.
mechanical isolation - Answer- Morphological differences prevent fertilization.
gametic isolation - Answer- When sperm can't fertilize the eggs.
postzygotic barriers - Answer- Barriers that prevent the hybrid zygote from becoming a fertile
adult.
reduced hybrid viability - Answer- When the genes of different species interact and impair hybrid
development.
reduced hybrid fertility - Answer- Sterile hybrids due to uneven chromosome number.
hybrid breakdown - Answer- Hybrid is fertile, but when they breed the next generation is sterile.
allopatric speciation - Answer- When a population is divided; leads to speciation.
