Characteristics of living things: They grow, reproduce, use energy, respond to surroundings and are made of cells
Photosynthesis: Making sugar from light, water and carbon dioxide
Photosynthesis equation (words): Carbon dioxide + water + light gives glucose + oxygen
Photosynthesis equation (formula): 6CO2 + 6H2O gives C6H12O6 + 6O2
Where does photosynthesis happen?: In chloroplasts
Light-dependent reactions: Capture light energy; happen in the thylakoids
Calvin cycle: Uses energy to build sugar from carbon dioxide; happens in the stroma
Cellular respiration: Breaking down glucose to release energy
Cellular respiration equation (words): Glucose + oxygen gives carbon dioxide + water + energy
Where does cellular respiration happen?: Mostly in mitochondria
Glycolysis: The first step of respiration, splitting glucose in the cytoplasm
Aerobic respiration: Respiration that uses oxygen
Anaerobic respiration: Releasing energy without oxygen
Fermentation: Anaerobic energy release that makes lactic acid or alcohol
ATP: The energy currency molecule of cells
Autotroph: Makes its own food
Heterotroph: Gets food from other organisms
Producer: An autotroph at the base of a food chain
Digestion: Breaking food into small pieces the body can absorb
Excretion: Removing wastes from the body
Respiration vs breathing: Breathing moves air; respiration releases energy in cells
Homeostasis: Keeping a stable internal environment
Metabolism: All chemical reactions in an organism
Reproduction: Making new organisms
Asexual reproduction: One parent makes identical offspring
Sexual reproduction: Two parents' cells combine to make varied offspring
Budding: A new organism grows out of the parent, as in yeast and hydra
Binary fission: A cell splits in two, as in bacteria
Regeneration: Regrowing lost parts, as a starfish does
Stimulus: Something that causes a reaction
Response: A reaction to a stimulus
Growth: Increase in size and cell number
Development: Changes an organism goes through in its life
Evolution: Change in the traits of a population over generations
Natural selection: Organisms with helpful traits survive and reproduce more
Who wrote On the Origin of Species in 1859?: Charles Darwin
Where did Darwin study finches?: The Galapagos Islands
Survival of the fittest: Those best suited to their environment tend to leave more offspring
Variation: Differences among individuals
Inheritance: Passing traits to offspring
Adaptation: A trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce
Selective breeding: People choosing which animals or plants to breed
Artificial selection: Another name for selective breeding
Fossil record: Fossils showing how life has changed over time
Common ancestor: A shared ancestor of different species
Homologous structures: Parts of different species with similar bones, like a human arm and a whale flipper
Vestigial structure: A body part that has lost most of its function
Speciation: Formation of a new species
Extinction: Death of an entire species
Mass extinction: Many species die out in a short geologic time
Peppered moth: An example of natural selection in changing environments
Antibiotic resistance: Bacteria evolving to survive antibiotics
Gene pool: All the alleles in a population
Mutation: A change in DNA that may create new traits
Genetic drift: Chance changes in allele frequency, especially in small populations
Geologic time scale: A calendar of Earth's history in eras and periods
Age of Earth: About 4.5 billion years
Oldest known fossils of life, about: 3.5 billion years old
Cambrian explosion: About 540 million years ago, when many animal groups appeared
Human origin region: Africa
Homo sapiens: The species of modern humans
Lucy: A famous Australopithecus fossil found in Ethiopia in 1974
Hominin: A human or humanlike relative
Transitional fossil: A fossil showing features of two groups
Archaeopteryx: A fossil with features of dinosaurs and birds
Tiktaalik: A fossil fish with limb-like fins, about 375 million years old
Evolution of whales: Whales came from land mammals with legs
Coevolution: Two species evolving in response to each other
Convergent evolution: Unrelated species evolve similar traits, as in sharks and dolphins

Free flashcards from Peabody at peabody.kids/flashcards/bio-life-processes-evolution