AQA GCSE Biology key terms

A condition in which the kidneys cannot remove enough urea or regulate water and ion levels effectively.

A substance formed by the incomplete oxidation of glucose during anaerobic respiration in muscle cells.

A site where waste is deposited and usually buried.

The washing of soluble mineral ions out of soil by water.

The amount of light reaching a given area in a given time.

A laboratory instrument that uses visible light and lenses to produce a magnified image of a small specimen.

A strong substance deposited in xylem walls that strengthens the tubes and helps prevent them from collapsing.

A condition that restricts the rate of a process because it is in insufficient supply or is at an unsuitable level.

A digestive enzyme that breaks down lipids into fatty acids and glycerol.

A molecule formed from glycerol and fatty acids; fats and oils are lipids.

A model in which a substrate fits an enzyme’s complementary active site like a key fitting a lock.

The space inside a blood vessel through which blood flows.

A pituitary hormone whose surge stimulates the release of an egg from an ovary.

A white blood cell that produces antibodies which bind to particular pathogens.

A condition in which a plant lacks enough magnesium ions to make chlorophyll.

How many times larger an image is than the real object.

An infectious disease caused by malarial protists and transmitted by mosquito vectors.

A disease-causing protist belonging to the genus Plasmodium.

Describes a cancerous tumour whose cells invade neighbouring tissues and may spread to other parts of the body.

The average time taken for a bacterial cell in a population to divide.

A serious viral disease that causes fever and a red skin rash and is transmitted in droplets from coughs and sneezes.

An artificial, durable valve used to replace a faulty heart valve.

The middle value when data are placed in order, or the mean of the two middle values.

The region at the base of the brain that controls unconscious functions including breathing and heart rate.

A type of cell division in reproductive organs that produces genetically different gametes with a single set of chromosomes.

A long-lived white blood cell that enables a rapid, specific immune response when the same pathogen enters the body again.

The repeating sequence in which an egg matures and may be released while the uterus lining breaks down, rebuilds and is maintained.