AQA GCSE Biology key terms

Processes that change or destroy rocks, such as tectonic movement, heat, pressure, erosion and weathering.

A group of plant hormones that can end seed dormancy, promote flowering and increase fruit size.

An organ that produces and secretes a substance; an endocrine gland releases hormones into the blood.

A long-term increase in the average temperature near Earth’s surface.

A hormone released by the pancreas when blood glucose is too low; it causes stored glycogen to be converted to glucose and released into the blood.

A soluble sugar produced by photosynthesis and used as a respiratory substrate or as the starting material for other biological molecules.

A carbohydrate made from glucose and stored mainly in liver and muscle cells.

A bacterial sexually transmitted infection that can cause a thick yellow or green discharge and pain when urinating.

A directional growth response to gravity; also called geotropism.

A gas in the atmosphere that absorbs outgoing long-wavelength radiation and helps keep Earth warm.

One of a pair of cells surrounding a stoma that controls whether the pore is open or closed.

Pairs of cells around stomata that control whether the pores are open or closed.

The natural environment in which an organism lives.

The destruction or removal of the place where an organism normally lives.

An iron-containing protein in red blood cells that binds reversibly to oxygen.

Having a single set of chromosomes: half the number found in a body cell of the same species.

A state of physical and mental well-being, rather than simply the absence of disease.

An organ made of muscle that pumps blood through the lungs and around the rest of the body.

A condition in which the heart cannot pump blood around the body effectively enough.

The number of heartbeats in a given time, usually measured in beats per minute (bpm).

The surgical replacement of a failing heart with a suitable heart from a donor.

A flap-like structure that opens to let blood move forwards and closes to prevent it flowing backwards.

An animal that eats plants.

The reduction in pathogen spread that occurs when a large proportion of a population is immune, indirectly protecting some people who are not immune.

A characteristic that can be passed from parents to offspring through genetic material.

Having two different alleles of a gene.

A graph of grouped continuous data in which adjoining class intervals are represented by touching bars.