Edexcel GCSE Biology key terms

A person's ability to form relationships, interact with others and take part in society.

A part of a plant from which sucrose is transported, such as a photosynthesising leaf or a storage organ releasing sugar.

A cell adapted to perform a particular function in a multicellular organism.

The formation of a new species when populations become so different that they can no longer interbreed to produce fertile offspring.

A group of organisms that can reproduce with one another to produce fertile offspring.

The energy transferred when the temperature of 1 g of a substance rises by 1 °C.

The ability of an antibody to bind to one particular target because their shapes are complementary.

Nervous tissue running through the vertebral column that carries impulses between the brain and much of the body.

The bony column of vertebrae that supports the body and protects the spinal cord.

A layer of loosely packed leaf cells with air spaces that allow gases to move through the leaf.

A community in which species and environmental factors are sufficiently balanced for population sizes to remain fairly constant over time.

A coloured chemical used to increase contrast so that otherwise transparent cell structures are easier to distinguish.

A way of writing a number as $a\times10^n$, where $1\leq a<10$ and $n$ is an integer.

A medicine that lowers the level of cholesterol in the blood.

An unspecialised cell that can divide and produce cells capable of differentiating into specialised cell types.

A small mesh tube placed inside an artery to help keep it open.

Short, single-stranded ends of DNA whose unpaired bases can pair with complementary bases on another DNA fragment.

A change in the internal or external environment that can be detected.

A microscopic pore in the epidermis of a leaf through which gases and water vapour move.

Small pores in a leaf surface through which gases pass; each pore is a stoma.

The study of the order and relationships of layers of rock or sediment, used to work out which finds are relatively older or younger.

The volume of blood pumped out of a ventricle during one heartbeat, usually measured in millilitres per beat.

An image showing physical features such as the position, shape and density of tissues.

A part or structure of a cell that carries out a particular function.

The substance that binds to an enzyme's active site and is changed during the reaction.

The area of a surface across which particles can diffuse.

A comparison of an object's surface area with its volume, showing how much surface is available for each unit of volume.