OCR GCSE Biology A key terms

Inheritance in which two or more genes contribute to one phenotypic feature.

A score combining the small effects of many genomic variants to estimate a person's likelihood of developing a particular condition.

A large molecule made by joining many smaller repeating units together.

A carbohydrate polymer made from many sugar monomers joined in a chain.

A device that draws small invertebrates into a container through a tube; a filter prevents them reaching the user's mouth.

A group of organisms of the same species living in the same area at the same time.

The number of organisms of one species living in a particular area.

A device used to measure the rate at which a leafy shoot takes up water.

An insoluble solid that forms in a liquid during a reaction.

Water that falls from clouds, such as rain, snow, sleet or hail.

Testing of a potential medicine in a laboratory using cells, tissues and live animals before it is tested on people.

An interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, the prey.

A consumer that eats producers; it is usually a herbivore.

The chance of an outcome occurring, expressed as a fraction, decimal or percentage.

An organism, such as a green plant, that makes organic food using light energy in photosynthesis.

A substance formed by a chemical reaction.

A hormone released by the corpus luteum after ovulation; it maintains the uterine lining and inhibits FSH and LH.

A cell without a nucleus; its genetic material lies in the cytoplasm. Bacteria are prokaryotes.

A protein made by prostate cells whose level can be measured in blood.

A biological polymer made from a chain of amino acids that folds into a particular three-dimensional shape.

The cellular process in which information from a gene is used to assemble amino acids into a protein.

The first coiled section of tubule after Bowman’s capsule.

The part of the circulation that carries blood between the heart and the lungs.

The number of pulses felt in an artery in one minute, usually corresponding to the number of heartbeats.

A grid showing the possible combinations of alleles that offspring can inherit from two parents.

The opening in the centre of the iris through which light enters the eye.

A square frame of known area used to sample plants or slow-moving organisms.