Spelling Drills of Biological Technical Terms – SS3 Biology Lesson Note (Second Term)

Biological technical terms are special words with exact meanings in biology, and each must be spelled correctly to score marks.

Behavioural objectives

1. Spell correctly the 40 biological technical terms in the list.
2. State the meaning of each term.
3. Match a term to its meaning.
4. Use the terms correctly when answering biology questions.

What are the biological technical terms and their meanings?

This list gives 40 biological technical terms, in alphabetical order, with a short meaning for each.

Terms beginning with A

• Abdomen: the region of the body between the thorax and the pelvis.
• Abiogenesis: the old idea that living organisms can arise from non-living matter.
• Absorption: the taking in of substances, such as digested food passing into the blood.
• Activation energy: the minimum energy needed to start a chemical reaction.
• Active transport: movement of a substance across a cell membrane against the concentration gradient, using energy.
• Allele: any of the forms of a gene that can occupy the same locus.
• Alternation of generations: a life cycle that alternates between a sexual phase and an asexual phase, as in mosses and ferns.
• Anabolism: the building up of complex substances from simpler ones in living organisms, with storage of energy.
• Antibiotic: a substance that kills bacteria or stops their growth, used to cure bacterial infections.
• Antigen: any substance that stimulates an immune response in the body.
• Appendicular skeleton: the part of the skeleton that includes the pectoral girdle, the pelvic girdle and the upper and lower limbs.
• Asexual reproduction: reproduction without the fusion of gametes.
• Atrium: an upper chamber of the heart that receives blood.
• Axial skeleton: the part of the skeleton that includes the skull, spinal column, sternum and ribs.

Terms beginning with B

• Bilateral symmetry: the body can be divided into two similar halves along one vertical plane only.
• Bile: a digestive juice made by the liver and stored in the gall bladder.
• Biomass: the total mass of living matter in a given area.
• Biome: a major ecological community with a distinct climate and plant life.
• Biosynthesis: the production of a chemical compound by a living organism.
• Bivalve: a mollusc with a shell in two hinged parts, such as an oyster.
• Bone marrow: the soft tissue in the cavities of bones, where blood cells are made.
• Botany: the branch of biology that studies plants.

Terms beginning with C

• Catabolism: the breakdown of complex substances into simpler ones in living organisms, with release of energy.
• Catalyst: a substance that speeds up a chemical reaction and is not used up.
• Cell wall: a rigid layer of cellulose outside the cell membrane of a plant cell.
• Cellulose: a polysaccharide that is the chief constituent of plant cell walls and fibres.
• Centromere: the constricted region of a chromosome where the two chromatids are held together.
• Cerebellum: the part of the brain that controls balance and coordination of movement.
• Cerebrum: the largest, front part of the brain, made of two hemispheres, which controls thinking and voluntary actions.
• Chemical change: a change in which one or more new substances are formed.

Terms beginning with M, N, O and P

• Mother cell: a cell that divides to give rise to daughter cells.
• Mutation: a sudden change in the genetic material of an organism.
• Mutualism: a relationship between two organisms in which both benefit.
• Mycelium: the vegetative part of a fungus, made of a mass of branching threadlike hyphae.
• Nervous system: the network of nerve cells that senses stimuli and controls the body.
• Neurotoxin: any toxin that affects nerve tissue.
• Notochord: a flexible rod-like structure that supports the body of chordates and of vertebrate embryos.
• Nucleus: the part of the cell that contains the genetic material and controls the cell’s activities.
• Osmosis: the movement of water molecules through a semipermeable membrane from a dilute solution to a more concentrated one.
• Palaeontology: the science that studies fossil organisms.

How can you learn to spell biological terms?

Break each term into small parts, say each part aloud, then write the whole word from memory.

1. Read the term aloud, one part at a time.
2. Look at the spelling for ten seconds.
3. Cover the word and write it from memory.
4. Check each letter against the list.
5. Correct any error and write the word three times.
6. Write the meaning in your own words.

Which biological terms are easy to misspell?

These terms are often misspelled, and a spelling tip helps with each.

What is the difference between anabolism and catabolism?

• Anabolism: builds complex substances from simpler ones and stores energy, as in making proteins.
• Catabolism: breaks complex substances into simpler ones and releases energy, as in respiration.

What is the difference between the axial and appendicular skeletons?

• Axial skeleton: forms the central axis of the body and protects the brain and the organs in the chest.
• Appendicular skeleton: forms the limbs and the girdles that join them to the axis.

Evaluation

1. Spell correctly the terms that your teacher reads out from the list.
2. What is the difference between anabolism and catabolism?
3. Name the two parts of the skeleton and state what each includes.
4. Define osmosis and active transport.
5. Which branch of biology studies plants, and which science studies fossil organisms?

Assignment

Write out any ten terms from the list, spelling each one correctly with its meaning, then define mutualism, mycelium and notochord.