Cheat Sheet
Biology Workbook For Dummies Cheat Sheet
Biology is the study of life, from tiny bacteria to giant redwood trees to human beings. Understanding biology begins with knowing some of the basics, such as eukaryotic cell structure and common Latin and Greek roots that will help you decipher the sometimes-tough vocabulary.
Common Latin and Greek Roots in Biology Vocabulary
Students in introductory biology classes typically have to learn more new vocabulary words than students taking a foreign language! The good news is that many science vocabulary words use the same Greek and Latin roots. When you know these roots, you can figure out what a word means, even if you’ve never heard it before. This table shows you many roots to help you decipher words you hear in biology class.
| Greek or Latin Root | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| A-, An- | Not, absent | Abiotic: without life Anoxygenic: without oxygen |
| Ab-, Abs- | Away from | Abscission: separation of leaves from tree |
| Allo- | Another | Allosteric: another binding site |
| Aqua- | Water | Aqueous: watery |
| Bi- | Two | Bilayer: double layered |
| Bio- | Life | Biology: the study of life |
| -cide | Kill | Bacteriocidal: kills bacteria |
| Cyt | Cell | Cytoplasm: the fluid inside a cell |
| Di- | Two | Disaccharide: a carbohydrate made of two simple sugars |
| Dis- | Apart | Disjoin: separate |
| Endo- | Inside | Endocytosis: a process that brings things into a cell |
| Epi- | Upon, over | Epidermis: the uppermost layer of tissue covering an organism |
| Eu- | True | Eukaryotes have a true nucleus |
| Ex- | Out | Exocytosis: a process that puts things out of cells |
| Geno- | Give birth, beget | Genetics: the study of heredity |
| Hetero- | Mixed, unlike | Heterozygous: a cell that has two different versions of a gene |
| Homo- | Same | Homozygous: a cell that has two identical versions of a gene |
| Hyper- | Above | Hypertonic: has a greater concentration of solutes |
| Hypo- | Below | Hypotonic: has a lower concentration of solutes |
| Inter- | Between | Interphase: the cellular phase between cell divisions |
| Iso- | Same | Isotonic: has same concentration of solutes |
| Locus | Place | A locus on a chromosome is the place where a gene is located |
| Macro- | Big | Macrophage: a large phagocyte |
| -meter | Measure | Centimeter: a measurement that’s 1/100 of a meter |
| Micro- | Small | Microbiology: the study of living things too small to see with the naked eye |
| Mono- | One | Monosaccharide: a single simple sugar |
| Olig- | Few | Oligosaccharide: a short chain of sugars |
| Ped-, Pod | Foot | Pseudopod: a “false foot” or projection of an amoeba |
| Phago- | Eat | Phagocytosis: a process where a white blood cell engulfs and destroys bacteria and viruses |
| -phil | Love | Hydrophilic: mixes well with water |
| -phobia | Fear | Hydrophobic: doesn’t mix with water |
| Poly- | Many | Polypeptide: a chain of many amino acids |
| Pro- | Before | Prokaryotes: cells that evolved before nucleated cells |
| Stom- | Mouth | Stomates: openings in the surfaces of leaves |
| Zoo- | Animal | Zoology: the study of animals |
| Zygo- | Join | Zygote: a cell formed from the joining of sperm and egg |
Biology Basics: Important Components of Eukaryotic Cells
For biology students, knowing the components of eukaryotic cells and how they work is fundamental to understanding how organisms function. This table provides an overview of the most important eukaryotic cell structures and functions and how to recognize them.
| Structure | Function | How to Recognize |
|---|---|---|
| Cell wall | Rigid boundary around some cells | Outermost boundary in plant, algal, fungal, and bacterial cells. Cells with a cell wall are usually very regular in shape, like they’ve been cut with a cookie cutter. |
| Chloroplasts | Make food, transferring energy from sun to food molecules | Organelles with two membranes and internal stacks of membranes called grana, which look like layers of stripes. |
| Cytoskeleton | Reinforces cell structures; helps move materials around cell |
Looks like cables running through the cell. |
| Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) | Rough ER has ribosomes, makes proteins; smooth ER makes lipids |
Folded sheets of membrane that ripple off of the nucleus of cells. The rough ER has ribosomes stuck to it, so has a speckled appearance. Smooth ER may look tubular, like coral, and has an unspeckled surface. |
| Golgi | Receives molecules from ER and modifies, tags, and ships them out |
Looks like a stack of pancakes surrounded by little membrane spheres. |
| Lysosomes | Break down worn-out cell parts | Small spheres within the cell; may contain partially broken down materials. |
| Mitochondria | Transfer energy from food to useful form for cells (ATP) | Organelles with two membranes. The inner membrane is crinkled into folds called cristae. |
| Nucleus | Houses the genetic material | Largest organelle, surrounded by a double membrane that has little holes in it. May contain dark spots called nucleoli. |
| Plasma membrane | Selective boundary of cell | Outermost boundary in animal cells. Cells that have only a plasma membrane for their boundary may be variable in shape. |
| Ribosomes | Where proteins are made | Look like tiny dots in the cell. May be loose in the cytoplasm or attached to the rough endoplasmic reticulum. |