FACILITATED DIFFUSION: A form of passive transport that moves substances from a region of high concentration to a region of low concentration using a helper protein. This does not require energy!
FAMILY: (Chemistry) A section of the Periodic Table. There are three major families - the metals, nonmetals, and metalloids.
FATTY ACID: The monomer (building block) of a lipid
FAULT: A break in the rocks that make up the earth's crust that is due to the movement of rock on either side of the fault.
FERMENTATION: A process to make energy (ATP) when no oxygen is available. There are two types - lactic acid fermentation (which happens in human muscle cells) and alcohol fermentation (which happens in yeast).
FERTILE: Can make offspring (babies)
FERTILIZATION: The fusion of male (sperm) and female (ova) gametes.
FILTRATION: A process used in both water treatment and waste water treatment. Water is passed through layers of sand and coal to help remove any dirt or pollutants from the water.
FIT: Having traits (genes) that allow you to survive
FLAGELLA (FLAGELLUM): A long whip-like structure used for cellular movement. Example: sperm use flagella to swim to the egg!
FLUID MOSAIC MODEL: See cell membrane
FOOD CHAIN: Simple model that shows how matter and energy move through an ecosystem.
FOOD WEB: A model that shows all the possible feeding relationships at each trophic level in a community.
FOSSIL: Physical evidence of an organism that lived log ago that scientists use to study the past; evidence may appear in rocks, amber, or ice.
FUNGI (FUNGUS): One of the six kingdoms of life. Fungi are multicellular, heterotrophic eukaryotes. Examples of fungi are mushrooms and yeast.