Glossary Terms
Species - a group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of
exchanging genes or interbreeding.
Morphology - Morphology, in biology, the study of the size, shape, and structure
of animals, plants, and microorganisms and of the relationships of their
constituent parts.
Phylogeny Taxonomy - Phylogeny pertains to the evolutionary history of
a taxonomic group of organisms.
Binomial Nomenclature - the system of nomenclature in which two terms are
used to denote a species of living organism, the first one indicating the genus
and the second the specific epithet
Genus - Genus, plural genera, biological classification ranking between family
and species, consisting of structurally or phylogenetically related species or a
single isolated species exhibiting unusual differentiation
Classification - Classification, in biology, the establishment of a hierarchical
system of categories on the basis of presumed natural relationships among
organisms. The science of biological classification is commonly called taxonomy
Hierarchial Classification - Hierarchy refers to the taxonomic classification of
living organisms in successive levels of complexity
Rank - In biological classification, taxonomic rank is the relative level of a group
of organisms (a taxon) in a taxonomic hierarchy.
Taxon - a taxonomic group of any rank, such as a species, family, or class.
Ancestor - Ancestors can also refer to a group of people that came before but
that are not necessarily directly related
Anatomy - Anatomy, a field in the biological sciences concerned with the
identification and description of the body structures of living things
Physiology - Physiology is the science of life. It is the branch of biology that aims
to understand the mechanisms of living things, from the basis of cell function at
the ionic and molecular level to the integrated behaviour of the whole body
and the influence of the external environment.
Phylogenetic tree - Phylogenetic tree, also called Dendrogram, a diagram
showing the evolutionary interrelations of a group of organisms derived from a
common ancestral form.
Structural diversity - Structural diversity is variation in the way parts are organized.
Patterns formed by plant species are the most easily recognized form
of structural diversity.
Prokaryotic - a microscopic single-celled organism that has neither a distinct
nucleus with a membrane nor other specialized organelles. Prokaryotes include
the bacteria and cyanobacteria.
Eukaryotic - The eukaryotic cell has a nuclear membrane that surrounds the
nucleus, in which the well-defined chromosomes (bodies containing the
hereditary material) are located.
Dichotomous key - A dichotomous key is a tool that allows the user to determine
the identity of items in the natural world, such as trees, wildflowers, mammals,
reptiles, rocks, and fish.
Autotroph - an organism that is able to form nutritional organic substances from
simple inorganic substances such as carbon dioxide.
Heterotroph - an organism deriving its nutritional requirements from complex
organic substances.
Species diversity - Species diversity is a function of species richness, the number
of species in a given locality and species evenness, the degree to which the
relative abundances of species are similar.
Genetic diversity - Genetic diversity as the number of different alleles of genes in
a population. Genetic diversity is a factor enabling natural selection to occur.
Ecosystem diversity - Ecosystem diversity addresses the combined characteristics
of biotic properties (biodiversity) and abiotic properties (geodiversity).
Gene pool - A gene pool is the total genetic diversity found within a population
or a species.
Population - all the inhabitants of a particular town, area, or country.
Resilience - the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.
Virus - an infective agent that typically consists of a nucleic acid molecule in a
protein coat, is too small to be seen by light microscopy, and is able to multiply
only within the living cells of a host.
Capsid - another term for mirid
Replication - DNA replication is the process by which a double-stranded DNA
molecule is copied to produce two identical DNA molecules.
Lytic Cycle - The lytic cycle is named for the process of lysis, which occurs when
a virus has infected a cell, replicated new virus particles, and bursts through the
cell membrane.
Lysogenic cycle - the lysogenic cycle, is one of two cycles of viral reproduction
(the lytic cycle being the other).
Prion - Prion, an abnormal form of a normally harmless protein found in the brain
that is responsible for a variety of fatal neurodegenerative diseases of animals,
including humans, called transmissible spongiform encephalopathies.
Bacterium - Bacteria are microscopic, single-celled organisms that exist in their
millions, in every environment, both inside and outside other organisms.
Archaeon - Archaea, (domain Archaea), any of a group of single-celled
prokaryotic organisms (that is, organisms whose cells lack a defined nucleus)
that have distinct molecular characteristics separating them from bacteria (the
other, more prominent group of prokaryotes) as well as from eukaryotes.
Coccus - A coccus (plural cocci) is any bacterium or archaeon that has a
spherical, ovoid, or generally round shape.
Bacillus - Bacillus, (genus Bacillus), any of a genus of rod-shaped, gram-positive,
aerobic or (under some conditions) anaerobic bacteria widely found in soil and
water.
Methanogenesis - Methanogenesis or biomethanation is the formation of
methane by microbes known as methanogens
Extremophile - An extremophile is an organism that thrives in extreme
environments. Extremophiles are organisms that live in "extreme environments,"
under high pressure and temperature.
Mesophile: An organism that grows in best moderation temperature, neither too
hot nor too cold, with an optimum growth range from 20 to 45 degrees celsius.
This term is mainly about microorganisms.
Binary fission: Asexual reproduction by a seperatin of the body into two new
bodies. The process of binary fission, is when an organism duplicates its genetic
material, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), and then divides into two parts
(cytokinesis), with each new organism receiving one copy of DNA
Conjugation: This process is when one bacterium transfers genetic material to
another through direct contact. When conjugation occurs, one bacterium acts
as the donor of the genetic material, while the other acts as the recipient. The
donor bacterium carries a DNA sequence called the fertility factor/ F-factor
Endospore: a dormant, tough, and non- reproductive structure produced by
certain bacteria from the Firmicute phylum.
Gram stain: a common technique used to differentiate two large groups of
bacteria based on their different cell wall constituents. Gram positive bacteria
stain violet because of the presence of a thick layer of peptidoglycan in their
cell walls, which retains the crystal violet these cells are stained with.
Endosymbiosis: Symbiosis in which one of the symbiotic organisms lives inside the
other
Endosymbiont: A type of symbiosis in which one organism lives inside the other,
they both typically behave as a single organism. It is believed that such
organelles as mitochondria and chloroplasts arose within eukaryotic cells.
Host cell: a living cell invaded by or capable of being invaded by an infectious
agent (such as a bacterium or a virus) This drug integrates with the virus in a way
that prevents it from attaching to host cells, and prevents viral replication of cells
already infected.
Protest: an expression of objection/ disapproval
Parasite: an organism that lives on or in a host organism and gets its food from or
at the expense of its host. There are three main classes of parasites that can
cause disease in humans: protozoa, helminths, and ectoparasites.
Pseudopod:They are projections of the cytoplasm of unicellular protists or
eukaryotic cell membranes. Often formed by the filament structure and
microtubule, the surface of the cell projects a membrane in a process called
lamellipodium, which is supported by the microfilaments.
Cilium: small hair-like protuberances on the outside of eukaryotic cells. They are
primarily responsible for locomotion, either of the cell itself or of fluids on the cell
surface. They are also involved in mechanoreception.
Flagellum: a microscopic hair-like organelle used by cells and microorganisms
for movement. Specialized flagella in some organisms are also used as sensory
organelles that can detect changes in temperature and pH.
Red tide: Algal bloom refers to the excessive growth of algae, especially
cyanobacteria in polluted waters. Red tides refer to the red colour imparted to
the sea water by the rapid multiplication of dinoflagellates like Gonyaulax.
Alga: (Algae) organisms that belong to Domain Eucarya and are distinct from
animals by being photosynthetic. Differ from the vascular plants by lacking true
roots, stems and leaves.
Plant: multicellular organisms in the kingdom Plantae that use photosynthesis to
make food and energy. Producers of oxygen, which is important in the food
chain because many organisms eat plants.
Embryo: early stage of development of a multicellular organism.
Invertebrate: animals that neither possess nor develop a spine/ backbone.
Vertebrate: also known as Craniata; any animal that has a spine/ backbone.
Radial symmetry: symmetry found within a central axis. Example: starfish or
flower
Bilateral symmetry: a basic body plan that when the left side of an organism is
symmetrical to the right side; mirror images of each other along the middle.
Coelom: the main body cavity in most animals and is positioned inside the body
to surround and contain the digestive tract and other organs.
Segmentation: also known as metamerism. It is the condition of being
constructed of a linear series of repeating parts, each being a metamere (body
segment), and each being formed in sequence in the embryo, from anterior to
posterior.
Polyp: the sessile form of cnidarian (such as a coral or sea anemone) typically
having a hollow cylindrical body closed and attached at one end and opening
at the other by a central mouth surrounded by tentacles armed with
nematocysts.
Medusa: on out of two main body types occurring in members of the
invertebrate animal phylum Cnidaria. It is mostly the form of the jellyfish.
Mantle: Also known as pallium. It is a soft covering, formed from the body wall,
of brachiopods and mollusks; also the fleshy outer covering, sometimes
strengthened by calcified plates
Exoskeleton: the external skeleton that supports and protects the the animal's
body
Notochord: a rodlike cord of cells that forms the chief axial supporting structure
of the body of the lower chordates, as amphioxus and the cyclostomes, and of
the embryo of the vertebrates.
Cartilage: a resilient and smooth elastic tissue, a rubber- like padding that
covers and protects the ends of long bones at the joints and nerves. It is a
structural component of the ribcage, the ear, the nose and bronchial tube.
Tetrapod: Four limbed animals (snakes are an exception).
Ectothermy: cold- blooded animal. An animal who can regulate its body
temperature depending on external sources.
Mammary gland: the organs in the female mammal that produce milk to its
young.
Placenta: a flattened circular organ in the uterus of pregnant mammals that
nourishes and maintains the fetus through the umbilical cord.
Mass extinction: a loss of about three quarters of all species in existence.
Embryo: Early stage of development of a multicellular organism
Sporic Reproduction: The production of spores. Most eukaryotic spores are
haploid and form by cell division, but some are formed through call fusion.
Gametophyte: in plants and some algae, the sexual phase, in the alterations of
generations, in which two phases happen in the life of an organism.
Sporophyte: the nonsexual phase in plants
Bryophyte: Mosses. Any plant of phyla Bryophyta
Gymnosperm: a group of plants that produce seeds, that do not contain ovary
or fruit.
Angiosperm: a major division of plant life, which makes up the majority of all
plants on earth. They produce seeds inside “fruits”.
Cone: also known as strobilus, mass of scales or bracts, typically ovate in shape,
that includes the reproductive organs of some non flowering plants.
Flower: also known as bloom or blossom, the function of flowers is to reproduce.
Fruit: in batomy, it is a seed bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms)
formed from the ovary after flowering.
Monocot: has seeds that contain a single (mono-) embryonic leaf known as
cotyledon. Ex: grains, sugarcane, banana, ginger, onions, sugar
Dicot: the dicotyledons, known as dicots (or rarely dicotyls), are one of the two
groups into which all the flowering plants or angiosperms were formally divided.
Fungus: plural fungi, is any diverse group of eukaryotic single-celled or
multinucleate organism that live by decomposing and absorbing organic
material in which they grow, comprising the mushrooms, molds, mildews, smuts,
rusts, and yeats. About 144,000 known species of organisms.
Hypha: (plural: Hyphae) one long stender tube that develops from germinated
spores and forms the structural parts of the body of a fungus. A large mass of
hyphae is known as mycelium, which is the growing form of most fungi.
Mycelium: A large mass of hyphae, the vegetative part of a fungus or fungus like
bacterial colony.
Fruiting body: a plant organ specialized for producing spores especially
sporophore
Zygospore: diploid reproductive stage in the life cycle of a lot of fungi and
protists. They are made by the nuclear fusion of haploid cells.
Ascus: (Plural: asci) a saclike structure produced by fungi or the phylum
ascomycota (sac fungi) in which sexually produced spores (asopores), usually
four or eight in number are formed
Basidium: in fungi (kingdom Fungi), the organ in the members of the phylum
Basidiomycota (q.v.) that bears sexually reproduced bodies called
basidiospores. The basidium serves as the site of karyogamy and meiosis,
functions by which sex cells fuse, exchange nuclear material, and divide to
reproduce basidiospores.
Biodiversity crisis: The loss of ecosystem diversity results in the loss of interactions
between species, unique features of co- adaptation, and biological
productivity. Human-generated species diversity has decreased due to
migration, market forces, and agriculture.
Modeling: a model is a representation of the structure and function of a
biologicalsystem, and may be concerned with any level of biology from
molecules to ecosystems. Models allow us to test our understanding of particular
systems and, if the models are good, to make predictions.
Temperature sex determination: Temperature-dependent sex determination
(TSD) is a type of environmental sex determination in which the temperatures
experienced during embryonic/larval development determine the sex of the
offspring. It is only observed in reptiles and teleost fish.