Chapter 01
Alga
(plural, algae) (L. alga, seaweed) informal name for a large group of species of simple,
photosynthetic, mainly aquatic plants that lack vascular tissue (and therefore lack true
stems, leaves, and roots); in this textbook, some algal groups (green, red) are classified in
the plant kingdom, whereas most (brown, golden, diatoms) are classified as protists
Anatomy
(Gr. anatome, dissection), the study of the internal structure of organisms
Animalia
(L. animalis, living) the animal kingdom
Archaea
(Gr. arckhaios, ancient) a domain of prokaryotic organisms, including methane-producing,
halophilic, and hot acid–dwelling forms
Archaebacteria
see Archaea
Bacteria
(Gr. bakterion, a stick) a domain of prokaryotic organisms; also, common name for
prokaryotes
Biogeography
(Gr. bios, life + ge, Earth + graphein, to write) the study of the geographic distribution of
organisms and the reasons for the limits to their distribution, often including distributions
over geologic time and with a focus on taxonomically related organisms (families, genera);
see Plant geography
Biology
(Gr. bios, life + logos, word, speech, discourse) the science that deals with living things
Biosystematics
(Gr. bios, life + synistanai, to place together) a field of taxonomy that emphasizes breeding
behavior and chromosome characteristics
Blue–green algae
see Cyanobacteria
Botany
(Gr. botane, plant, herb) the study of plant and plantlike organisms; synonym, plant
biology
Cellulose
(cell + ose, a suffix indicating a carbohydrate) a complex carbohydrate occurring in the cell
walls of the majority of plants; it is composed of hundreds of simple sugar molecules,
glucose, linked together in a characteristic manner; cotton fibers are largely cellulose
Clade
(Gr. klados, twig) a branch in the tree of life, consisting of an originating taxon and all of its
descendant taxa
Cladistics
(Gr. klados, twig) a set of quantitative methods and concepts for generating hypotheses
about the evolutionary relationships among taxa; a form of systematics that shows
evolutionary relationships among organisms by arranging them in a branching diagram (a
cladogram), each branch representing organisms that share certain derived traits
Cladogram
(Gr. klados, twig + gramma, letter) a diagram presenting a hypothesis on the sequence of
branching events that occurred to generate a given set of presentday taxa from their
common ancestor
Conservation
(L. conservare, to keep) in biology, the systematic protection of natural resources and
species; also the study of techniques for protecting resources and species
Cyanobacteria
(Gr. kyanos, blue) a group of unicellular or filamentous photosynthetic prokaryotes also
capable of fixing nitrogen; also called blue–green algae
Cytoplasm
(Gr. kytos, a hollow vessel + plasma, form) all the protoplasm of a protoplast outside the
nucleus
Ecologic(al) services
products of ecosystems that sustain aquatic and terrestrial life, including the production of
oxygen (through photosynthesis), the filtering of pollutants, and the stabilization of soil
Eukarya
(L. eu, true + karyon, a nut, referring in modern biology to the nucleus) a taxonomic
domain of organisms characterized by having cellular organelles, specifically including the
nucleus, bounded by membranes
Evolution
(L. evolutio, an unrolling) in biology, any change in hereditary characteristics of a
population or species, or the formation of new species
Extreme halophiles
certain Archaea capable of living in hypersaline habitats
Food chain
the path along which caloric energy is transferred within a community (from producers to
consumers to decomposers)
Fungi
the monophyletic kingdom that contains all true fungi
Fungus (plural, fungi)
(L. fungus, a mushroom) any chemoheterotrophic eukaryote that reproduces with spores
and has cell walls at some stage of life
Herbicide
(L. herba, grass or herb + cidere, to kill) a chemical used to kill plants, frequently
chemically related to a hormone (as the herbicide 2,4-D is related to the hormone IAA); an
herbicide may have narrow or wide selectivity (range of target organisms)
Hypothesis
(Gr. hypothesis, foundation) a tentative theory or supposition provisionally adopted to
explain certain facts and to guide in the investigation of other facts
Kingdom
(O.E. cyningdom, territory ruled by a king or queen) in the taxonomic hierarchy, a group of
phyla or divisions
Metabolism
(M.L. from the Gr. metabolos, to change) the process, in an organism or a single cell, by
which nutritive material is built up into living matter, or aids in building living matter, or by
which protoplasm is broken down into simple substances to perform special functions
Molecular biology
a field of biology that emphasizes the interaction of biochemistry and genetics in the life of
an organism
Monophyletic group
(Gr. mono, single + phyle, tribe) a group of organisms or taxa that includes an ancestor, all
of its descendants, and nothing else
Morphology
(Gr. morphe, form + logos, discourse) the study of form and its development
Mycologist
(Gr. mykes, mushroom + logos, discourse) a scientist who specializes in the study of fungi
Organelle
a specialized region within a cell, such as the mitochondrion or dictyosome
Paleoecology
(Gr. palaios, ancient) a field of ecology that reconstructs past vegetation and climate from
fossil evidence
Pathogen
(Gr. pathos, suffering + genesis, beginning) an organism that causes a disease
Pathology
(Gr. pathos, suffering + logos, account) the study of diseases, their effects on plants or
animals, and their treatment
Photosynthesis
(Gr. photos, light + syn, together + tithenai, to place) a process in which carbon dioxide
and water are brought together chemically to form a carbohydrate, the energy for the
process being radiant energy
Phycology
(Gr. phykos, seaweed + logos, word, thought) the science of the study of algae
Phylogenetic tree
a diagrammatic representation of evolutionary relationships for a group of organisms; a
cladogram is a type of phylogenetic tree
Physiology
(Gr. physis, nature + logos, discourse) the science of the functions and activities of living
organisms
Phytoplankter
(Gr. phuto, plant + plankter, wanderer) a photosynthetic organism (generally single-celled)
that is part of the plankton, a body of floating cells near the surface of fresh or saline
bodies of water
Plant biology
the study of plant and plantlike organisms; synonymous with botany
Plant ecology
the study of how the environment affects plant organisms
Plant genetics
the study of plant heredity
Plant molecular
biology
the study of the biology of a plant cell at the molecular level
Plant morphology
the study of how a plant develops from a single cell into diverse tissues and organs and an
array of outer surfaces and shapes
Plant physiology
the study of the physical and chemical processes involved in the functioning of the plant
Plant systematics
the study of plant evolution and classification
Plantae
the monophyletic kingdom of life that includes all green plants and some algae
Prokaryote
(Gr. pro, before + Gr. karyon, a nut, referring in modern biology to the nucleus) member of
the domain Archaea or Bacteria; an organism that does not have its DNA in a nucleus,
separated from the cytoplasm by an envelope
Protista
(Gr. protistos, the very first) an artificial (nonmonophyletic) grouping of eukaryotic
organisms that are not included in kingdoms Plantae, Fungi, or Animalia; organisms within
it are called protists
Scientific method
an iterative process of stating, testing, and refining hypotheses that best explain natural
phenomena
Species diversity
the sum of every species present in an area, each species being multiplied by its relative
abundance; compare with species richness
Spore
(Gr. spora, seed) a one-celled or few-celled reproductive unit that develops into a
multicellular organism without first fusing with another reproductive unit; contrast with seed
and gamete
Systematics
the discovery and scientific study of biological diversity with the aim of organizing that
diversity into a system of named groups that is easy to use, has predictive value, and
reflects our understanding of the relationships between the organisms; systematics and
taxonomy are closely related, and many scientists use the terms more or less
interchangeably
Wood Age
the span of history during which wood was the, or one of the, principal materials for
houses, fuel, and vehicles; considered by some to include the Stone Age, Bronze Age,
Iron Age, Industrial Age, Nuclear Age, and up to the present
Zoology
(Gr. zoon, an animal + logos, speech) the science of animal life