Biology Glossary

A

ANAPHASE	Mitosis. 3rd phase. CHROMATIDS separate - forming separate CHROMOSOMES.
ANIMALIA	Animals. Multicellular, heterotrophic eukaryotes (Eukarya)
ARCHAEA	Domain of organisms (generally unicellular and always prokaryotic)
ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION	Reproduction by own resources, mainly by plants, less complex animals and micro-organisms. Offspring are identical to parent
ASSIMILATED MATERIAL	material that is consumed and, either retained in BIOMASS or used in RESPIRATION. It excludes material that is eliminated in faeces or regugitated
AUTOSOMES	Matching pairs of CHROMOSOMES
AUTOTROPH	metabolism. make their own carbon-based materials by PHOTSYNTHESIS

B

BIODIVERSITY	the very large number of animals, plants and other species - and their very great diversity
BIOLOGICAL COMMUNITY	comprises the species which intereact with one another
BIOMASS CONSUMED	biomass consumed = energy assimilated _ energy lost in faeces etc

C

CARNIVORE	Heterotroph which eats meat
first carnivore	one that feeds on herbivores
second or higher carnivore	one that feeds on other carnivores
CARRYING CAPACITY	populations' maximum stable size - designated "K".
CELL	Molecules required for metabolism, enclosed in each cell
CELL CYCLE	GROWTH 1 -> REPLICATION PHASE -> GROWTH II (these constitute INTERPHASE) -> MITOSIS -> NEW MEMBRANE DIVIDES CELL
CELL DIVISION	Cell cycle. MITOSIS + New Membrane divides cell
CELL MEMBRANE	Thin but complex structure, constraining the molecules involved in metabolism, inside the cell.
CENTROMERE	chromosomes are joined at CENTROMERE (as CHROMATIDS) during MITOSIS
CHARACTER	Characteristic or trait in species
CHROMOSOMES	structures formed by DNA molecules and other molecules (mainly proteins)
CHROMATID	DNA molecules paired (as above) after replication, during MITOSIS
CLONE	Two PROGENY cells containing identical DNA.
CONSUMER	an organism which obtains its carbon-based materials by consuming another organism, in whole or in part, either living or dead.
CYTOPLASM	Everything enclosed inside a CELL, apart from the NUCLEUS

D

DECOMPOSER	obtains its carbon-based materials by breaking down dead organisms and waste products from living organisms outside its own body and then absorbing the result. (with detritivores, breaks down the dead bodies of all organisms).
DETRITIVORE	obrains its carbon-based materials by eating and breaking down dead organisms and the waste products from living organisms inside its own body.
DIPLOID	Eukaryotes, such as humans, in which AUTOSOMES normally exist as pairs
DOMAINS	ARCHAEA, BACTERIA, EUKARYA

E

ECOSYSTEM	A biological community together with the physical environment which it occupies.
ENERGY ASSIMILATED	energy assimilated = energy used in respiration + increas in biomass
EUKARYA	Domain. Protoctista, Fungi, Plantae, Animalia
EUKARYOTES	(having eukaryotic cells) - organisms in which the DNA is normally separated from the CYTOPLASM within NUCLEI (organisms whose DNA is free within CYTOPLASM [ie they have no NUCLEI] are called PROKARYOTES)

F

FOOD CHAINS	Nutritional sequence. (eg oak -> winter moth caterpillar -> great tit -> sparrowhawk)
FUNGI	EUKARYA - mostly multicellular heterotrophic eukaryotes

G

GAMETE	The HAPLOID cells involved in reproduction, collectively
GENERATION TIME	the time it takes an organism to go once around the LIFE CYCLE
GPP	GROSS PRIMARY PRODUCTIVITY (or PRODUCTION). Only about 1% of solar energy falling on plants is captures by PHOTOSYNTHESIS. GPP = energy used in plant respiration + NPP (NPP - Net Primary Productivity (or Production)
GROWTH I	Cell cycle. First phase. Takes hours to years. Can be speeded up or slowed down considerably.
GROWTH II	Third phase in cell cycle. (shorter than growth I - hours).

H

HAPLOID	cells produced by MEIOSIS. (Containing one sex chromosome and one member of each pair of autosomes.)
HERBIVORE	heterotroph which eats only plants
HETEROTROPH	Metabolism. Rely on other sources for carbon-based materials. ie. they eat animals (who eat plants), plants or both
HOMO SAPIEN	Kingdom - Animalia; Phylum - Chordata; Class - Mammalia; Order - Primates; Family - Hominidae; Genus - Homo; Species - Homo sapien

I

INTERPHASE	Cell cycle. Growth I, Replication, Growth II - collectively
INTRINSIC RATE OF NATURAL INCREASE	(of the population) - usually designated "r". (Distinctive shape of curve on graph - sigmoidal or logistic)
ITEROPAROUS	A species that breeds several times through life (ITEROPARITY)

J

K

L

LIFE CYCLE	offspring -> growth -> reproductive maturity -> adult -> reproduction
LIFE HISTORY	A full schedule of where and when individuals in a species are born, can reproduce and die

M

METABOLISM	Chemical transformations resulting in the production of substances needed for life. carbon dioxide + water + energy -> organic carbon + oxygen
METAPHASE	Mitosis. 2nd phase. Delicate threads attach to CENTROMERES, aligning CHROMOSOMES tightly across middle of cell
MEIOSIS	the process by which cells divide into haploid cells
MITOSIS	Process by which each PROGENY cell have a complete set of parent cell's chromosomes so that each has a copy of all the organism's genetic information. Four phases: Prophase, Metaphase, Anaphase, Telophase PMAT Phone Me Any Time or Paul Makes Awesome (Awful) Tea
MNEMONIC	King (Kingdom) Philip (phylum) Calmly (class) ordered (order) fried (family) green (genus) snakes (species)
MORTALITY FACTOR	cause/causes of death
MULTICELLULAR ORGANISMS	Organisms composed of huge numbers of cells.

N

NUCLEUS

surrounded by nuclear membrane (inside a CELL), contains the cell's genetic material (molecule DNA deoxyribonucleic acid)

O

OVA	the haploid cells of female animals. Singular: ovum

P

PARASITE	lives in or on other living organisms, consuming parts of that living organism
PHYLUM	Broadest division within a kingdom
PLANTAE	plants - Eukarya - mostly multicellular autotrophic eukaryotes
POLYMORPHIC	species existing in a number of highly distinctive types
POPULATION	a group of individuals belonging to a single species. They are dynamic, change in size over time
PREDATOR	an animal which catches, either in whole, or in part, other animals
PRODUCER	another name for AUTOTROPH
PROGENY CELLS	ZYGOTE grows until it is large enough to undergo cell division - these are PROGENY CELLS
PROKARYOTES	organisms which have no NUCLEI and therefore whose DNA is free within the CYTOPLASM. (EUKARYOTES have DNA enclosed inside NUCLEI)
PROPHASE	earliest phase of MITOSIS - nucleus membrane disappears, leaving (normally) enclosed chromosomes to allow unrestrained movement (NB cell will have no nucleus at this stage).
PROTOCTISTA	Eukarya - mostly unicellular eukaryotes

Q

R

REPLICATION	cell cycle. 2nd phase. Replication produces two identical sets of DNA molecules. (Hours). Not to be confused with division during MITOSIS
REPRODUCTION	The process of producing offspring
RESPIRATION	Releases energy stored organic carbon + oxygen + energy -> carbon dioxide + water

S

SELECTIVELY PERMEABLE	Exerting some control over the substances which can pass through it (as in the CELL MEMBRANE)
SEMELPAROUS	A species which breeds only once in life (SEMELPARITY)
SEX CHROMOSOMES	X X (female - autosome) X Y (male)
SEXUAL DIMORPHISM	Phenomenon of striking differences between sexes, within species
SPECIES	REPRODUCTIVE ISOLATION
SPERMATOZOA	Haploid cells of male animals. (Singular: spermatozoon).

T

TELOPHASE	Mitosis. 4th (and last) phase. Threads attached to CHROMOSOMES disappear, leaving CHROMOSOMES clustered (unfettered) at each end of the CELL. (CYTOPLASM division has, by now, already begun).
TROPHIC LEVELS	represented by autotrophs, herbivores and carnivores within a food chain

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

ZYGOTE

the resultant single cell when a sperm fertilises an ovum.

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