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Biology Definitions
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| • Sexual Reproduction: | reproduction that proceeds with the production of male and female gametes that fuse to form a zygote |
| • Asexual Reproduction: | reproduction in which male and female gametes are not involved |
| • Pollination: | Organism that aids in transfer of pollen |
| • Vegetative Propagation: | A method of plant propagation that is a way of separating new plant individuals that emerge from vegetative parts, such as specialized stems, leaves and roots and allow them to take root and grow. |
| • Evolution: | development of life over geological time |
| • Fossil: | The remains or traces of a living organism that has escaped decay and has been preserved usually in sedimentary rock. |
| • Mass Extinction: | the simultaneous elimination of large numbers of species from multiple phyla on a worldwide scale over a period |
| • Species: | organisms with similar characteristics, that are able to interbreed freely, and produce fertile offspring |
| • Natural Selection: | the process by which the environment favours the survival of those individuals that are best adapted to the environmental conditions. Organisms that are best adapted to the environment produce the highest number of offspring. |
| • Artificial Selection: | the process by which humans use animal breeding and plant breeding to selectively develop phenotypic traits in animals or plants |
| • Biogeography: | the study of the distribution of species and ecosystems in geographic space and through geological time |
| • Reproductive Isolation: | any mechanism which prevents two populations of organisms from breeding with one another |
| • Epoch: | era in time that is subdivided for easier understanding of each era |
| • Palaeontologist: | collect and study fossils |
| • Archaeologist: | work with human cities and artefact |
| • Anthropologist: | work with structure of human society |
| • Adaptive Radiation: | Burst of divergence from single lineage (form of cladogenesis) |
| • Cladogenesis: | evolutionary splitting = parent species splits into two diff species = a clade |
| • Population: | organisms of the same species, in the same space and same time and who are able to interbreed freely. |
| • Population Dynamics: | How a population changes over time |
| • Ecosystem: | a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment. |
| • Community: | a group of organisms living in the same place and that have a characteristic in common |
| • Population: | organisms of the same species, living in the same area, that are able to interbreed freely |
| • Population Parameters: | factors that affect the size of a population (↑/ ↓) |
| • Resource Partitioning: | the evolutionary process whereby species with similar requirements, living in the same habitat, divide up the resources so that different niches are created |
| • Ecological Succession: | how an ecosystem develops |
| • Carrying Capacity: | The maximum number of organisms an environment can support sustainably for a long period of time |
| • Ecological Footprint | is a measure of human demand on the earth’s ecosystems |
| • Closed Population: | population with no migration flow in or out, so that changes in the population occur only through births and deaths. |
| • Parental Care: | a behavioural and evolutionary strategy adopted by some animals, involving a parental investment being made to the evolutionary fitness of offspring |
| • Replication: | The process of making a new DNA molecule from the existing one that is identical to the parent molecule. |
| • Gene: | Part of a chromosome, made up of nucleotides, coding for a particular protein that helps to determine a particular characteristic of an organism) |
| • Mutation: | sudden change of the genetic code of an organism (can be gene or chromosomal mutation) |
| • Biotechnology: | using scientific procedures to influence specific processes in living organisms which will benefit humans or improve the environment |
| • Recombinant DNA tech | form of biotechnology used to introduce ne beneficial genes into an organism to create GMO’s |
| • Recombinant DNA: | lab constructed DNA molecule that has been created via recombinant DNA technology - unnatural DNA- (bringing together genetic material from multiple sources, creating sequences that wouldn’t otherwise be found in genome) |
| • Transgenic: | one or more DNA sequences from another species have been introduced into another unrelated organism by artificial means (organism that develops from a cell with recombinant DNA) |
| • GMO: | organism with introduced foreign DNA (results in new useful traits) |
| • Vector: | a bacteriophage (virus) that transfers foreign genetic material |
| • Plasmid: | circular doubled stranded DNA molecule (not part of bacterial chromosome, used as a vector) |
| • Cloning: | process used to create exact genetic copy of a gene, cell, tissue or organism |
| • Donor: | a person/ organism who donates something to another person/ organism |
| • Surrogate: | a woman who gets artificially inseminated with the father's sperm. Then carries the baby and delivers it for another person/ couple. |
| • Somatic cell: | all body cells excluding sex cells (germ line cells) |
| • Embryo: | an unborn or unhatched offspring in the process of development |
| • SCNT (somatic cell nuclear transfer): | transferring genetic material from donor adult cell to an egg cell nucleus |
| • Recessive: | relating to or denoting heritable characteristics controlled by genes which are expressed in offspring only when inherited from both parents. |
| • Dominant: | relating to or denoting heritable characteristics which are controlled by genes that are expressed in offspring even when inherited from only one parent. |
| • Positive Feedback System: | the body anticipates a change that will occur and produces the necessary substances in an advance (e.g. making breast milk) |
| • Negative Feedback system: | a mechanism that brings about a response due to changes in the body (waiting for a change in the body, then change is brought about) - e.g. shivering when cold |
| • Erection: | stiffening of the penis (filling up with blood) |
| • Ejaculation: | expulsion of semen |
| • Ovulation: | The release of an egg from an ovary during the menstrual cycle. |
| • Menarche: | first menstrual bleed |
| • Adolescence: | the period of physical, physiological as well as psychological chance |
| • Fertilisation: | In fallopian tubes when sperm nucleus fuses with eggs nucleus forming zygote |
| • Embryo: | developing zygote (till 8weeks) |
| • Foetus: | after all organs have developed |
| • Birth: | Expulsion of foetus, its surrounding membranes and placenta from uterus |
Created by:
Naledi Nyoni
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