Term | Definition |
chitin | polymer made of modified sugars that is also found in the exoskeleton of insects |
hypha | One of many long, slender filaments that makes up the body of a fungus |
fruiting body | reproductive structure of a fungus that grows from the mycelium |
mycelium | densely branched network of the hyphae of a fungus |
lichen | symbiotic association between a fungus and a photosynthetic organism |
mycorrhiza | symbiotic association of plant roots and fungi |
virus | nonliving particle made of proteins, nucleic acids, and sometimes lipids that can replicate only by infecting living cells |
capsid | protein coat surrounding a virus |
bacteriophage | kind of virus that infects bacteria |
lytic infection | type of infection in which a virus enters a cell, makes copies of itself, and causes the cell to burst |
lysogenic infection | type of infection in which a virus embeds its DNA into the DNA of the host cell and is replicated along with the |
prophage | bacteriophage DNA that is embedded in the bacterial hosts DNA |
retrovirus | RNA virus that contains RNA as its genetic info |
prokaryote | unicellular organism that lacks a nucleus |
bacillus | rod shaped prokaryote |
coccus | spherical prokaryote |
spirillum | spiral or corkscrew shaped prokaryote |
binary fission | type of asexual reproduction in which an organism replicates its DNA and divides in half, producing two identical daughter cells |
endospore | structure produced by prokaryotes in unfavorable conditions; a thick internal wall that encloses DNA and a portion of the cytoplasm |
conjugation | process in which paramecia and some prokaryotes exchange genetic info |
pathogen | disease-causing agent |
vaccine | preparation of weakened or killed pathogens used to produce immunity to a disease |
antibiotic | group of drugs used to block the growth and reproduction of bacterial pathogens |
emerging disease | disease that appears in the population for the first time, or a well known disease that suddenly becomes harder to control |
prion | protein particles that cause disease |