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General Biology: Definitions and explanations page 10 PDF | Download eBooks

Learn general biology terms with definitions and explanations, biology terminologies (Page 10) for biology degree programs.


  1. What are Homoplasies?
    A homoplasy is a character shared by a set of species but not present in their ...
  2. What is Shared ancestral character?
    Traits that have been inherited to species by their ancestors is known as shared ancestral traits. ...
  3. What is Shared derived character?
    A derived character is one that evolved in the lineage leading up to a clade and ...
  4. What are Maximum likelihood?
    Maximum likelihood, also called the maximum likelihood method, is the procedure of finding the value of ...
  5. What is Paralogous genes?
    Paralogs are homologous genes that have evolved by duplication and code for protein with similar, but ...
  6. What are Orthologous genes?
    Orthologs are genes that are related by vertical descent from a common ancestor and encode proteins ...
  7. What is Molecular clock?
    The molecular clock is figurative term for a technique that uses the mutation rate of biomolecules ...
  8. What is Horizontal gene transfer?
    Horizontal gene transfer or lateral gene transfer is the movement of genetic material between unicellular and/or ...
  9. What is Gram positive bacteria?
    Gram-positive bacteria are bacteria that give a positive result in the gram stain test, which is ...
  10. What is Gram negative bacteria?
    Gram-negative bacteria are found everywhere, in virtually all environments on earth that support life. the gram-negative ...
  11. What is Peptidoglycan?
    Peptidoglycan, also known as murein, is a polymer consisting of sugars and amino acids that forms ...
  12. What is Endospore?
    The original cell produces a copy of its chromosome and surrounds that copy with a tough ...
  13. What is Fimbriae?
    In bacteriology, a fimbria is also referred to as an attachment pilus by some scientists, is ...
  14. What is Pilli?
    Pilli, like fimbriae are also hair like appendages present on some types of prokaryotic cells. these ...
  15. What is Nucleoid?
    The term nucleoid basically means nucleus-like. nucleoid is an irregularly shaped region within the cell of ...
  16. What are Plasmids?
    A plasmid is a small dna molecule within a cell that is physically separated from chromosomal ...
  17. What is Transduction?
    Transduction is the process by which foreign dna is introduced into a cell by a virus ...
  18. What is Transformation?
    Transformation is the genetic alteration of a cell resulting from the direct uptake and incorporation of ...
  19. What is Conjugation?
    Conjugation is the transfer of genetic material between bacterial cells by direct cell-to-cell contact or by ...
  20. What are Obligate aerobes?
    An obligate aerobe is an organism that requires oxygen to grow. through cellular respiration, these organisms ...
  21. What are Obligate anaerobes?
    Obligate anaerobes are microorganisms killed by normal atmospheric concentrations of oxygen (20.95% o2). oxygen tolerance varies ...
  22. What is Anaerobic respiration?
    Anaerobic respiration is respiration using electron acceptors other than molecular oxygen (o2). although oxygen is not ...
  23. What are Facultative anaerobes?
    A facultative anaerobe is an organism that makes atp by aerobic respiration if oxygen is present, ...
  24. What is Nitrogen fixation?
    Nitrogen fixation is a process by which nitrogen in the air is converted into ammonia (nh3) ...
  25. What are Biofilms?
    A biofilm comprises any consortium of microorganisms in which cells stick to each other and often ...
  26. What are Extremophiles?
    An extremophile is an organism that thrives in physically or geochemically extreme conditions that are detrimental ...
  27. What are Extreme halophiles?
    Halophiles are organisms that thrive in high salt concentrations. they are a type of extremophile organism. ...
  28. What are Methanogens?
    Methanogens are microorganisms that produce methane as a metabolic byproduct in hypoxic conditions. they are prokaryotic ...
  29. What are Decomposers?
    Decomposers are organisms that break down dead or decaying organisms, and in doing so, they carry ...
  30. What is Symbiosis?
    Symbiosis is any type of a close and long-term biological interaction between two different biological organisms, ...
  31. What is Host?
    Host is the usually the larger organism in the symbiosis and provides food and nourishment to ...
  32. What is Symbiont?
    An organism living in symbiosis with another which is usually smaller and lives on the body ...
  33. What is Mutualism?
    Mutualism describes the ecological interaction between two or more species where each species benefits. mutualism is ...
  34. What is Commensalism?
    An example of commensalism is that more than 150 bacterial species live on the surface of ...
  35. What is Parasitism?
    Parasitism is a relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or in another ...
  36. What are Pathogens?
    A pathogen in a broad sense is anything that can produce disease. a pathogen may also ...
  37. What are Exotoxins?
    Endotoxins are responsible for many diseases. for example, cholera, a dangerous diarrheal disease, is caused by ...
  38. What are Endotoxins?
    In contrast to exotoxins, endotoxins are released only when the bacteria die and their cell walls ...
  39. What is Bioremediation?
    Bioremediation is a process used to treat contaminated media, including water, soil and subsurface material, by ...
  40. What are Mixotrophs?
    A mixotroph is an organism that can use a mix of different sources of energy and ...
  41. What are Diatoms?
    Diatoms are a major group of algae, specifically microalgae, found in the oceans, waterways and soils ...
  42. What is Pseudopodia?
    Pseudopodia is a temporary arm-like projection of a eukaryotic cell membrane. filled with cytoplasm, pseudopodia primarily ...
  43. What are Producers?
    Primary producer, is an organism that produces complex organic compounds (such as carbohydrates, fats, and proteins) ...
  44. What are Apical meristems?
    Apical meristems are the completely undifferentiated meristems in a plant. these differentiate into three kinds of ...
  45. What is Cuticle?
    Plant cuticles are protective, hydrophobic, waxy coverings produced by the epidermal cells of leaves, young shoots ...
  46. What is Stomata?
    Stomata is a pore, found in the epidermis of leaves, stems, and other organs, that facilitates ...
  47. What is Vascular tissue?
    Vascular tissue is a complex conducting tissue, formed of more than one cell type, found in ...
  48. What is Seed?
    A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering. the formation of the ...
  49. What are Angiosperms?
    The flowering plants are also known as angiosperms. angiosperms are the most diverse group of land ...
  50. What are Gymnosperms?
    The gymnosperms, also known as acrogymnospermae, are a group of seed-producing plants that includes conifers, cycads, ...
  51. What is Peat?
    Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. it is unique to natural ...
  52. What is Lignin?
    Lignin is a class of complex organic polymers that form key structural materials in the support ...
  53. What is Phloem?
    In vascular plants, phloem is the living tissue that transports the soluble organic compounds made during ...
  54. What is Tracheid?
    Tracheids are elongated cells in the xylem of vascular plants that serve in the transport of ...
  55. What are Microphylls?
    A microphyll is also called a lycophyll, and is a type of plant leaf with one ...
  56. What are Megaphylls?
    Megaphylls are those kinds of plant leaves that have multiple veins within the leaf and leaf ...
  57. What are Sporophylls?
    A sporophyll is a leaf that bears sporangia. both microphylls and megaphylls can be sporophylls. sporophylls ...
  58. What are Megaspores?
    Megaspores, also called macrospores, are a type of spore that is present in heterosporous plants. these ...
  59. What are Microspores?
    Microspores are land plant spores that develop into male gametophytes. the male gametophyte gives rise to ...
  60. What is Pollen grain?
    Pollen is a fine to coarse powdery feeling substance that consists of pollen grains. these grains ...