Animal Biology Terms

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Magnification

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The act of making something look larger than it is: the act of magnifying

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Field of View

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The extent of the visible image field that can be seen.

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Working Distance

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The distance between the front lens of the objective and the coverslip (or uncovered object) when the lens is focused on the specimen.

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Nucleus

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The central and most important part of an object, movement, or group, forming the basis for its activity and growth.

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Cytosol

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The aqueous component of the cytoplasm of a cell, within which various organelles and particles are suspended

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Golgi body

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A complex of vesicles and folded membanes within the cytoplasm of most eukaryotic cells, invloved in secretion and intracellular transport

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Vesicle

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A bubble like membranous structure that stores and transports cellular porducts, and digests metabolic wastses within the cell; an intracellular membranous sac that is separated form the cytosol by at least one lipid bilayer

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Cilia

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Minute hairlike organelles, identical in structure to flagella, that line the surfaces of certain cells and beat in rhythmic waves, providing locomotion to ciliate protozoans and moving liquids along internal epithlial tissue in animals

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Cytostome

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The mouth of an unicellular organism

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Resolution

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Sharpness. It is the ability of the lens to distingush between two points clearly

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Parfocal

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Having lenses or lens sets (as eye pieces) with the corresponding focal points all in the same plane

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Endosymbiosis

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Symbiosis in which one of the symbiotic organisms lives inside the other

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Nuclear envelope

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The double layered membrane that envelopes the nucleus of an Eukaryotic cell, separating the contents of the nucleus from the cytoplasm

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Cytoskeleton

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A microscopic network of protein filaments and tubules in the cytoplasm of many living cells, giving them shape and coherence

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Ribosome

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Any of numerous minute particles in the cytoplasm of the cells, either free or attached to the endoplasmic reticulum, that contain Rna and protein and are the site of protein synthesis

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Vacuole

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A space or vesicle within the cytoplasm of a cell, enclosed by a membrane and typically containing fluid

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Flagella

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Long, slender, threadlike, whiplike extension of certain cells or unicellular organisms used mainly for movements 

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Cytopyge

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The anal orifice (cell "anus") found in certain structurally complex protozoa, through which waste matter is ejected

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Contrast

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The difference in light intensity between the image and the adjacent background relative to the overall background intensity

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Depth of field

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The distance between the nearest and the furthest objects that give an image judged to be in focus in a camera

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Plasma membrane

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The cell's outer membrane made up of a two layers of phospholipids with embedded proteins. It separates the contents of the cell fom its outside environment, and it regulates what enters and exits the cell

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Cytoplasm

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The cell substance between the cell membrane and the nucleus, containing the cytosol, organekkes, cytoskeleton, and various particles

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Endoplasmic Reticulum

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A network of membranous tubules witin the cytoplasm of an eukaryotic cell, continuous with the nuclear membrane. It usually has ribosmes attached and is involved in protein and lipid synthesis.

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Lysosome

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An organelle in the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells containing degradative enzymes enclosed in a membrane

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Pellicle

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Thin skin, cuticle, membrane, or film

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Pseudopodium

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A temporary protrusion of the surface of an ameboid cell for movement and feeling

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Contractile Vacuole

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A vacuole in sone protozoans that expels excess liquid on contraction

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Binomial Nomenclature

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The system of nomenclature in which two terms are used to denote a species of living organism, the first one indicating the genus and the second the specific epithet

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Taxonomy

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The branch of science concerned with classification, espeically of organisms; systematics

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Cladistics

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A method of classification of animals and plants according to the proportion of measurable characteristics that they have in common. It is assumed that the higher the propportion of characteristics that two organisms share, the more recently they diverged from a common ancestor

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Eukaryote

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Organism consisting of a cell or cells in which the genetic material is DNA in the form of chromosomes contained within a distinct nucleus. Eukaryotes includes all living organisms other than the eubacteria and archaebacteria

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Heterotroph

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An organism derving its nutritional requirements from comlex organic substances

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Systematics

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Naming and classifying organisms in regard to their natural relationships, deals with populations, species and higher taxa

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Taxon

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Taxonomic group of any rank, such as a species, family, or class

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Clade

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Monophyletic group; a group of organisms (usually species) that are more closely related to each other than other group, implying a shared most recent common ancestor

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Prokaryote

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Microscopic single celled organism that has neither a distinct nucleus with a membrane nor other specialized organelles. Prokaryotes include bacteria and cyanobacteria

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Phylogeny

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The evolutionary development of a species or of a taxonomic group organisms

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Phenetics

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Classification of organisms based on measurable similarities and differences rather than genetic makeup and evolutionary descent

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Derived Characteristic 

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Don't share the same characteristics, meaning that the species obtained it

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Autotroph

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Organism capable of making nutritive organic molecules from inorganic sources via photosynthesis (involving light energy) or chemosynthesis

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Allele

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One of two or more alternative forms of a gene that arise by mutation and are found at the same place on a chromosome

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Gene Frequency

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The ratio of a particular allele to the total of all other alleles of the same gene on a given population

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Founder Effect

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The reduced genetic diveraity that results when a population is descended fom a small number of colonzing ancestors

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Dominant

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An allele of a gene that is expressed in an organism's phenotype masking the effect of the recessive allele or gene when present

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Gene

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Unit of heredity that is transferred from a parent to offspring and is help to determine some characteristic of the offspring

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Genetic Drift

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Variation in the relative frequency of different genotypes in a small population, owing to the chance disappearance of particular genes as indivifuals die or do not reproduce

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Homozygous

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Having two identical alleles that code for the same trait

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Recessive

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A gene whose phenotypic exoression is masked by a dominant gene (or allele)

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Gene pool

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Total number of genes of every individual in an interbreeding population

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Bottleneck effect

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A  marked decrease in gene pool diversity due to a low number of genetically disinct individual in the population - a population bred from 2 individuals has far fewer variables on the allelic loci - a bottleneck - than a second population bred from hundreds of individuals

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Heterozygous

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A pair of genes where one is dominant and one is recessive

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Diploid

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Containing two complete sets of chromosomes, one from each parent

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Convergent Evolution

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A kind of evolution wherein organisms evolve structures that have similar (analogous) structures or functions in spite of their evolutionary ancestors being very dissimilar or unrelated

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Microevolution

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Evolutionary change within a speices or small group of organism, especially over a short period

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Natural Selection

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The process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring. The theory of its action was first fully expounded by Darwin and is now believed to be the main process that brirngs about evolution.

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Species

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A group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding. The species is the principal natural taxonomic unit (ranking below genus)

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Genetic Drift

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Variation in the relative frequency of different genotypes in a small popilation, owing to the chance disappearance of particular genes as individuals die or do not reproduce

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Fitness

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A competing variant is increasing in frequency relative to other competing variants in a population

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Vestigial Structure

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refers to an organ or part, which is greatly reduced from the original ancestral form and is no longer functional or is of reduced or altered function.
VS provide a clue to the evolutionary history of a species because they are remnants of structures found in the ancestral species

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Gradualism

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The hypothesis that evolution proceeds chiefly by the accumulation of gradual changes

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Adaptive Radiation

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Diversification of a group of organisms into forms filling different ecological niches

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Divergent Evolution

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The process by which an interbreeding population or species diverges into two or more descendant species, resulting in once similar or related species to become more and more dissimilar

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Macroevolution

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Major evolutionary change. The term applies mainly to the evolution of whole taxonomic groups over long periods of time.

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Comparative Embryology

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The study of the similarities and differences among various organisms during the embryologic period of development

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Acquired Characteristic

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A modification or change in an organ or tissue during the lifetime of an organism due to use, diuse, or environmental effects, and not inherited

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Homologous

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Similar in position, structure, and evolutionary origin but not necessarily in function

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Gene

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Fundamental, physical and functional unit of heredity. Segment of DNA. Responsible for the physical  and inheritable characteristics or phenotype of an organism.

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Mutation

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The changing of the structure of a gene, resulting in a variant form that may be transmitted to subsequent generations, caused by alteration of single base units in DNA, or deletion, insertion, or rearrangement of larger sections of genes or chromosomes

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Phenotype 

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The set of observable characteristic of an individual resulting from the interaction of its genotype with the environment

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Sexual Selection

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Natural selection arising through preference by one sex for certain characteristics in individuals of the other sex

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Coevolution

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The influence of closely associated species on each other in their evolution

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Punctuated Equilibrium

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The hypothesis that evolutionary development is marked by isolated episodes of rapid speciation between long periods of little or no change

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Evolution

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The process by which different kinds of living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms during the histor of the earth

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Gene Flow

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The movement of genes from different populations of species.
Sometimes geological events, can interrupt the free movements of genes in a species population. This can lead to speciation over long periods of time due to subtle in the gene pool of each of the splinter groups on each side of the geographical barrier

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Comparative anatomy

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Study of animal structure with regard to homologous organs or parts

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Competition

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Symbiotic relationships occuring in nature. Same or different members of species compete for resources, especially for limited natural resources.

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Fossil

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Any remains, impression, or trace of a living thing of a former geologic age, as a skeleton, footprint

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Population

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A group of organisms of one speices that interbreed and live in the same place at the same time

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Analogous

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Performing a similar function but having a different evolutionary origin, such as the wings of insects and birds

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Genetic variation

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Genetic diversity in a population or species as a result of new gene combinations, genetic mutations, genetic drift

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Genotype

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The entire set of genes in an organism
A set of alleles that determines the expression of a particular characteristic or trait

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Adaptation

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Change or the process of change by which an organism or species becomes better suited to its environment

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Artifical Selection

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Aka Selective breeding, where professional study the genotype and phenotype of parent organisms in the hope of producing a hybrid that possesses many of the desirable characteristics found in their parents

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Speciation

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Formation of new and distinct species in the course of evolution