Bio Vocab Apr 10

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bacteria

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Microscopic living organisms that can aid in pollution control by metabolizing organic matter in sewage, oil spills or other pollutants. However, bacteria in soil, water or air can also cause human, animal and plant health problems.

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protist

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n. single-celled organism from the kingdom Protista

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amoeba

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microscopic protozoan which perpetually changes form

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euglena

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are common Euglenophytes protist, typical of the euglenids, and commonly found in nutrient-rich freshwater, with a few marine species. It is considered an Euglenophyte, and not a flagellate, because of the presence of chloroplasts in most species. The cells vary in length from around 20 to 300 μm, and are typically cylindrical, oval, or spindle-shaped with a single emergent flagellum for movement. There are usually many bright green chloroplasts, although some species are colorless. If sunlight is not available, it can absorb nutrients from decayed organic material. Euglena is also found in sewage systems. Euglena reproduces through mitosis, a process in which one cell is divided into two. Euglena has a contractile vacuole which prevents the cell from bursting.

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paramecium

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A unicellular Protoctist belonging to the group Ciliates. Although normally reproduces asexually, they also undergo sexual conjugation in which mating types play a role. Paramecium
aurelia has 34 hereditary mating types that form 16 distinct mating groups

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annelid worm

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collectively called Annelida (from Latin anellus "little ring"), are a large phylum of animals, comprising the segmented worms, with about 15,000 modern species including the well-known earthworms and leeches. They are found in most wet environments, and include many terrestrial, freshwater, and especially marine species (such as the polychaetes), as well as some which are parasitic or mutualistic. They range in length from under a millimeter to over 3 meters (the seep tube worm Lamellibrachia luymesi). Annelids are triploblastic protostomes with a coelom, closed circulatory system and true segmentation. Their segmented bodies and coelom have given them evolutionary advantages over other worms. Oligochaetes and polychaetes typically have spacious coeloms; in leeches, the coelom is largely filled in with tissue and reduced to a system of narrow canals; archiannelids may lack the coelom entirely. The coelom is divided into a sequence of compartments by walls called septa. In the most general forms each compartment corresponds to a triple segment of the body, which also includes a portion of the nervous and (closed) circulatory systems, allowing it to function relatively independently. The closed circulatory system consists of networks of vessels containing blood with oxygen-carrying hemoglobin. Dorsal and ventral vessels are connected by segmental pairs of vessels. The dorsal vessel and five pairs of vessels that circle the esophagus of an earthworm are muscular and pump blood through the circulatory system. Tiny blood vessels are abundant in the earthworm's skin, which function as its respiratory organ. Each segment is marked externally by one or more rings, called annuli. Each segment also has an outer layer of circular muscle underneath a thin cuticle and epidermis, and a system of longitudinal muscles. In earthworms,and in daria the longitudinal muscles are strengthened by collagenous lamellae; the leeches have a double layer of muscles between the outer circulars and inner longitudinals. In most forms they also carry a varying number of bristles, called setae, and among the polychaetes a pair of appendages, called parapodia.

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insect

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member of a group of very small invertebrate animals having segmented bodies and three pairs of legs, bug; very small animal which resembles an insect (i.e. spider)

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amphibian

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cold-blooded vertebrate animal able to live both on land and water

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mammal

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are warm-blooded, vertebrate animals characterized by the presence of sweat glands, including those that produce milk, and by the presence of: hair, three middle ear bones used in hearing, and a neocortex region in the brain. Most mammals also possess specialized teeth and utilize a placenta in the ontogeny. The mammalian brain regulates endothermic and circulatory systems, including a four-chambered heart. Mammals encompass approximately 5,400 species (including humans), distributed in about 1,200 genera, 153 families, and 29 orders, though this varies by classification scheme.

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nonvascular plant

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a general term for those plants (including the green algae) without a vascular system (xylem and phloem). Although non-vascular plants lack these particular tissues, a number of non-vascular plants possess tissues specialized for internal transport of water.
Non-vascular plants have no roots, stems, or leaves, since each of these structures is defined by containing vascular tissue. The lobes (rounded parts) of the liverwort may look like leaves, but they are not true leaves because they have no xylem or phloem. Likewise, mosses and algae have no such tissues.

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vascular tissue

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a complex tissue found in vascular plants, meaning that it is composed of more than one cell type. The primary components of vascular tissue are the xylem and phloem. These two tissues transport fluid and nutrients internally. There are also two meristems associated with vascular tissue: the vascular cambium and the cork cambium. All the vascular tissues within a particular plant together constitute the vascular tissue system of that plant.

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gymnosperm

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Woody plants whose life histories include alternation of generations and ovules are not enclosed in a carpel. The pollen typically germinates on the surface of the ovule. A superclass in the sperm plants (Spermatophyta) division. Examples are cycad, conifer and gingko. Cycads are the most primitive ones evolved in the Devonian period about 400 Mya. There are about 700 extant species in Gymnosperms.

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angiosperm

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The most recently evolved and the largest group of plants whose reproductive organs are in their flowers (flowering plants). A superclass in the sperm plants (Spermatophyta) division belonging to the vascular plants (Tracheophyta) phylum of the plant kingdom. They are divided into two subclasses: Dicots (Magnoliopsida such as magnolia, dandelion, roses, violet) and Monocots (Liliopsida such as lilly, iris, orchid, grasses). Their ovules are enclosed in the carpel and pollen travels through the pollen tube to reach it. Angiosperms evolved in the Cretaceous era together with the Mammals.

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adaptation

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Changes in an organism's physiological structure or function or habits that allow it to survive in new surroundings.

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phototropism

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is directional plant growth in which the direction of growth is determined by the direction of the light source. Phototropism is one of the many plant tropisms or movements which respond to external stimuli. Growth towards a light source is a positive phototropism, while growth away from light is called negative phototropism (or Skototropism). Most plant shoots exhibit positive phototropism, while roots usually exhibit negative phototropism, although gravitropism may play a larger role in root behavior and growth. Some vine shoot tips exhibit negative phototropism, which allows them to grow towards dark, solid objects and climb them. Phototropism in plants such as Arabidopsis thaliana is regulated by blue light receptors called phototropins. Other photosensitive receptors in plants include phytochromes that sense red light and cryptochromes that sense blue light. Different organs of the plant may exhibit different phototropic reactions to different wavelengths of light. Stem tips exhibit positive phototropic reactions to blue light, while root tips exhibit negative phototropic reactions to blue light. Both root tips and most stem tips exhibit positive phototropism to red light.

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thigmotropism

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growth in response to mechanical contact

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geotropism/gravitropism

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growth or movement of an organism in response to gravity

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mimicry

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the resemblance of one kind of organism to another to make the organism difficult to find, to discourage the potential predators, or to attract potential prey. The common kinds of mimicry are Batesian and Mullerian mimicry

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camouflage

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allows an otherwise visible organism or object to remain indiscernible from the surrounding environment