Bio121 Flashcards
acoelomate
an animal without a coelom
aerobic
a process requiring oxygen or an organism that thrives in the presence of oxygen
agar
a gelatinous polysaccharide derived from algae which is used as a culture medium for bacteria and fungi
(used in lab 1 with the finger prints and swabs)
alternation of generations
a life cycle that includes both multicellular haploid and diploid stages
occurs in plants and some algal protists
anaerobic
a process that does not require oxygen to function or an organism that thrives in the absence of oxygen
angiosperm
a flowering plant that has seeds enclosed in fruit
phylum Anthophyta
annulus
any ring-like structure
the body segments of an annelid worm
anterior
the head region of an animal
anther
the pollen-producing structure of a flowering plant
phylum Anthophyta
antheridium (plural antheridia)
the male reproductive organ in some plants which produces an egg
ascocarp
a reproductive structure of fungi of the phylum Ascomycota which produces asci and ascospores
ascospore
a reproductive cell produced within an ascus in fungi of the phylum Ascomycota
ascus (plural asci)
the sac-like cell within which meiosis occurs to produce ascospores in fungi of the phylum Ascomycota
aseptate
fungal hyphae which lack cross walls of septa
asexual reproduction
reproduction involving only a single organism and resulting in clones(genetically identical organisms) of the original organism
there is no change in the chromosome number (or ploidy) of the organisms, no meiosis, no fertilization
auricle
a projection on either side of the head of Planaria; used for sensing tactile and chemical signals
autotroph
an organism which produces organic molecules from inorganic molecules using energy from either photosynthesis or chemical reactions
bacillus (plural bacilli)
rod-shaped bacterium
basal disc
the posterior region of Hydra that functions in adhering the organism to the substrate
basidium (plural basidia)
a cell on a basidiocarp within which meiosis occurs to produce basidiospores (eg. on the surface of the gills of mushrooms produced in fungi of the phylum Basidiomycota)
basidiocarp
a reproductive structure (eg. mushroom) which produces basidiospores usually on the surface of its gills (in fungi of the phylum Basidiomycota)
basidiospore
a reproductive cell produced by meiosis within a basidium (in fungi of the phylum Basidiomycota)
binary fission
a means of asexual reproduction in bacteria and archaea in which a cell divides to form two identical organisms
biodiversity
the number and variety of organisms in any given ecosystem or biome
bisexual
plants or animals that have both male and female reproductive structures on one individual