BIO - TERMS - ORGANISM

Question 1

Benthos

Answer 1

Organisms found on the bottom of a water body.

Question 2

Acclimation

Answer 2

Process by which an organism is able to adjust to a change in the environment. This enables the organism to survive even under adverse conditions.

Question 3

aerotolerant anaerobe

Answer 3

An organism that does not use molecular oxygen (O2) but is not affected by its presence.

Question 4

Antibiosis

Answer 4

Biological interaction between two or more organisms that is detrimental to at least one of them or an antagonistic association between an organism and the metabolic substances produced by another one.

Question 5

asepsis

Answer 5

The absence of contamination by unwanted organisms.

Question 6

auxotrophic mutant (auxotroph)

Answer 6

A mutant organism defective in the synthesis of a particular biomolecule, which must therefore be supplied for the organism’s growth.

Question 7

binomial nomenclature

Answer 7

The system of having two names (genus and specific epithet) for each organism; also called scientific nomenclature.

Question 8

Bioaccumulation

Answer 8

Biological enrichment of substances to higher concentration in organism than in its environment.

Question 9

biochemistry

Answer 9

The study of the chemistry that occurs in living organisms.

Question 10

biofuels

Answer 10

Energy resources made by living organisms, usually from biomass, e.g., ethanol, methane.

Question 11

biogeochemical cycle

Answer 11

The recycling of chemical elements by microorganisms for use by other organisms.

Question 12

biomass

Answer 12

Organic matter produced by living organisms and measured by weight.

Question 13

Biomonitoring

Answer 13

Continuous observation of an area using bioindicators to assess changes in organisms or ecosystems induced by human impact.

Question 14

bioterrorism

Answer 14

Use of a living organism or its product to intimidate.

Question 15

Carnivorous fungi

Answer 15

Fungi that are able to trap and consume small soil organisms.

Question 16

carrying capacity

Answer 16

The number of organisms that an environment can support.

Question 17

cell doctrine

Answer 17

The proposal that all living organisms are composed of one or more cells and that all cells arise from the division of other living cells.

Question 18

cell theory

Answer 18

All living organisms are composed of cells and arise from preexisting cells.

Question 19

cladogram

Answer 19

A dichotomous phylogenetic tree that branches repeatedly, suggesting the classification of organisms based on the time sequence in which evolutionary branches arose.

Question 20

definitive host

Answer 20

An organism that harbors the adult, sexually mature form of a parasite.

Question 21

dichotomous key

Answer 21

An identification scheme based on successive paired questions; answering one question leads to another pair of questions, until an organism is identified.

Question 22

differential medium

Answer 22

A solid culture medium that makes it easier to distinguish colonies of the desired organism.

Question 23

dioecious

Answer 23

Referring to organisms in which organs of different sexes are located in different individuals.

Question 24

ecology

Answer 24

The study of the interrelationships between organisms and their environment.

Question 25

Egg (ovum)

Answer 25

A germ cell produced by a female organism.

Question 26

embryology

Answer 26

(em-brē-ol′ō-jē) Study of the origin and development of the organism, from fertilization of the secondary oocyte until birth.

Question 27

Endogenous proviruses

Answer 27

Proviruses that enter the germ line at some point in the history of an organism and are thereafter inherited in normal Mendelian fashion by every cell in that organism and by its progeny. (Chapter 7)

Question 28

endolith

Answer 28

An organism that lives inside rock.

Question 29

Endosymbiosis

Answer 29

A mutually beneficial relationship in which one organism lives inside another organism.

Question 30

Environment

Answer 30

The aggregate of all the external conditions and influences affecting the life and development of an organism.

Question 31

facultative anaerobe

Answer 31

An organism that can grow with or without molecular oxygen (O2).

Question 32

facultative halophile

Answer 32

An organism capable of growth in, but not requiring, 1–2% salt.

Question 33

glycolate pathway

Answer 33

The metabolic pathway in photosynthetic organisms that converts glycolate produced during photorespiration into 3-phosphoglycerate.

Question 34

halophile

Answer 34

An organism that requires a high salt concentration for growth.

Question 35

Homeotic mutation

Answer 35

A mutation that causes a body part to develop in an inappropriate position in an organism; for example, a mutation in Drosophila that causes legs to develop on the head in the place of antennae.

Question 36

Hominin

Answer 36

An organism related to humans.

Question 37

host

Answer 37

An organism infected by a pathogen. See also definitive host; intermediate host.

Question 38

hyperthermophile

Answer 38

An organism whose optimum growth temperature is at least 80°C; also called extreme thermophile.

Question 39

intermediate host

Answer 39

An organism that harbors the larval or asexual stage of a helminth or protozoan.

Question 40

Intersex

Answer 40

An organism displaying secondary sexual characters intermediate between male and female; a type that shows some phenotypic characteristics of both males and females.

Question 41

lethal mutation

Answer 41

A mutation that inactivates a biological function essential to the life of the cell or organism.

Question 42

mesophile

Answer 42

An organism that grows between about 10°C and 50°C; a moderate-temperature–loving microbe.

Question 43

Metabolic theory of ecology

Answer 43

Assumes that the metabolic rate of organisms influences patterns in ecology.

Question 44

microaerophile

Answer 44

An organism that grows best in an environment with less molecular oxygen (O2) than is normally found in air.

Question 45

molecular clock

Answer 45

An evolution timeline based on nucleotide sequences in organisms.

Question 46

Neuston

Answer 46

At the interface between water and atmosphere, there is a “microlayer” of about 100 μm thickness. The neuston is the collective term for the organisms that float on the top of water (epineuston) or live right under the surface (hyponeuston).Theconcentration of microorganisms in this layer is several orders of magnitude higher than in the underlying water body. Mainly hydrophobic organisms accumulate there.

Question 47

obligate aerobe

Answer 47

An organism that requires molecular oxygen (O2) to live.

Question 48

obligate anaerobe

Answer 48

An organism that does not use molecular oxygen (O2) and is killed in the presence of O2.

Question 49

obligate halophile

Answer 49

An organism that requires high osmotic pressures such as high concentrations of NaCl.

Question 50

Obligate parasite

Answer 50

Organisms that are absolutely dependent on another living organism for reproduction. (Chapter 1)

Question 51

Phase II reactions

Answer 51

Formation of water-soluble conjugates of functionalized xenobiotics with endogenous, highly polar molecules or moieties; most prominent in eukaryotic but also existing in prokaryotic organisms.

Question 52

Phototropism

Answer 52

Growth of an organism or a part of an organism in response to light.

Question 53

positional value

Answer 53

A cell’s internal record of its positional information in a multicellular organism; an intrinsic character that differs according to a cell’s location.

Question 54

protozoan (plural: protozoa)

Answer 54

Unicellular eukaryotic organisms; usually chemoheterotrophic.

Question 55

protozoan parasite

Answer 55

Parasitic, nonphotosynthetic, singlecelled, motile eukaryotic organism, for example Plasmodium.

Question 56

pscyhrotroph

Answer 56

An organism that is capable of growth between about 0°C and 30°C.

Question 57

psychrophile

Answer 57

An organism that grows best at about 15°C and does not grow above 20°C; a cold-loving microbe.

Question 58

schizogony

Answer 58

The process of multiple fission, in which one organism divides to produce many daughter cells.

Question 59

symbiosis

Answer 59

The living together of two different organisms or populations.

Question 60

systemic

Answer 60

(sis-tem′ik) Relating to the entire organism as opposed to any of its individual parts.

Question 61

taxa

Answer 61

Subdivisions used to classify organisms, e.g., domain, kingdom, phylum.

Question 62

taxonomy

Answer 62

The science of the classification of organisms.

Question 63

Temperature-sensitive mutant

Answer 63

An organism that can grow at one temperature but not at another.

Question 64

thermophile

Answer 64

An organism whose optimum growth temperature is between 50°C and 60°C; a heat-loving microbe.

Question 65

tissue culture

Answer 65

Method by which cells derived from multicellular organisms are grown in liquid media.

Question 66

Toxicology

Answer 66

The study of toxins and their effects on cells and organisms.

Question 67

organism

Answer 67

A living being. organogenesis (ōr′gă-nō-jen′ĕ- sis) Formation of organs during development.