Biology Terms +
(a glossary of biological terms about living creatures including plants and all kinds of animal species and organisms)
Process by which some soil bacteria and fungi break down nitrogenous wastes and organic remains; part of a nitrogen cycle: Ammonification is the creation of ammonia by the action of bacteria in the rotting of nitrogenous organic substance.
The smallest unit of an element, a fundamental substance, that still retains the properties of that element: An atom is composed of a nucleus which is encircled by electrons.
All sediments and rocky formations of the ocean bottom: Many organisms live in benthic province which is the lowest area of the sea.
Slow movement of an element from the environment, through food webs, then back to the environment: The biogeochemical cycle refers to the chemical interplay that takes place between the atmosphere, hydrosphere, the lithosphere, and the biosphere.
One of six vast land areas, each with distinctive kinds and numbers of plants and animals: The biogeographic realms are Nearctic, the Palearctic, the Afrotropical, the Indomalayan, the Australasian, the
Neotropical, the Oceanian, and the Antarctic.
Behavior which helps other members of a species but which diminishes an individual's own chance of reproductive success: Biological altruism can be seen in species with elaborated social organisations like ants, termites, and bees.
The internal time-measuring mechanism which helps adjust an organism's daily activities, seasonal activities, or both, in response to environmental cues: Such biological clocks in a person's body take place in response to age, habits, and the chemical changes that take place in an individual's body.
All of those regions of Earth's waters, crust, and atmosphere in which organisms can exist: The biosphere is capable of supporting life.
The condition of habitually walking upright on two feet: Bipedalism can be exemplified by the striding or movement on the ground of birds and hominids.
The smallest unit having the capacity to live and to reproduce: Cells can multiply independently or as part of a multicelled organism.
One of the populations of all species occupying the same area: The African savanna can be considered to have a community where bacteria, grasses, trees, zebras, lions, etc. can all interact with each other in the same region.
1. A group of organisms and the environment in which they interact: An ecosystem can be exemplified by different organisms, like plants, animals, and microbes, that all interconnect with each other.
2. A community and its physical environment: An ecosystem is a kind of order or systemization created by an ecological society and the surrounding region that exists as a unit.
2. A community and its physical environment: An ecosystem is a kind of order or systemization created by an ecological society and the surrounding region that exists as a unit.
Two or more atoms chemically combined: A water molecule consists of two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen.
A living being formed by more than one cell: A multicelled organism is composed of specialized, interdependent cells most often formed in tissues, organs, and organ systems.
A structural unit in which a number of tissues, combined in specific amounts and patterns, perform a common task in a living creature: An organ is a relatively independent part of the body that carries out one or more special functions.
The organs of the human body include such areas as the eye, the ear, the heart, the lungs, and the liver.
Also check out the Index for other Scientific and Technological Topics.
