Biodiversity & Plants for Food and Fibre Vocabulary
Terms
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- recessive trait
- an inherited trait that shows up in the offspring only if both parents passed on the genes for the trait; when mixed with genes for a dominant trait, a recessive trait does not show up in the offspring
- DNA
- (deoxyrubonucleic acid) a molecule that stores genetic information for heritable traits and directs the structure and functions of cells
- specialization
- adaptations for surviving in very specific environments
- specialist
- a type of organism that is adapted to very specific environments and having a narrow niche
- fruit
- the growing ovary of a plant that swells and protects the developing seeds until they are ripe
- natural selection
- a naturally occuring process in which only those organisms with the best traits for survival in an environment survive to reproduce; over time this process results in changes in the genetic characteristics of a species
- domestic animal
- an animal that is no longer wild, but has been bred or tamed by humans to perform various functions
- genetic engineering
- the artificial introduction of genes from one organism into the genetic material of another organism
- zygote
- the new cell formed by the process of fertilization
- photosynthesis
- the process by which plants make their own food using sunlight
- continuous variation
- in genetics, traits that show a range of possibilities
- pistil
- the seed-producing, or female, part of a flower
- pollen tube
- in a plant, a tube that grows from a pollen grain toward the ovule
- root hairs
- tiny hairs that cover the small roots coming out of a taproot
- stigma
- sticky "lip" of a pistil
- ovary
- a tiny chamber containing the plant's ovules
- reproductive strategy
- a method an organism uses to reproduce
- protected areas
- natural areas protected by law from certain kinds of human activities; includes preserves, refuges, and provincial and national parks
- germination
- the development of a seed into a new plant
- aquaculture
- fish farming
- stamen
- the part of a flower that contains pollen
- bacterial conjugation
- the direct transfer of genetic material (DNA) from one bacterial cell to another
- broad niche
- the roles or characteristic activities filled by a generalist organism
- chromosome
- in a cell, tightly packed strands of DNA visible under a light microscope during cell division
- sexual reproduction
- reproductive process involving two sexes or mating types, and resulting in offspring with a combination of genes from both parents
- differentially permeable
- cells that allow some materials to pass through (e.g. water and nutrients) while keeping others out
- zoospore
- a flagellated asexual spore; the algae Chlamydomonas reproduces by zoospores
- narrow niche
- a highly specialized role or characteristic activity undertaken by an organism in an ecosystem
- competition
- the struggle among individual organisms for access to a limited resource, such as a food or territory
- binary fission
- the splitting a single-celled organism into two new organisms approximately equal in size; amoebae and many bacteria reproduce asexually through this process
- taproot
- a single, prominent root with numerous small roots coming out of it
- fibrous roots
- a shallow system of similar-sized roots that can quickly soak up moisture
- zygospore
- a single-celled reproductive structure formed in sexual reproduction by some fungi; zygospores contain genetic information from two different mating types, + and -
- respiration
- in the cells of living things, the process in which oxygen is used to get energy from food and is converted into carbon dioxide
- variation
- differences in characteristics of organisms caused by genetic and environmental factors
- somatic cells
- body cells, not the egg or sperm (reproductive cells)
- embryo
- a multi-cellular organism during early development
- mutagen
- an agent that can cause changes in the genetic information of an organism
- self-pollination
- pollination of an ovule in a flower with pollen from the same flower
- artificial selection
- technique in which individual plants or animals with desirable traits are bred together to develop plants or animals with specific traits; also called selective breeding
- genetics
- the study of genes or heritable traits
- ovule
- the plant part that develops into a seed
- transgenic
- an organism produced by moving DNA from one organism to another to create a new genetic combination
- diffusion
- tendency of particles in gas or liquid to become evenly distributed by moving from areas of greater concentration to areas of lesser concentration
- osmosis
- the diffusion of water through a differentially permeable membrane
- mutation
- a change in the genetic information, or DNA, of an organism
- chlorophyll
- a pigment in plants that makes leaves green
- discrete variation
- in genetics, inherited traits that have a limited number of variations, such as the ability or inability to roll one's tongue
- dominant trait
- an inherited trait that shows up in the offspring
- environment
- the area or conditions in which an organism lives; sometimes used to refer exclusively to natural areas on Earth
- extirpation
- the extinction of a species from specific geographic areas
- speciation
- the evolution of different species from a single ancestor
- cotyledon
- a seed leaf; a structure in a seed that nourishes the plant embryo
- gene
- a section of DNA on a chromosome that codes for a specific protein and function
- pollination
- process by which pollen, containing sperm, travels to the female cone
- anther
- the tip of a stamen (male reproductive organ of a plant)
- bioindicator species
- species that help indicate environmental change
- cross-pollination
- pollination of an ovule in a flower with pollen from a different individual plant
- sepals
- enclose tightly bound petals of a bud and protect the flower before it opens
- budding
- an asexual reproduction process in which a bud forms on an organism, grows, and eventually breaks away to become a new organism independant of the parent
- asexual reproduction
- the formation of a new individual from a single organism
- spore
- a single-celled reproductive structure from which an individual offspring develops; plants, algae, fungi, and some protozoa produce spores
- style
- tube connecting the stigma and ovary
- structural adaptation
- an inherited physical characteristic that helps an organism survive in its environment
- transpiration
- the process in which water taken by a plant or animal evaporates from the organism
- generalist
- an organism with generalized requirements and adaptations that allow it to survive in variable conditions and depend on a variety of food sources; generalists tend to have broad niches
- behavioural adaptation
- an inherited characteristic behaviour that helps an organism survive in its environment
- clone
- an identical copy of a molecule, gene, cell, or entire organism
- petals
- brightly coloured parts of a flower that help attract bees to its nectar
- biotechnology
- using or modifying living organisms to make marketable products; sometimes involves genetic engineering
- intraspecific
- competition between members of one species
- filament
- the stalk of a stamen (male reproductive organ of a plant)
- biological diversity
- the number and variety of organisms in an area
- symbiotic
- an interaction between organisms of different species living in close proximity to each other in a relationship that lasts over time
- selective breeding
- technique in which individual plants or animals with desirable traits are bred together to develop plants or animals with specific traits; also called artificial selection
- interspecific
- competition between members of different species
- global treaties
- international agreements between many nations worldwide
- species
- a group of organisms that share similar genetic and physical characteristics; generally these organisms can interbreed and produce fertile offspring
- meristem
- an area of cell division of unspecialized cells in the tips of roots and shoots that produces new growth in plants
- seed bank
- a collection of genetically diverse seeds
- heritable
- a genetic characteristic; that is, one that can be passed on from parent to offspring
- diversity index
- a measure of the biological diversity in an area, calculated by dividing the number of runs in a walk-through of an area by the total number of specimens