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General biology

A group of terms related to general biology.

Terms in this group

• Acari
  a sub-class of Arachnids that are more commonly known as mites and ticks.
• Adenotrophic viviparity
  a type of development where eggs hatch within the female insect and the larvae are nourished until ready to pupate. At this stage the larvae are laid and pupate immediately.
• Aestivation
  a period of summer dormancy.
• Alary
  relating to wings.
• Annelid
  the annelids (animals in the phylum Annelida) are invertebrates including earthworms and leeches.
• Aposematism
  the use of bright colouration to advertise that an organism is dangerous or unpalatable.
• Arboreal
  arboreal animals are those that live in trees.
• Batesian mimicry
  a type of mimicry where one organism mimics a poisonous or unpalatable one.
• Binomial naming system
  the system used to name species.
• BioBlitz
  an intense period of biological recording (usually lasting 24 hours) within a specific area.
• Biodiversity
  a term meaning the variety of life, in all its forms.
• Biological control
  the use of one living organism to control a pest species by humans.
• Biological recording
  the diligent recording of biodiversity, coupled with the use of computers to process this information, and to learn from it.
• Bivouac
  a temporary structure formed to protect the queen and larvae of army and driver ants.
• Brood parasitism
  a form of parasitism whereby the parasite uses another organism to raise the parasite's offspring rather than the host's own offspring.
• Bubonic plague
  a bacterial disease that is often fatal and is transmitted between mammalian hosts by fleas.
• Campodeiform
  a term used to describe the body shape of insect larvae that have well developed legs and antennae and a flattened body.
• Carabiform
  a term used to describe the body shape of insect larvae that have short legs, short cerci and a flattened body.
• Carnivore
  an organism whose diet is primarily composed of meat.
• Cerumen
  a substance created by social bees that is used to make structures within the bee nest.
• Class
  one of the seven taxonomic ranks used to classify living organisms. Class comes after Phylum and before Order.
• Coleopterist
  a coleopterist is someone who studies beetles (Coleoptera).
• Commensalism
  symbiotic relationship between two organisms where one organism benefits from the relationship and the other is unaffected.
• Conservation
  the maintenance and protection of biodiversity.
• Conspecific
  organisms of the same species.
• Coprophagous
  a feeding behaviour where an organism eats excrement/faeces.
• Costa
  a region or vein at the front of an insect's wing.
• Crepuscular
  a term describing animals active during dawn and dusk.
• Crypsis
  the ability for a organism to blend in with its environment.
• Cryptic speciation
  a biological process resulting in a group of species that cannot interbreed but which have individuals that are morphologically identical.
• Cursorial
  a phrase used to describe the legs of some insects and other invertebrates that are modified for running.
• Darwinism
  the term used to describe the process of evolution through natural selection.
• Dengue fever
  a disease, caused by the Dengue virus, transmitted to humans by mosquitoes.
• Detritivore
  detritivores are animals whose diet is primarily composed of decaying organic matter.
• Diapause
  the arrested development of an organism. Diapause is often the result of environmental conditions.
• Dichotomous key
  a method used to help identify an organism.
• Dimorphism
  the presence of two different forms of an organism in a population.
• Distal
  the part of an appendage (leg, wing, antenna etc) that is farthest from the body.
• Diurnal
  diurnal animals are those that are active during the day.
• Domatia
  structures produced by plants for arthropods that they have a symbiotic relationship with. These structures usually provide the arthropods with shelter.
• Dorsal
  the upper surface of an organism.
• Drawdown zone
  A frequently exposed area at the edge of a body of water.
• Earthworm
  the common name given to annelids within the Class Oligocheata. Earthworms are very important for introducing organic matter to soil.
• Eclosion
  the emergence of an insect from a pupa or egg.
• Ecology
  the study of ecosystems.
• Ecosystem
  a relationship between different organisms that interact with each other and their environment.
• Ectoparasite
  an animal that lives externally on another animal but does not kill it.
• Ectoparasitoid
  a parasite that lives externally on another animal and ultimately kills it.
• Ectothermic
  animals that cannot regulate their body temperature relative to the environment.
• Egg
  the first stage in the life cycle of many insects and other animals.
• Elateriform
  a term used to describe the body shape of insect larvae that are worm-like.
• Endemic
  an organism is said to be endemic if it is only found in one specific location in the world.
• Endoparasitoid
  a parasite that lives inside another animal and ultimately kills it.
• Endothermic
  animals that maintain their body temperature above the ambient temperature of the environment.
• Entomology
  the study of insects.
• Entomophagous
  a feeding behaviour where an organism eats insects. Many organisms survive on a diet of insects.
• Epigeic
  the name given to an organism living on the soil surface.
• Epizootic
  an unusually large number of new cases of a disease within a population.
• Eruciform
  a term used to describe the body shape of insect larvae that caterpillar-like.
• Eusocial
  insects living together in a colony with only some individuals able to reproduce.
• Fecundity
  the number of eggs or offspring produced by an animal.
• Food plant
  the type of plant eaten by a particular species.
• Fossorial
  a phrase used to describe the legs of some insects and other invertebrates that are modified for digging.
• Frass
  the droppings of insect larvae.
• Genus
  one of the seven taxonomic ranks used to classify living organisms. Genus comes after Family and before Species.
• Gynandromorph
  an insect that has some cells that are male and some that are female.
• Habitat
  an area with specific environmental conditions in which an organism lives and reproduces.
• Herbivore
  herbivores are animals whose diet is primarily composed of plant matter.
• Hibernation
  a period of winter dormancy.
• Hormone
  chemicals produced within the body that control metabolic processes.
• Host
  an organism being attacked by a parasite or a parasitoid.
• Hypogeic
  the name given to an organism living underground.
• Indigenous
  an organism that is naturally occurring in a specific area.
• Industrial melanism
  an increase in the number of darker animals in the environment as a result of soot and other pollutants on surfaces making it easier for predators to find lighter coloured individuals.
• Integrated Pest Management
  the use of several complementary strategies to control pest species.
• Invertebrate
  animals without a backbone.
• Kingdom
  one of the main divisions used in the biological classification/taxonomy of organisms.
• Kleptoparasite
  an animal that steals food or prey from another animal.
• Lamarckism
  an out-dated theory of how characteristics are passed to offspring. Now superseded by modern evolutionary thought and specifically Darwinism.
• Lateral
  the side of an organism.
• Lek
  a gathering of male insects in order to compete for a mate.
• Lepidopterist
  someone who studies butterflies and moths (insects in the Order Lepidoptera).
• Life cycle
  the stages of the life of an organism.
• Linnaeus
  the Swedish biologist who first described many species and developed the system of naming organisms that is still used today.
• Lyme disease
  a disease caused by bacteria transmitted to a mammalian host by a tick.
• Malaria
  a disease caused by protozoan parasites.
• Metamorphosis
  the process of development of an organism that involves distinct stages with an abrupt change between them.
• Mimicry
  the circumstances whereby one species of organism resembles another.
• Minibeast
  a general term, with no true biological meaning, used to describe a variety of different invertebrates.
• Mite
  a group of small arachnids that have a very diverse habit ranging from parasitism to free-living organisms.
• Modern evolutionary synthesis
  the process of evolution which is based on the work of Charles Darwin but also includes more recent discoveries and findings from modern scientific research and genetics.
• Mollusc
  the molluscs (animals in the phylum Mollusca) are soft-bodied invertebrates including slugs, snails, squid and octopus.
• Morph
  insects that belong to the same species but have a distinctly different appearance.
• Mullerian mimicry
  two or more species with a similar appearance, each has characteristics unpleasant to predators.
• Mutualism
  symbiotic relationship between two organisms where both organisms benefit from the relationship.
• Myiasis
  an infestation of the living tissues of a vertebrate animal by fly larvae.
• Nanitic
  small workers in a eusocial insect colony; usually these workers are from the first brood.
• Natural history
  the study of the natural world.
• Necrophagous
  a feeding behaviour where an organism feeds on carrion from an organism they did not kill.
• Nocturnal
  nocturnal animals are those that are active during the night.
• Omnivore
  omnivores are animals whose diet is primarily composed of a mixture of plant and animal matter.
• Onisciform
  a term used to describe the body shape of insect larvae that are flat and broad.
• Opiliones
  eight-legged invertebrates within the Class Arachnida.
• Oviparity
  reproducing by means of laying eggs.
• Parasite
  a parasite gets benefit from another organism (host) but has a detrimental effect on that organism. Parasites do not kill their host directly.
• Parasitism
  a relationship between two organisms where one organism gets benefit from the other organism (host) but has a detrimental effect on it. Parasites do not kill their host directly.
• Parasitoid
  an organism that lives on or in another organism and eventually kills it.
• Parthenogenesis
  the reproduction of an individual whereby offspring are produced without fertilisation by a male.
• Phoresy
  one organism using another to transport it to a new location.
• Phylum
  one of the seven taxonomic ranks used to classify living organisms. Phylum is positioned after Kingdom and before Class.
• Pollination
  the process by which pollen from a plant's anther is transferred to another plant's stigma.
• Predator
  a predator is an animal that eats other animals.
• Puddling
  the aggregation of some insects on wet soil or dung to obtain moisture and nutrients.
• Questing
  a behaviour exhibited by ticks that increase the chances of them coming in to contact with a suitable host.
• Raptorial
  a phrase used to describe the grasping fore legs of some insects and other invertebrates.
• Reflex bleeding
  a defensive behaviour in some insects where a noxious fluid is exuded by the insect when threatened.
• Saltatorial
  a phrase used to describe the legs of some insects and other invertebrates that are modified for jumping.
• Saproxylic
  pertaining or related to dead or decaying wood.
• Scarabaeiform
  a term used to describe the body shape of insect larvae that are shaped like the letter C.
• Sericulture
  the commercial culturing of silkworms to produce silk.
• Species
  Species is one of the seven taxonomic ranks used to classify living organisms. A species is a group of organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring.
• Stridulation
  the act of producing sound, usually by rubbing two body parts together.
• Symbiosis
  relationship between two different species. The relationship may mean that just one species benefits, both benefit or neither benefits.
• Thanatosis
  the behaviour of feigning death, usually to deceive a predator.
• Tick
  a group of ectoparasitic arachnids.
• Type specimen
  a specimen that acts as the name bearer for a species.
• Vector
  a vector is an organism that acts as an intermediary host for a parasite and transfers the parasite to the next host.
• Venom
  a toxin made by one organism and injected into another through a sting or bite.
• Ventral
  the lower surface of an organism.
• Vermiform
  a term used to describe the body shape of insect larvae that are maggot-like.
• Vestigial
  a structure (in biology a bodily organ or appendage) that has been reduced to the point where it no longer functions.
• Viviparity
  giving birth to live young (not eggs).
• Voltinism
  the number of broods of an organism within a year.
• Wood borer
  insects that feed on wood by boring holes into it.
• X chromosome
  a sex chromosome. Females have two copies of the X chromosome in their genome, males have just one.
• Xanthochromism
  colouration of an animal that is unusually yellow.
• Xenobiosis
  several species living together but without sharing the raising of offspring.
• Xylophagous
  the behaviour of feeding on wood.
• Y chromosome
  a sex chromosome. Males have one copy of this chromosome in their genome. Females have no Y chromosome.
• Yellow fever
  a virus transmitted by mosquitoes.
• Zoea
  the free swimming larvae of many aquatic crustaceans.
• Zoologist
  someone who studies animals.
• Zoology
  the study of animals.
• Zoonosis
  an infectious disease that can be transmitted from an animal to a human.

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