Glossary Abiogenesis – The emergence of life forms from non-living chemical systems. In contrast with spontaneous generation, abiogenesis is not a process that biologists think continues in a particular environment, such as a planet or moon, once a living system has emerged. Acidogenesis – Conversion of simple organic materials into acetate, H and CO by acidogenic bacteria. Algal bloom – Presence of large amounts of nutrients in waste water causing excessive growth of planktonic algae.
Allergy - A hypersensitivity reaction that can involve various deleterious effects. Anthropogenic causes– Problems created by human Anthropology – The study of differences and similarities, both biological and cultural, in human populations. Anthropology is concerned with typical biological and cultural characteristics of human populations in all periods and in all parts of the world. Antisense DNA– It is the non coding strand complementary to the coding strand in double stranded DNA.
The antisense strand serves as a template for mRNA synthesis. Apoptosis– Is a form of programmed cell death that occurs in multicellular organisms. Attenuated – Reduced in virulence. Autoradiography – It is the use of X-ray or photographic film to detect radioactive materials.
Bacteriophages– Viruses which infect bacterial cells. Biogeography - The scientific study of the geographic distribution of organisms. Canopy – The canopy is the above ground portion of a plant community or crop, formed by the collection of individual plant crowns. Carcinogens– Substances causing cancer.
Cardiac arrhythmia– Any variation from the normal rhythm in the heartbeat. Carrier – An individual heterozygous for a recessive gene that is not expressed. Catastrophic– Something or substance that involves or causes a sudden terrible disaster. Chemical Oxygen Demand - A measure of the oxygen required to oxidize soluble and particulate organic matter in water.
Cirrhosis - Scarring of the liver that impairs its functioning. Co-dominance – In a heterozygote, the dominant and recessive allele is capable of phenotypic expression. Coacervates – Are the microscopic spontaneously formed spherical aggregates of lipid molecules that are held together by electrostatic forces and that may have been precursor of cells. They are the cluster of molecular aggregates in