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 colloidal form which are bounded by a membrane and grows by absorbing molecules from the environment.

Oparin believed that life developed from coacervates. Cytolysis - Destruction of cells. Cursorial – A cursorial organism is one that is adapted specifically to run. Cursorial organisms are typically adapted to long- distance running at high speeds, rather than animals with high acceleration over short distances; thus, a cheetah is considered cursorial, while a leopard is not.

Denaturing – Denaturing means separation or splitting of the double helix into single stands by breaking hydrogen bonds between the two strands. Dendritic cells - Professional antigen presenting cells that have long membrane processes. Diapedesis - The movement of blood cells (leucocytes) out of the circulatory system and towards the site of tissue damage or infection accompanying inflammation. Dinosaurs - a term coined by Sir Richard Owen for giant extinct reptiles.

Group of animals that Glossary have bird-like and lizard-like facial appearance (Mesozoic). Distribution – The occurrence of different organisms in a given area and the way they are distributed in their space, specific time and utilization of their resources. DO – Dissolved Oxygen is the amount of gaseous oxygen (O ) dissolved in the water. Ecotourism - Travel undertaken to witness sites or regions of unique natural ecological quality the provision of services to facilitate such travel.

El Nino– Unusual warming of surface waters in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. Emphysema– A serious medical condition that occurs when the lungs become larger and do not work properly, causing difficulty in breathing. Endemism- The phenomenon in which the organisms are exclusively restricted to a given area. Endometriosis – An abnormal condition in which endometrial tissue that normally lines the uterus grows outside .

Eohippus – Ancestor of modern horse. Euchromatin – Euchromatin is a tightly packed form of chromatin that is enriched in genes, and is often under active transcription. Eutrophication - Excessive richness of nutrients in a lake or other water bodies frequently due to run of fertilizers from the land causing dense growth of plant life. Fibroids – Fibroids are abnormal growths formed on the outside, inside or in the walls of the uterus.

Foetus – Developmental stage extending from the ninth week of development to birth.