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This glossary of biology terms is a list of definitions of fundamental terms and concepts used in biology, the study of life and of living organisms.It is intended as introductory material for novices; for more specific and technical definitions from sub-disciplines and related fields, see Glossary of cell biology, Glossary of genetics, Glossary of evolutionary biology, Glossary of ecology ...
junior synonym, (zoology): any later name; homotypic synonym (botany) heterotypic synonym (botany): (or "taxonomic synonym") a synonym that comes into being when a taxon is reduced in status ("reduced to synonymy") and becomes part of a different taxon; the zoological equivalent is "subjective synonym" objective synonym (zoology)
Also called functionalism. The Darwinian view that many or most physiological and behavioral traits of organisms are adaptations that have evolved for specific functions or for specific reasons (as opposed to being byproducts of the evolution of other traits, consequences of biological constraints, or the result of random variation). adaptive radiation The simultaneous or near-simultaneous ...
The tree of life or universal tree of life is a metaphor, conceptual model, and research tool used to explore the evolution of life and describe the relationships between organisms, both living and extinct, as described in a famous passage in Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species (1859). [1]
Example Search for titles containing the word or using the prefix: dactyl-, dactylo-G δάκτυλος (dáktulos) finger or toe: black-legged kittiwake, Rissa tridactyla; Pterodactylus: All pages with titles beginning with Dactyl: deca-, deka-G δέκα (déka) ten: alfonsino, Beryx decadactylus: All pages with titles beginning with Deca ...
An understanding of the biological meaning of variation and of the evolutionary origin of groups of related species is even more important for the second stage of taxonomic activity, the sorting of species into groups of relatives ("taxa") and their arrangement in a hierarchy of higher categories.
Such tissue is commonly formed, for example, at the base of a petiole or pedicel. acaulescent Having no apparent stem, or at least none visible above the ground surface. [2] Examples include some species of Oxalis, [5] Nolina, [6] and Yucca. [7] Antonym: caulescent (possessing stem). accrescent
The word homology, coined in about 1656, is derived from the Greek ὁμόλογος homologos from ὁμός homos 'same' and λόγος logos 'relation'. [8] [9] [a] Similar biological structures or sequences in different taxa are homologous if they are derived from a common ancestor. Homology thus implies divergent evolution.