A sensation brought about by pain receptors in the body which transmit electrical signals to the brain. Pain receptors have a protective function, e.g. standing on hot coals would notify the organism at hand to move to a safer place because of the danger .

The dedicated study of plant fossils.

The dedicated study of past environments by studying the fossil records of organisms who lived in that environment at the time.

The dedicated study of fossils.

An organ forming part of the endocrine system which is responsible for producing insulin and glucagon from the pancreas' Islets of Langerhans. The pancreas is also responsible in producing digestive enzymes to be used in the duodenum which will contain fo.

An alkaline secretion originating from the pancreas which is sent to the duodenum for digestive purposes.

Pertaining to a disease which has spread over a wide geographical area, perhaps due a dense population promoting the spread of it.

The ability of two different types of organism to exist closely with one another without giving an advantage or disadvantage to the other. See symbiosis for related information.

Working hand in hand with the sympathetic nervous system, the parasympathetic system is responsible for involuntary actions, i.e they are not done consciously.

Incomplete digestion of a molecule.

The process of giving birth and creating offspring.

A situation where ready made antibodies are present to fight off an antigen. These antibodies may have derived from the mothers' placenta which transmitted antibodies to the offspring during pregnancy or via a vaccination which allowed the body to recognise the particular pathogen at hand before the real thing comes along and authentically attacks.

Another term for diffusion.

Pasteur, Louis

(1822-1895) - This man was effectively the person responsible for the study of microorganisms, the science of microbiology. He investigated the world of microorganisms and is responsible for the widespread use of the Louis Pasteur. A method of sterilising food and drink (like milk) and eliminating them of dangerous microbes. This process was devised by <a href=>.

The kneecap bone that protects the joint in the mammalian leg from injury.

Microorganisms that cause disease and are considered a nuisance. These may either be a virus, bacterium or fungus <http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary.asp?Term=Fungus>.

Pertaining to properties similar to a pathogen.

The study of how disease changes an organisms functionality as a unit (like measles causing brain damage) and structural changes caused by diseases (like the creation of galls and tannins in plants).

Toxins released by a pathogen.

A type of soil deriving from dead organic material situated in a wet area, where the reduced amount of oxygen available in the wet conditions results in the organic material not decomposing as much as it usually would do so in the presence of more oxygen.

A behavioural occurrence where members of a species have a chain of authority, i.e. a pecking order. The member of species tends to attract the best mates and receive the best food within the group. The term pecking order can derive from this behavioural .

A polysaccharide that can be found in a plants' cell wall.

An enzyme which is capable of breaking down pectin. Many microorganisms, via evolutionary adaptations, use pectinases to attack plants by breaking down one of their first lines of defense, the cell wall, which contains pectin to assist in the walls' structural integrity.

Pertaining to the foot.

The stalk of a flower.

Pertaining to areas of water that are not near the surface of bed of the water body. The term also pertains to birds that spend most of their lives at sea over water.

The skeletal structure of the hip area connecting the torso to the lower limbs of vertebrates.

An antibiotic discovered by the Scottish chemist Sir Alexander Fleming in 1928, which is produced by the mould penicillium that proves toxic to a number of pathogens and therefore is of excellent medicinal value.

The reproductive organ of male animals which conveys sperm into the female reproductive area.

A limb with five digits such as a human hand or foot which are found in many amphibia, reptiles, birds and animals, which can allow us to deduce that all species in these categories derived from one common ancestor.

A type of monosaccharide consisting of five carbon atoms.

See PPP.

A type of enzyme secreted by the gastric pits of the stomach which breaks proteins (polypeptide chains) into smaller polypeptide chains which can then be further broken down into amino acids by peptidase.

A type of enzyme that is capable of breaking down polypeptide chains into single amino acids which can then be used by the body.

Any compound consisting of two or more amino acids.

The bond that connects peptides together which can then form a polypeptide chain. The bond consists of one carbon and one nitrogen bond.

The ability to survive past the four seasons of a year, usually where there is reduced activity in the organism over the colder months.

Plants that live from year to year, ranging from trees to dandelions.

The movement of water through biological matter.

The membrane that surrounds the heart.

Inflammation of the pericardium.

A sac like envelope of the vertebrate heart.

Consisting of the outer exocarp, central mesocarp and inner endocarp, this is the wall of a plant fruit that develops from the ovary wall.

Pertaining to the centromere in a chromosome.

The contraction and relaxation of muscle tissue which can allow movement of a substance in a given direction, for instance in the throat, which moves mucus up the throat and food down.

The resultant phenotype after taking physiological, environmental and genotype factors into consideration.

A type of protein believed to be involved in active transport and acts as a protein carrier.

An organism that is considered a nuisance to man, most usually having pathogenic.

A type of chemical that causes harm to the health of so called 'pests'.

The separate parts of the corolla of a flower.

The stalk of a leaf.

The 3 carbon molecule created from PGAL in glycolysis which is also produced in the Calvin Cycle in photosynthesis.

A 3 carbon molecule produced from fructose diphosphate in glycolysis and derives from PGA in photosynthesis during the Calvin Cycle.

The measure of the hydrogen ion concentration of a solution. The pH scales indicates results from 1 to 14 where a pH below seven is acidic, 7 neutral and alkaline above 7. The higher the deviance from 7, the more acidic or alkaline the substance will be.

A type of cell that is capable of phagocytosis, and may also discriminate between certain materials that it breaks down. Phagocytes are ideal as a means of cell defense because of their ability to break down particular pathogens with their powerful digestive enzymes.

The ingestion of materials ("cell eating") from the outside of the cell into its exterior.

The finger or toe bones of a pendactyl limb.

The canal leading from the mouth to the oesophagus.

Short hand for phenylalanine.

The visible characteristics of an organism resulting from the relevant coding of the genotype of the organism.

The variant types of a phenotype in the members of a species for a particular phenotypical feature.

A type of amino acid commonly found in proteins.

An inborn error of metabolism where phenylalanine cannot be converted to tyrosine, due to the lack of the enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase present to execute the reaction.

A chemical that is used by animals (and some plants) as a method of communication. Examples include pheromones present in dog urine which marks its territory or can also be used in organisms to attract a mate of the opposite sex.

A tissue involved in transport within a plant, characterised by the present of sieve tubes and companion cells. Phloems are situated in the vascular bundles, and are responsible for the transportation of organic substances across the plant.

A type of enzyme capable of releasing a phosphate from its parent molecule, e.g. the release of phosphate from ATP to release energy and the phosphate.

Molecules that consist of phosphorous and oxygen. Phosphate molecules are an important component of nucleic acids such as DNA.

See PGAL.

See PGA.

See PGA.

A type of fat molecule consisting of 2 fatty acids, a phosphate and a glycerol molecule.

See Bioluminescence.

The component of nucleic acids responsible for the connection of pentose sugars allowing the creation of a polypeptide chain.

The process of adding a phosphate to a molecule, and occurs in respiration and photosynthesis.

Another term for the euphotic zone of an aquatic community.

The initial stage of photosynthesis in chlorophyll molecules where the presence of light energy raises the ener.

A type of autotroph that obtains its energy from light.

Random movement in an organism in response to the presence of light, the opposite of kinesis.

The splitting of molecules by means of light energy, in the case of photosynthesis it is the photolysis of water, where hydrogen binds to an acceptor and oxygen is released.

A quantum of radiant energy with a visible wavelength.

Responses produced by plants in response to the availability of light.

The amount of hours in a day where the environment is either light or dark.

The response by organisms in response to the availability of light in their environment. Photoperiodism plays a part in some organisms biological clock but is primarily related to the way light affects plants flowering and the state of phytochrome.

The light phase of a light / dark reaction, e.g. photolysis of water in photosynthesis.

Organs that are capable of generating light.

The production of ATP from ADP using light energy as a means of executing the reaction.

Pigments capable of photosynthesis and stimulation by light.

Structures or pigments that react when light is present (as a stimulus).

A process possible in the presence of light where CO2 and water are converted into oxygen and organic materials that can be used in the plant.

A direct response in response to the presence of light in organism, where a positive effect sees the organism move towards the light and a negative one away from the light.

Organisms that obtain energy from light.

The directional growth of meristems in response to the presence of light and the direction it is coming from. Positive phototropism is a directional growth towards the light while a negative response is the organism moving away from the light.

A blue photosynthetic pigment found in some bacteria and algae which absorbs light in the 618nm range.

A less generalising taxon in relation to kingdom, but not as exact as a class. Each kingdom is subdivided into Phylums which are in turn differentiated into classes of organism.

An adaptation in the physiology of an organism over time due to their reactions to the environment over time.

The study of internal processes and functions in organisms.

The chemical produced as a method of cell defense in plants. Phytoalexins are produced as a specific immune response, where different phytoalexins act upon different pathogens.

A plant pigment that exists between two forms, phytochrome 660 and phytochrome 725. They switch between one or the other depending on what time of the day it is, daytime or night time.

Pertaining to animals who feed on plants.

A type of plankton classified as a plant.

A type of cell drinking performed by engulfing small particles and breaking them down.

A gland of the endocrine system responsible for releasing a variety of hormones, found at the base of the brain. It consists of two areas, the anterior and posterior parts which are specialised in function. The hypothalamus has a degree of control over the pituitary which in turn controls actions in other endocrine organs.

An inactive substance given to a patient to satisfy an apparent psychological need.

The structure that forms on the uterine wall that allows nourishment of the embryo via the mothers blood supply.

Small organisms that inhabit aquatic communities that mostly lie suspended in the water.

Organisms that contain cell walls and are capable of photosynthesis, thus are autotrophic in nature.

See cell membrane.

The shrinkage of volume area of a cell due to falling water concentrations resulting in contraction of the membrane.

The number of chromosome sets that make up the genome of an organism, e.g. polyploidy.

Pertaining to one end, e.g. one end of a cell or the North and South Pole of the Earth.

A structure produced by plants containing the male haploid gamete to be used in reproduction. The gamete is covered by protective layers which perform there role until the pollen grain is capable of fertilising when reaching the female stigma.

The transfer of pollen from male to female reproductive organs to produce offspring.

The contamination of an environment by introducing chemicals / pollutants which have a detrimental effect on the environment and subsequently the organisms which live in it.

An enzyme promoting the joining together of nucleic acids with one another.

A sequence of joined nucleotides.

Sequences of amino acids joined together by peptide bonds, thus making it a poly (many) peptides - many peptides.

Organisms that possess two sets of each chromosome. For instance, a human has twenty three pairs of chromosomes, the pair meaning that humans are diploid. This doubles our chromosome compliment to forty six.

.

A complex carbohydrate consisting of many smaller monosaccharide components.

The total number of organisms in a species or any other measurement of numbers considering biological taxon.

See feedback mechanism

Movement towards a stimulus due to its presence.

See positive taxis.

A membrane found in the axon of a neurone capable of receiving nerve impulses.

A form of energy that has potential for a reaction, though at present is in a stored form. Glycogen has potential energy but is not readily usably by the body.

An instrument designed to measure absorption of water.

The metabolic pathway of glucose.

The ability of an organism to move into a new ecological niche due to adaptations it already possesses to cope with the environment of the new niche in question.

Pertaining to the actions of a predator on prey.

Any animalthat preys on another organisms as a source of food, which are usually situated in a lower trophic level.

Teeth in mammals found in between the molars and canines that grind food down before swallowing.

The mammalian foreskin.

Organisms that feed directly on plant material, the primary producers.

The outermost feathers of a bird wing.

An immature ovarian follicle.

The growth in plants from its initial state, a seed, with growth primarily in the apical meristems.

Autotrophic organisms that synthesise organic materials from inorganic materials, effectively introducing new organic material into the environment that the primary consumers can feed upon and so forth.

Any member of the mammalian order Primates, in which humans are classified within.

A type of protein that is believed to be the cause of many nervous system disorders such as CJD, the human form of mad cow disease.

The chances of a particular outcome occurring.

The meristematic tissue that the vascular bundles develop from.

Any autotrophic organism capable of creating organic materials from inorganic materials which therefore makes them an essential part in any ecosystem by being the means in which energy is introduced into the food chain of it.

A type of hormone in female mammals with the function of maintaining pregnancy. It is secreted by the corpus luteum and placenta, and its production is stimulated by the presence of other hormones, LH and LTH.

See LH.

One of 20 amino acids commonly found as part of a protein.

The initial stage in nuclear division (meiosis and mitosis), where there are two prophase stages in the meiosis process.

A gland associated with the male reproductive area, that adds various components to semen.

A type of Enzymes that are capable of splitting A type of proteins.

A complex molecule consisting of a particular sequence of amino acids (peptides) that are joined to form a protein (polypeptides). All proteins consist of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen. Proteins vary in structure according to their function, with the 3 types of protein being fibrous, globular and conjugated proteins.

A process where information is taken from DNA to acts as a blue print for creating a particular protein that is in demand by the body. This blueprint will allow the construction of the protein with the various materials required in its production. Pro.

A disease of the skin causing it to go red, dry and flaky which is believed to result from deficiencies in the immune system of the sufferer.

The beginning of adolescence in humans where they are able to produce functional gametes for reproduction and secondary sex characteristics begin to develop due to the changing level of hormones associated with puberty.

The 'beat' of blood that can be seen on blood vessels lying close to the skin when the left ventricle of the heart contracts to pump blood around the body.

A type of table that can indicate all the possible outcomes of a genetic cross can be displayed by studying the genetic make up of the parents and gametes.

Found in inflamed tissue, pus consists of mainly bacteria, tissue debris and white blood cells, effectively an illustration of a war that has been fought inside the body.

The decomposition of a protein.

A method of measuring trophic levels of an ecosystem. Methods of measurement include biomass pyramids (measuring biomass of each trophic level), and energy pyramids (amount of energy in each trophic level) and pyramids of numbers, which simply measure.

A substance created in respiration during glycolysis deriving from glucose and glycerol.

Pyruvic acid, a 3 carbon compound, then enters the Kreb's Cycle, providing that oxygen is available for aerobic respiration.