Encyclopedia of Biology

of “suicide” proteins in the cells destined to die. The destined cells then go through a number of molecular and morphological c ...

acts as a warning to experienced predators. The larvae of the monarch butterfly and Phymateus morbillosus,a foaming grasshopper ...

lation, secretion), have no peroxisomes (use oxygen to carry out catabolic reactions), and have small ribo- somes similar to bac ...

pended in the atmosphere. Aristotle discussed the philosophical nature of clouds and mist, snow, rain and hail, wind, lightning ...

oftotal heat absorption and corresponding tempera- ture change in the atmosphere for various concentra- tions of carbon dioxide. ...

organism’s species. It is used in the selective breeding of domesticated plants and animals to encourage the occurrence of desir ...

assimilation To transform food and other nutrients into a part of the living organism. assimilative SeeASSIMILATION. assimilator ...

energy stored across the photosynthetic membrane (a hydrogen-ion concentration gradient) to add inor- ganic phosphate to ADP, th ...

autopolyploid Atype of polyploid species resulting from one species doubling its chromosome number to become tetraploid, which m ...

bacteria One of two prokaryotic (no nucleus) domains, the other being the ARCHAEA. Bacteria are microscopic, simple, single-cell ...

carbon atoms (C-7, C-8 and C-17, C-18) in two of the pyrrole rings. See alsoISOBACTERIOCHLORIN. bacteriochlorophyll SeeCHLOROPHY ...

barchan A crescent-shaped dune with wings, or horns, pointing downwind. bark The outer layer or “skin” of stems and trunks that ...

ofwater when released to solution. They have a slip- pery feel in water and a bitter taste. A base will turn red litmus paper bl ...

Bcell or lymphocyte Atype of white blood cell, or lymphocyte, that makes up 25 percent or more of the white blood cells in the b ...

stabilized in the form of a sheet by hydrogen bonds between CO and NH groups of adjacent (parallel or antiparallel) chains. beta ...

constitute the scientific name of a species. Lupinus perennis, or wild blue lupine, is an example. Both names are italicized, an ...

These cycles take place through the biosphere, litho- sphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere. biogeographic boundary (zoogeographic ...

biome A large-scale recognizable grouping, a distinct ecosystem, that includes many communities of a similar nature that have ad ...

molecular modification of the active principle itself. This modification generates a new compound, able to betransformed metabol ...

blastula Early stage of animal development of an embryo, where a ball forms consisting of a single layer ofcells that surrounds ...