biology-dictionary_11-06-2009

Gastrovascular Having both a digestive and a circulatory function. Used especially to describe the body cavity of a coelenterate ...

Gene pool The total aggregate of genes in a population at any one time. Genetic code The system of nucleotide triplets in DNA an ...

Genotype The genetic makeup of an organism. Genus A taxonomic category above the species level, designated by the first word of ...

Glial cell A nonconducting cell of the nervous system that provides support, insulation, and protection for the neurons. Globula ...

Glycogenolysis The biochemical breakdown of glycogen to glucose. Glycolipids Organic molecules similar in structure to fats, but ...

Gonads The male and female sex organs; the gamete-producing organs in most animals. Graded potential A local voltage change in a ...

Ground tissue system or fundamental tissue A tissue of mostly parenchyma cells that makes up the bulk of a young plant and fills ...

Haploid cell A cell containing only one set of chromosomes. Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium The steady-state relationship between rel ...

Hematopoietic system The system in the body which is responsible for the production of blood cells. Hemicelluloses Any of severa ...

Heterochrony Evolutionary changes in the timing or rate of development. Heterocyst A specialized cell that engages in nitrogen f ...

Hilum The scar on a seed, such as a bean, indicating the point of attachment to the funiculus. Hindgut The caudal portion of the ...

Homeotherm An organism, such as a bird or mammal, capable of maintaining a stable body temperature independent of the environmen ...

Hormone One of many types of circulating chemical signals in all multicellular organisms that are formed in specialized cells, t ...

Hydrolysis A chemical process that lyses or splits molecules by the addition of water; an essential process in digestion. Hydrog ...

Hypothalamus The ventral part of the vertebrate forebrain; functions in maintaining homeostasis, especially in coordinating the ...

Imbibition The capillary movement of water into germinating seeds and into substances such as wood and gelatin, which swell as a ...

Incomplete flower A flower lacking sepals, petals, stamens, or carpels. Incomplete metamorphosis A type of development in certai ...

Ingestion A heterotrophic mode of nutrition in which other organisms or detritus are eaten whole or in pieces. Inhibitory postsy ...

Insulin A vertebrate hormone that lowers blood glucose levels by promoting the uptake of glucose by most body cells and the synt ...

Interstitial cells Cells scattered among the seminiferous tubules of the vertebrate testis that secrete testosterone and other a ...