Frameshift mutation
A mutation occurring when the number of nucleotides inserted or deleted is not a multiple
of 3, thus resulting in improper grouping into codons.
Free energy
A quantity of energy that interrelates entropy (S) and the system's total energy (H);
symbolized by G. The change in free energy of a system is calculated by the equation G = ΔH
- T ΔS, where T is absolute temperature.
Free energy of activation
The initial investment of energy necessary to start a chemical reaction; also called activation
energy.
Frequency-dependent selection
A decline in the reproductive success of a morph resulting from the morph's phenotype
becoming too common in a population; a cause of balanced polymorphism in populations.
Fungi
A group of simple plants lacking chlorophyll.
Fruit
A mature ovary of a flower that protects dormant seeds and aids in their dispersal.
Function
Characteristic role or action of a structure or process in the normal metabolism or behavior
of an organism.
Functional group
A specific configuration of atoms commonly attached to the carbon skeletons of organic
molecules and usually involved in chemical reactions.