zoology words

Ms. Elder (United States of America)
Major vocab used in zoology
112 words 51 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. cell
    the basic structural and functional unit of all organisms
  2. cell membrane
    a thin membrane enclosing the cytoplasm of a cell
  3. amphibian
    cold-blooded vertebrate living on land but breeding in water
  4. reptile
    a cold-blooded vertebrate including snakes and lizards
  5. arthropod
    invertebrate having jointed limbs and a segmented body
  6. Bryozoa
    marine or freshwater animals that form colonies of zooids
  7. Brachiopoda
    marine invertebrates that resemble mollusks
  8. mollusk
    aquatic invertebrate, often with a shell
  9. nematode
    unsegmented worms with elongated rounded body pointed at both ends; mostly free-living but some are parasitic
  10. annelid
    worms with cylindrical bodies segmented both internally and externally
  11. Platyhelminthes
    flatworms
  12. rotifer
    minute aquatic multicellular organisms having a ciliated wheel-like organ for feeding and locomotion; constituents of freshwater plankton
  13. choanocyte
    any of the flagellated cells in sponges having a collar of cytoplasm around the flagellum; they maintain a flow of water through the body
  14. sponge
    primitive multicellular marine animal whose porous body is supported by a fibrous skeletal framework; usually occurs in sessile colonies
  15. cnidarian
    radially symmetrical animals having saclike bodies with only one opening and tentacles with stinging structures; they occur in polyp and medusa forms
  16. mammal
    a warm-blooded vertebrate having the skin covered with hair
  17. vertebrate
    animals having a bony or cartilaginous skeleton
  18. invertebrate
    any animal lacking a backbone or notochord
  19. monoecious
    having male and female reproductive organs in the same plant or animal
  20. dioecious
    having male and female reproductive organs in separate plants or animals
  21. Hermaphroditus
    (Greek mythology) son of Hermes and Aphrodite who merged with the nymph Salmacis to form one body
  22. cell division
    the process in reproduction and growth by which a cell divides to form daughter cells
  23. meiosis
    cell division that produces reproductive cells
  24. mitosis
    the process by which a cell divides into two new cells
  25. embryology
    the branch of biology that studies the formation and early development of living organisms
  26. development
    a process in which something passes to a different stage
  27. animal
    a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
  28. cladogram
    a tree diagram used to illustrate phylogenetic relationships
  29. coelom
    a cavity in the mesoderm of an embryo that gives rise in humans to the pleural cavity and pericardial cavity and peritoneal cavity
  30. phylum
    the major taxonomic group of animals and plants
  31. kingdom Animalia
    taxonomic kingdom comprising all living or extinct animals
  32. phylum
    the major taxonomic group of animals and plants
  33. taxonomy
    a classification of organisms based on similarities
  34. classification
    the basic cognitive process of arranging into categories
  35. class
    a collection of things sharing a common attribute
  36. order
    logical arrangement of different elements
  37. genus
    taxonomic group containing one or more species
  38. species
    taxonomic group whose members can interbreed
  39. evolution
    sequence of events involved in the development of a species
  40. natural selection
    a process in which organisms evolve to adapt to environment
  41. comparative anatomy
    the study of anatomical features of animals of different species
  42. gene
    part of DNA controlling physical characteristics and growth
  43. DNA
    material that carries genetic information in a cell
  44. speciation
    the evolution of a biological species
  45. ecology
    the environment as it relates to living organisms
  46. cladogram
    a tree diagram used to illustrate phylogenetic relationships
  47. phylogeny
    evolutionary development of a species or group of organisms
  48. convergence
    the act of coming closer
  49. divergence
    moving away in different direction from a common point
  50. Lamarck
    French naturalist who proposed that evolution resulted from the inheritance of acquired characteristics (1744-1829)
  51. chordate
    of or relating to or characteristic of the Chordata
  52. notochord
    a flexible rodlike structure that forms the supporting axis of the body in the lowest chordates and lowest vertebrates and in embryos of higher vertebrates
  53. dorsal
    on or near the back of an animal or organ
  54. sagittal
    located in a plane that is parallel to the central plane of the sagittal suture
  55. cross section
    a section created by a plane cutting a solid perpendicular to its longest axis
  56. cell
    the basic structural and functional unit of all organisms
  57. endangered species
    a species whose numbers are so small that the species is at risk of extinction
  58. anthropomorphism
    the representation of objects as having human form
  59. ecology
    the environment as it relates to living organisms
  60. evolution
    sequence of events involved in the development of a species
  61. allele
    any of the forms of a gene that can occupy the same locus
  62. amino acid
    organic compounds containing an amino group and acid group
  63. biochemistry
    the study of substances and processes inside living things
  64. bilateral symmetry
    the property of being symmetrical about a vertical plane
  65. radial symmetry
    the property of symmetry about an axis
  66. zoology
    the branch of biology that studies animals
  67. biosphere
    the regions of the Earth where living organisms exist
  68. book lung
    organ in many arachnids containing many thin folds of membrane resembling the leaves of a book
  69. bipedal
    having and walking on two feet
  70. blastula
    early stage of an embryo produced by cleavage of an ovum
  71. cartilage
    tough elastic tissue, mostly converted to bone in adults
  72. cephalopod
    a marine animal with a head and tentacles
  73. cilium
    a hairlike projection from the surface of a cell
  74. metamorphosis
    striking change in appearance or character or circumstances
  75. cytoplasm
    the substance inside a cell, not including the nucleus
  76. decompose
    break down
  77. detritus
    loose material that is worn away from rocks
  78. diffusion
    the act of dispersing something
  79. hibernate
    be in an inactive or dormant state
  80. symbiotic
    of organisms living together, especially to mutual advantage
  81. parasite
    an animal or plant that lives in or on a host
  82. fission
    reproduction of a unicellular organism by cell division
  83. asexual reproduction
    reproduction without the fusion of gametes
  84. equilibrium
    a stable situation in which forces cancel one another
  85. extinction
    the state of being no longer in existence
  86. fertilization
    making productive by adding nutrients
  87. fossil
    the remains of a plant or animal from a past geological age
  88. habitat
    the type of environment in which an organism normally lives
  89. haploid
    (genetics) an organism or cell having only one complete set of chromosomes
  90. herbivore
    any animal that feeds chiefly on grass and other plants
  91. homeostasis
    metabolic equilibrium maintained by biological mechanisms
  92. madrepore
    corals having calcareous skeletons aggregations of which form reefs and islands
  93. malpighian body
    the capsule that contains Bowman's capsule and a glomerulus at the expanded end of a nephron
  94. mammary gland
    milk-secreting organ of female mammals
  95. oviparous
    egg-laying
  96. ovoviviparous
    producing living young from eggs that hatch within the body
  97. viviparous
    producing living young and not eggs
  98. pharynx
    the passage to the stomach and lungs
  99. phenotype
    observable characteristics produced by genes and environment
  100. genotype
    the particular alleles present in an organism
  101. phototropism
    an organism's orienting response to light
  102. pigment
    dry coloring material
  103. placenta
    the vascular structure in the uterus of most mammals providing oxygen and nutrients for and transferring wastes from the developing fetus
  104. predator
    any animal that lives by preying on other animals
  105. pupa
    an insect in an intermediate, inactive stage of development
  106. independent variable
    a value that does not depend on changes in other values
  107. dependent variable
    a quantity whose value depends on another quantity
  108. siphon
    a tube used to move liquid from one vessel to another
  109. swimmeret
    one of the paired abdominal appendages of certain aquatic crustaceans that function primarily for carrying the eggs in females and are usually adapted for swimming
  110. tube foot
    tentacular tubular process of most echinoderms (starfish and sea urchins and holothurians) having a sucker at the end and used for e.g. locomotion and respiration
  111. zygote
    a fertilized egg
  112. vascular
    relating to vessels that conduct and circulate fluids
Created on Thu May 23 10:28:55 EDT 2013 (updated Wed Sep 02 16:02:27 EDT 2020)

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