• Archaebacteria: Definition, Meaning, and Examples

    Archaebacteria Definition

    Unicellular microorganisms belong to the Archaea domain, which are genetically different from bacteria and eukaryotes and frequently live in harsh environments.

    Supplement Halophiles (microorganisms that can live in highly saline conditions), methanogens (microorganisms that generate methane), and thermophiles are all examples of archaebacteria (microorganisms that can thrive in extremely hot environments).

    They developed independently of eukaryotes and eubacteria.

    They are prokaryotes that lack a specific cell nucleus, comparable to eubacteria.

    In terms of ribosomal structure, intron presence, and membrane structure or composition, they differ.

    In some aspects, archaea are comparable to eukaryotes in that they have genes and metabolic pathways that are more closely linked to those of eukaryotes, particularly enzymes involved in transcription and translation.

    Word origin: New Latin, from Greek arkhaion, neuter singular of arkhaios, ancient + bacteria.

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  • Autosome: Definition, Meaning, and Examples

    Autosome Definition

    Any chromosome that is not a sex chromosome or does not play a role in determining sex.

    In somatic cells, it occurs in pairs, but in sex cells it appears singly (gametes).

    Any chromosome that isn’t a sex chromosome is referred to as an autosome.

    Except for sex determination, it is primarily linked with the cell’s numerous metabolic processes.

    In somatic cells, it occurs in pairs, but in sex cells it appears singly (gametes).

    In humans, a somatic cell has 23 pairs of chromosomes (for a total of 46 chromosomes).

    Only one of these pairings will be a pair of sex chromosomes, and twenty-two (22) will be autosomes (the X and Y chromosomes).

    In sex cells such as egg and sperm cells, where chromosomes are found singly (total=23), 22 are autosomes and one is a sex chromosome (either X or Y chromosome).

    AtDNA or auDNA refers to all of the DNA carried by autosomes.

    The underlying cause of the various autosomal genetic disorders, such as trisomy 21, is a mutation involving a gene or combination of genes in an autosome that results in a disease or manifestation of symptoms.

    Autosome is derived from the Greek words autós (“self”) and soma (“body”).

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  • Bilateral Symmetry: Definition, Meaning, and Examples

    Bilateral Symmetry Definition

    In terms of bodily parts or appearance, a type of symmetry in which the opposite sides of a midline are identical.

    Symmetry is a biological trait characterised by uniformity in components in a plane or around an axis in certain organisms.

    On both sides of the axis, a symmetrical creature (one having symmetry) would have a balanced distribution of duplicate components.

    It is possible that it is not an identical replica, but rather a close match.

    Bilateral symmetry is an example of symmetry in organisms.

    Bilateral symmetry is a type of symmetry in which both sides are the same.

    In a sagittal plane, the exterior appearance is the same on the left and right sides (such as the body plan of most animals, including humans).

    The body plan of an organism with bilateral symmetry is divisible into equal mirror halves in the sagittal plane.

    Internal bodily components, such as organs, are not always symmetrical.

    Bilateria is a taxonomic group that includes creatures that have bilateral symmetry.

    These creatures (also known as bilaterians) have left and right sides, which distinguishes them from species with various types of symmetry (such as radial symmetry) and those without symmetry (asymmetry).

    The orchid and pea families are examples of bilateral symmetry in the plant kingdom.

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  • Biological System: Definition, Meaning, and Examples

    Biological System Definition

    A collection of entities or organs that collaborate to complete a task.

    A biological system, often known as a system, is a collection of organisms or organs that work together to achieve a certain goal.

    It’s a biological unit that makes up a body or an organism.

    The integumentary system, lymphatic system, muscular system, neurological system, reproductive system, respiratory system, skeletal system, endocrine system, immunological system, and urinary system are biological systems found in higher types of organisms such as vertebrates (including humans).

    The cardiovascular system is one such example.

    The cardiovascular system is an organ system that pumps blood through the heart and circulates it through the blood arteries throughout the body.

    Its components in humans and other mammals are the heart, blood arteries, and blood.

    The nervous system is another example of a biological system.

    The brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system make up the human central nervous system.

    Its primary job is to coordinate actions by sending and receiving signals from various regions of the body.

    A biological system refers to the macromolecular complexes or organelles within the cell on a microscale (such as in bacteria and tiny eukaryotes).

    It is also known as the organ system or the bodily system.

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  • Calvin Cycle: Definition, Meaning, and Examples

    Calvin Cycle Definition

    During photosynthesis, a cyclical set of metabolic events occurs in the stroma of chloroplasts.

    It includes light-independent activities such as carbon fixation, reduction reactions, and ribulose 1,5-diphosphate (RuDP), which result in the production of sugars and starch.

    The energy released from ATP created during light reactions is used to fuel the conversion of carbon dioxide and other chemicals into an organic molecule at this stage of photosynthesis (e.g. glucose).

    The Calvin cycle is directly employed to repair carbon dioxide in C3 plants.

    The Calvin cycle is preceded by a distinct carbon fixation in C4 and CAM plants.

    The Calvin cycle is named after Melvin Calvin, a Nobel Prize-winning chemist who was one of the discoverers.

    The Calvin-Benson cycle or the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle are two variations.

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  • Chromoplast: Definition, Function, and Examples

    Chromoplast Definition

    Any of the pigment plastids that are involved in pigment production and storage.

    Plastids are organelles that play a role in food production and storage.

    They can be present in photosynthetic eukaryotes’ cells.

    Plastids in plants can take the following forms: chloroplasts, chromoplasts, gerontoplasts, and leucoplasts.

    Certain plastids have the capacity to switch between various forms.

    During the ripening of a fruit, chloroplasts re-differentiate into chromoplasts, for example.

    Chromoplasts are plastids that have pigments generated and stored inside them that give them colour.

    Fruits, flowers, roots, and senescent leaves all contain them.

    Apart from chlorophyll, the existence of pigments is linked to the colour of various plant organs.

    Under an electron microscope, the structural appearance of chromosomes varies.

    They are classified into five different types:

    (1) globular,

    (2) crystalline,

    (3) fibrillar,

    (4) tubular, 

    (5) membranous.

    Some chromoplasts, however, may be more difficult to define when their structure is more complex, such as those seen in tomatoes that seem both membranous and crystalline.

    To distinguish them from the colourless plastids, the leucoplasts, chloroplasts are sometimes considered a subclass of chromoplasts.

    Chloroplasts, on the other hand, are distinguished from chromoplasts because they are primarily involved in photosynthesis rather than the production and storage of colour.

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  • Endemic: Definition, Meaning, and Examples

    Endemic Definition

    Endemic refers to the quality of an item, location, or notion that is unique to that area or region. The term is used to describe a species that flourishes in a certain location and is not often seen elsewhere. Endemism is a similar term (n., def: the state of being endemic). Another term for endemicity is “the property of being endemic.”

    The word endemic comes from the Greek word endemos, which means “to dwell in a location.”

    Definition of Endemic Species

    The term endemic can refer to a species (ecology) or a disease in biology (medicine). In ecology, an endemic species is one that is unique to the area in which it is found. A species might be endemic to a limited geographic region, such as a single island, or a larger geographical area, such as a continent. If it’s present elsewhere, endemic isn’t the right word to use. The reverse of endemism, cosmopolitan distribution, occurs when a species is present in a wide range of habitats and geographic regions.

    How do Species Become Endemic

    Speciation is caused for a variety of reasons. Environmental pressure and geographic constraints are two examples of these variables. The types of animals and plants that may flourish and reproduce in a given region are determined by the environmental conditions that the species is exposed to, as well as the constraints imposed by the geographical position of the species’ habitat (e.g., a landmass surrounded by a large body of water). Ecuador’s islands, for example, are home to giant tortoises (big land tortoises). They were unable to relocate to distant islands due to the waters around the area. As a result, their population was limited to two secluded tropical island groups in Ecuador: the Seychelles’ Aldabra Atoll and Fregate Island, and Ecuador’s Galápagos Islands.

    Endemic Species Examples

    Animal and plant species that are unique to a certain geographic region are known as endemic species.

    Endemic Animals

    Endangered animals are those that can only be found in a small region. The following are some examples.

    • Microlophus delanonis (Hood Lava Lizard) is indigenous to Punta Suarez, Espaola Island, Galapagos.

    • The population of red squirrels is unique to the north of Scotland.

    • Only the Isle of Man has a Manx cat.

    • Madagascar’s lemur.

    • In the Philippines, sinarapan is a kind of fish.

    • New Zealand’s Tokoeka kiwi.

    • Australia’s venomous devil lizard.

    • The South East Asian tarsier.

    • In Tasmania, there is a Tasmanian devil.

    • In Hawaii, there is a Hawaiian hoary bat.

    Endemic Plants

    Plants that are only present in a small region are known as endemic. The following are some examples.

    • Nevada primrose (Primula nevadensis) is a plant that is only found in the Great Basin Region in eastern Nevada.

    • Aglaia ceramica is an endemic to Indonesia’s Maluku Islands.

    • Cassine koordersii is a native of the Indonesian island of Java.

    • Melica penicillaris is a grass indigenous to Turkey’s Inner Anatolia.

    • Crocus aleppicus is a flowering plant species in the Iridaceae family that is only found in Israel.

    • The Hawaiian hibiscus is a flowering plant that is endemic to Hawaii.

    Endemic Disease

    An endemic illness is one that is always present, in some form or another, in people of a given social class or in people who live in a certain region. Malaria, for example, is a sickness that is only seen in the tropics.

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  • Energy Coupling: Definition, Meaning, and Examples

    Energy Coupling Definition

    (1) Energy transfer from catabolism to anabolism, or energy transfer from exergonic to endergonic processes.

    (2) The energy demands of another chemical reaction are connected or functionally related to the free energy (from ATP hydrolysis).

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  • Closed Circulatory System: Definition, Meaning, and Examples

    Closed Circulatory System Definition

    Blood flows within closed arteries in this sort of circulatory system, therefore blood is distinguished from interstitial fluid.

    The circulatory system is one of the transport systems that transports nutrients, gases, and other substances throughout an animal’s body.

    The open circulatory system and the closed circulatory system are the two main types of circulatory systems.

    The blood bathes the cells directly in an open circulatory system, but in a closed circulatory system, the blood flows through vessels.

    Blood and interstitial fluid have no distinction in an open circulatory system since blood is not restricted to arteries.

    In a closed circulatory system, however, blood and interstitial fluid do not interact.

    The heart pumps blood into the arteries so that it may reach the tissues and organs in a closed circulatory system.

    Gases are exchanged between smaller vessels (capillaries) and tissues in the circulation.

    Annelids and vertebrates are examples of creatures with a closed circulatory system (including humans).

    Humans have a cardiovascular system, which consists of the heart and blood arteries that circulate blood throughout the body, as well as a lymphatic system, which circulates lymph.

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  • Control Variable: Definition, Meaning, and Examples

    Control Variable Definition

    A variable that is kept constant or unaltered in order to prevent its influence on the outcome, and therefore, may be used to check the behaviour of independent and dependent variables.

    Control variables are necessary in scientific studies to ensure that the results are legitimate.

    For example, in a Boyle’s law experiment, the temperature must be kept constant in order for the results to be considered legitimate.

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