Biology 101 Biodiversity Flashcards

A set of 50 vocabulary flashcards covering fungal biology, plant life cycles, animal phyla, and evolutionary concepts based on the Biology 101 Biodiversity final exam review.

Mycelium

A network of fungal hyphae that forms the vegetative part of a fungus.

Hypha

A long, branching filamentous structure of a fungus; plural: hyphae.

Dikaryotic

A fungal cell or mycelium that contains two haploid nuclei per cell, one from each parent.

Heterokaryotic

A fungal mycelium that contains two or more genetically different nuclei.

Ascocarp

The fruiting body or sporocarp of an ascomycete phylum fungus.

Basidiocarp

The fruiting body of a basidiomycete phylum fungus, such as a mushroom.

Chitin

A fibrous substance consisting of polysaccharides that forms the major constituent in the cell walls of fungi.

Chiton

A marine mollusk of the class Polyplacophora.

Diploids ($2n$)

Cells or organisms that have two complete sets of chromosomes.

Haploids ($1n$)

Cells or organisms that have a single set of unpaired chromosomes.

Sporophyte

The multicellular diploid ($2n$) stage in the life cycle of a plant that produces spores.

Gametophyte

The multicellular haploid ($1n$) stage in the life cycle of a plant that produces gametes.

Meiosis

The process of cell division that results in the formation of haploid spores from a diploid sporophyte.

Fertilization

The fusion of sperm and egg to form a diploid ($2n$) zygote.

Sporangia

Multicellular organs or enclosures in which spores are produced.

Bryophyta

The phylum representing true mosses.

Pterophyta

The phylum representing ferns and their relatives, also known as Monilophyta.

Coniferophyta

The phylum representing conifers.

Angiospermae

The group representing flowering plants, also known as Anthophyta.

Chordate Characteristics

The four specific characteristics present at least some point in life include a notochord, dorsal hollow nerve cord, pharyngeal slits, and a post-anal tail.

Plesiomorphy

The definition of an ancestral character state shared by a group of organisms.

Paraphyletic Grouping

A group of organisms that includes a common ancestor but not all of its descendants.

Monophyletic Taxon

A group of organisms that includes a single common ancestor and all of its descendants.

Polyphyletic Grouping

A grouping that includes distantly related organisms but does not include their most recent common ancestor.

Homoplasy

A character shared by a set of species but not present in their common ancestor, such as the toothless beak in certain phylogenetic branches.

Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium

A principle stating that allele and genotype frequencies in a population will remain constant from generation to generation in the absence of evolutionary influences.

Gene Flow

The transfer of genetic material between populations, often through migration.

Genetic Drift

The change in the frequency of an existing gene variant in a population due to random sampling of organisms.

Dominant Allele

An allele that is expressed in the phenotype even when only one copy is present in the genotype.

Five Major Bacterial Clades

The major groups of bacteria discussed in class, which can be distinguished by Gram staining results.

Gram-Positive

A classification for bacteria that have a thick peptidoglycan cell wall and retain crystal violet stain.

Gram-Negative

A classification for bacteria that have a thin peptidoglycan cell wall and an outer membrane, which does not retain crystal violet stain.

Bract

A modified leaf or scale, typically small, with a flower or flower cluster in its axil.

Receptacle

The thickened part of a stem from which the flower organs grow.

Porifera

The phylum of animals characterized by multicellularity but lacking true tissues, such as sponges.

Cnidaria

The animal phylum characterized by radial symmetry and true tissues.

Platyhelminthes

The phylum consisting of flatworms.

Nematoda

The phylum consisting of roundworms that undergo molting.

Echinodermata

A phylum of marine animals with deuterostome development and radial symmetry.

Protostome Development

A developmental mode where the blastopore becomes the animal's mouth.

Deuterostome Development

A developmental mode where the blastopore becomes the animal's anus.

Photoheterotrophy

A nutritional mode where organisms use light for energy but cannot use carbon dioxide as their sole carbon source.

Ovipary

A reproductive method in which animals lay eggs that develop and hatch outside the mother's body.

Tagmosis

The evolutionary process of fusing segments into functional units or tagmata, as seen in arthropods.

Cephalization

The concentration of sense organs and nervous control at the anterior end of the body, forming a head and brain.

Lignin

A complex organic polymer that provides structural support in the cell walls of vascular plants.

Sporopollenin

A durable, chemically resistant polymer that makes up the outer layer of plant spores and pollen grains.

Gametangia

Multicellular plant organs in which gametes are produced.

Alternation of Generations

A life cycle in which there is both a multicellular diploid form (the sporophyte) and a multicellular haploid form (the gametophyte).

Cambrian Explosion

A period approximately $541$ million years ago when most major animal phyla first appeared in the fossil record.