| A | B |
|---|
| virion | an individual virus particle |
| capsid | outer, protein cover of a virus |
| capsomeres | protein subunits of virus capsid |
| oncogenic | cancer-causing |
| bacteriophage | virus which attacks bacteria |
| lytic cycle | reproductive cycle of a virus in which the host cell fills with new viruses and ruptures |
| lysogenic cycle | reproductive cycle of a viruss in which viral DNA is inserted into host cell's DNA and copied as cell reproduces |
| enveloped virus | virus which has outer plasma membrane covering "borrowed" from host cell |
| retrovirus | virus containing RNA which is reversed-transcribed into DNA before being used |
| reverse transcription | the making of DNA from an RNA template (as opposed to RNA from a DNA template) |
| translation | production of proteins from RNA (as in making new virus parts) |
| cell lysis | the rupturing of a cell due to cell wall or membrane failure |
| HIV | human immunodefienciency virus (causes AIDS) |
| AIDS | acquired immune deficiency syndrome |
| viroids | small, looped RNA fragments that infect plants |
| prions | infectious proteins that cause damage to central nervous system (mad cow disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease) |
| prokaryote | cells without nuclei (bacteria) |
| archaebacteria | "ancient" bacteria, hardy most ancient prokaryotes |
| methanogen | archaebacteria that produce methane as a waste product |
| halophile | "salt lover," archaebacteria that thrives in salty environments |
| thermophile | "heat lover," archaebacteria that thrives in very hot water |
| thermoacidophile | archaebacteria that thrive in hot, acidic environments |
| eubacteria | "true" bacteria |
| bacillus (pl. bacilli) | rod-shaped |
| strepto- | in a chain (as in streptobacillus--chain of rod-shaped bacteria) |
| coccus (pl. cocci) | sphere-shaped bacteria |
| vibrio | comma-shaped bacteria |
| plasmid | ring of DNA found in some bacteria (not part of cell's "chromosome") |
| pili | short hair-like extensions on bacterial wall that aid in adhesion to surfaces |
| sex pilus | long pilus which bacteria use to join to one another, so that a plasmid can be transferred from one to another |
| capsule | outer slime layer secreted by some bacteria to help them stick together or to surfaces |
| endospore | tough, dormant structure formed by some bacteria in order to survive harsh conditions for extended periods |
| heterotrophs | organisms which must feed on other organisms or organic matter |
| autotrophs | organisms which are capable of producing their own food |
| photoautotrophs | organisms which use light to produce nutrients |
| chemotrophs | organisms which use the energy of chemical reactions to produce nutrients |
| antibiotic | substances produced by one organism which inhibits the growth of another, namely bacteria |
| penicillin | antibiotic produced by the blue mold, penicillium |
| Gram staining | method of staining bacteria which produces either a blue (gram positive) or pink (gram negative) stain |
| Gram positive bacteria | bacteria with a thick cell wall, do not generally respond well to antibiotics |
| Gram negative bacteria | bacteria with a thin cell wall and outer membrane, are generally more susceptible to antibiotics |
| colonial protists | protists which live in a group where organisms may have specific roles, but could live independently |
| multicellular protists | protists which have different types of cells that cannot survive independently |
| ameboid movement | movement by cytoplasmic extensions (pseudopods) characteristic of some protists |
| binary fission | form of asexual reproduction in which an organism simply divides in two |
| protozoa | group of animal-like protists |
| Trypanosoma | flagellate which causes African sleeping sickness |
| amebic dysentery | severe gastrointestinal distress caused by a parasitic ameba |
| sporozoan | protozoan which is non-motile in its adult form |
| malaria | disease with cycles of sever fever caused by plasmodium vivax |
| plasmodium vivax | sporozoan responsible for malaria |
| paramecium | ciliated protozoan |
| fungus-like protists | slime molds, water molds, downy mildews |
| algae | plant-like protists |
| cellulose | material composing cell walls of plants and most algae |
| Pyrrhophyta | fire algae, cause of red tides |
| red tide | algal bloom which causes water to turn red, may cause fish kills |
| phytoplankton | microscopic plant-like aquatic organisms |
| euglena | flagellated organism which has both plant-like and animal-like characteristics |
| Euglenophyta | "true eye" plant |
| Chrysophyta | golden algae |
| Chrysophyta | phylum containing diatoms |
| diatomaceous earth | sediment rich in silica, used in abrasive polishing compounds |
| Rhodophyta | phylum containing red algae |
| Rhodophyta and Phaeophyta | the two algal phyla to which the large seaweeds belong |
| Phaeophyta | the brown algae |
| Chlorophyta | the green algae |
| diploid | term referring to an organism containing two sets of chromosomes (2n) |
| haploid | term referring to an organism with only one set of chromosomes (n) |
| sporophyte | diploid organism which produces haploid spores |
| gametophyte | haploid organism which produces gametes |
| alternation of generations | a situation in which the organism exists in two forms, diploid and haploid, during its life cycle |
| gametes | sex cells |
| spores | haploid structures which will grow into a new haploid organism |
