Rhizome

A Rhizome is a stem of a plant that is usually found underground and is capable of producing the root system of a new plant. This is a picture of a harvested ginger rhizome.

Parasitism

Parasitism is a type of non mutual relationship between organisms of different species where one organism, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host. In this example the bug that is eating the leaf is the parasite because he is getting the nutrient he needs from the leaf. While the leaf, which is the host, is being destroyed and dying.

Long-Day Plant

A long-day plant is exactly what it sounds like. It is a plant who doesn’t need a lot of darkness. These plants tend to thrive in the summer when the days are long. Lettuce is a Long-day plant. Other examples are wheat, barley, and turnips.

Heterotroph

Heterotrophs are organisms that can’t fix carbon and use organic carbon for growth. They cannot synthesize there own food and are dependent on complex organic substances for nutrition.

Genetically Modified Organism

The photo above is of two tomatoes, which have been genetically modified to last longer. An advantage is that the food does not rot and it makes the lives of farmers a lot easier. A disadvantage is that they used to have antibiotic resistance; the essence of the tomato gets changed.

Fermentation

Fermentation is the chemical breakdown of a substance by bacteria, yeasts, or other microorganisms, typically involving effervescence and the giving off of heat. The sugar in grapes ferments to become alcohol like in wine.

Eukaryote

Eukaryotes are organisms with a nucleus that contain their DNA in chromosomes. They consist of a cell or cells which is what characterizes a dog as a eukaryote. Other eukaryotes are plants, animals, fungi, and protists.

Distinguishing Characteristics Between Monocots & Dicots

Woody and herbaceous stems are what set apart monocots and dicots. Monocots typically have herbaceous stems, stems that are soft and bendable (and green). Dicots typically have woody stems, stems that are hard and brittle (and brown).

Autotrophs

Self feeding or producers are terms to describe autotrophs because they are able to make their own food and don’t need a living energy or carbon source. The autotroph in this picture is the algae growing on the little pond fountain. 

Amniotic Egg

The type of egg produced by reptiles, birds, and egg-laying mammals, in which the embryo develops inside anamnion. The shell of the egg is either calcium-based or leathery.

Animal with a Segmented Body

A segmented body is a division of an animal’s body plan, where the body is divided into functional units. These units form sections, whether individually or together with other segments. Almost all insects have segmented bodies and so do worms like the one in this picture.

R-strategist

Organisms that grow exponentially in order to keep the population growing. Some characteristics of R-strategists are that they develop rapidly, high mobility, and have high reproduction rates compared to K-strategist organisms. Some examples of R-strategist organisms are mice, rabbits, mosquitos, ants, fish, krill, weeds, and bacteria. This picture shows minnows which are R-strategist.

Radial Symmetry

Radial symmetry is very much what it sounds like; it is symmetry that radiates from the center. Many flowers are radially symmetric, which adds to their visual appeal. The sun and a star fish are other examples.

Population

A population is a group of organism of one species that interbreed and live in the same place at the same time. The fish in this picture are a population.

Pollinator

A pollinator is the biotic agent that moves pollen from the male anthers of a flower to the female stigma of a flower to accomplish fertilization. A bee is an example of a pollinator, which you can see in the center of this flower.

Pollen

Pollen Contains the micro gametophytes of seed plants, which produces the sperm cells. The pollen in this picture is the yellow parts in the center of the flower.

Niche

A Niche is a habitat where an organism has everything it needs to survive. In this niche the organism is able to thrive because it has food, water, and a safe shelter. The word comes from the Latin word nudis which means nest. The niche in this photo is a spider and its web.

Modified Stem of a Plant

Thorns are an example of modified stems of a plant. The thorn helps protect the plant from grazing animals (herbivores) and increases the chance of survival of the plant.

Modified Leaf of a Plant

Plants that have adapted to best survive their environment. In this picture the modification is thorns because the thorn provides protection for the plant against predators.

Lipids Used for Energy Storage

Lipids are a fatty or waxy organic compound that s readily soluble in non-polar solutions. Oil, such as the olive oil, is a lipid used for energy storage in animals.

Lichen

Symbiotic organism, associated with fungus or algae. Grows slowly on trees or rocks typically forming leaf-like or branching growth.

K-strategist

Characteristics of K-strategist organisms are longer lived lives, a smaller population, they reproduce later in life, and they have few offspring with longer generation time. The offspring is usually developed inside the mother, are fairly large, and mature slowly. Some examples of these organisms are humans, elephants, whales, kangaroos, and lions. Also oak, maple, sycamore, and many large trees are K-strategist.

Homeostasis

Homeostasis is the property of a system that regulates its internal environment and tends to maintain a stable, constant condition of properties such as temperature or pH. To maintain homeostasis, the snake must keep his body temperatures constant which is why he is laying in the sun.

Hermaphrodite

In biology a hermaphrodite organism is one that can act as either a male or female when reproducing. Usually invertebrate organisms, like the snails in this picture, are hermaphrodites. So are most plants.

Gymnosperm Leaf

Gymnosperms are plants in which the seeds are produced in open organs such as the cones on pine trees rather than inside fruit as with an apple. These pine needles are examples of gymnosperm leaves.

Gymnosperm Cone

A gymnosperm is a vascular plant having seeds that are not enclosed in an ovary. The seeds are produced in open organs like these pine cones, rather than enclosed like in a fruit.

Gibberellins

Gibberellins are plant hormones that help in the plant’s growth. Without this hormone, seedless watermelons and seedless grapes would not work since they do not produce gibberellins on their own. Gibberllins have a lot of effects. For example, they stimulate cell growth, they stimulate enzymes, and they produce seedless fruit.

Frond

The term frond means a large undivided leaf. An example of a frond or the leaves from a fern tree.

Flower Ovary

The flower’s ovary is the female reproductive organ of the flower or gynoecium. It is the part of the pistil that holds the ovule. The ovary is found underneath the flower part and above the stem.

Exoskeleton

An exoskeleton is the external skeleton that supports and protects an animal's body. Many insects such as grass hoppers and cockroaches have exoskeletons. Shells act as exoskeletons in animals such as snails.

Ethylene

Ethylene is a gaseous plant hormone directly associated with the ripening of fruit. These bananas use ethylene to grow and change from the green hard bananas to the ripe bananas that we eat.

Enzyme

Enzymes are catalysts, something that increases the speed of a reaction, because they decrease the amount of activation energy, the minimum amount of energy for a reaction to occur. A common example of this is milk. Milk contains the enzyme lactase which breaks down the lactose in glucose.

Endosperm

Endosperm is a type of tissue that surrounds the seed in plants. The photo above is of corn. What humans know of as corn is an example of endosperm; there are tiny seeds within each corn kernel. This endosperm provides nutrients like starch, oil, and protein to the seed, it acts like an embryo.

Different Alleles for the Same Trait

An allele is one of two or more genes. So an example of this would be the same flower but in different colors. The trait being the flower, and the allele’s being the different colors.

Commensalism

Is the relationship between two organisms where one benefits while the other has no impact or care. A common example of this is the relationship between a clown fish and a sea anemone. The clown fish is protected but the anemone while the anemone doesn’t gain anything from the relationship. This picture shows commensalism because the insect is provided protection by the flower because it blends in and can hide while the flower is unaffected.

Biomes

Two obvious biomes that are found in Virginia are the primary one, deciduous forest and the other being fresh water.

Bilateral Symmetry

Bilateral symmetry is when something is symmetric when folded in half. Great examples of this are butterflies. Many leaves are bilaterally symmetric .

Basidiomycete

Basidiomycete is part of the Kingdom Fungi and includes mushrooms, puffballs, shelf fungi, rusts, smuts, and more. Characterized by bearing the spores on a basidium.

Auxin producing area of a plant

Auxin is a hormone that is made by plants in areas where a new root or shoot is growing. It usually sticks out from the plant and faces towards the sun, this enhances growth.

Anther and Filament of a Stamen

This is a picture that represents the anther and filament of a stamen. The stamen is the male reproductive organ of a flower. Each stamen generally has a stalk called the filament. At the top of the filament is the anther and pollen sacs.