Zoology Glossary Index:
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
Labial
Pertaining to the lips.
Lanceolate
"A long, slender shape like a thin leaf."
Larva
Immature form of some animals that undergo radical transformation to attain the adult form.
Last Common Ancestor
The most recent known common ancestor of a set of lineages or taxa.
Lateral
Pertaining to the side.
Lek
"Associated with an extreme for of polygyny (lekking) in which males gather in tiny territories to display to visiting females, who select males for copulation."
Life Cycle
A series of stages through which an animal develops as it progresses from birth to reproductive maturity.
Lift
"An aeorodynamic force that moves a bird off the ground and keeps it in the air; produced by air moing around and past the airfoil formed by the wings."
Littoral
"A shallow-water habitat found immediately along the coasts or edges of lakes and oceans."
Live-Bearing
Of an animal that gives birth to nonates, rather than lays eggs
Loafing Platform
"A nest-like structure built by coots and waterfowl where young can rest out of the water."
Lores
"The area between the eyes and the base of the bill."
Lung
An internal chamber specialized for gas exchange in an animal.
Zoology glossary ~ K
Zoology Glossary Index:
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Keratin
An sturdy, insoluble protein that is present in the feathers of birds, the scales of reptiles, and the hooves, hair, and nails of mammals.
Kleptoparasitism
A form of parasitism in which parasite steals items such as food or nest materials from other host individauls.
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Keratin
An sturdy, insoluble protein that is present in the feathers of birds, the scales of reptiles, and the hooves, hair, and nails of mammals.
Kleptoparasitism
A form of parasitism in which parasite steals items such as food or nest materials from other host individauls.
Zoology glossary ~ J
Zoology Glossary Index:
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Juvenal
"Refers to the first plumage attained after a bird loses its down feathers."
Juvenile
"A bird wearing its juvenal body feathers. In most songbirds juvenal feathers are molted within a few weeks of leaving the nest; thus songbirds are generally considered to be juveniles for only a short period."
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Juvenal
"Refers to the first plumage attained after a bird loses its down feathers."
Juvenile
"A bird wearing its juvenal body feathers. In most songbirds juvenal feathers are molted within a few weeks of leaving the nest; thus songbirds are generally considered to be juveniles for only a short period."
Zoology glossary ~ I
Zoology Glossary Index:
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
Ichthyology
The study of fish.
Ideal Free Distribution
The distribution of individuals across resource patches of different intrinsic quality that equalizes the net rate of gain of each when competition is taken into account.
Imago
The fourth, or adult, stage in the life of certain insects, such as the butterfly or moth.
Immature
"A yong bird no longer under parental care but not yet old enough to breed; a bird that is not yet fully adult." (Source: Sibley)
Imprinting
The tendency of young animals to follow the first moving thing they see. In the wild, this is usually the mother, but in captivity, where the mother may not be the first thing they see, they might follow a human being or any moving object.
Incubation Patch
"A defeathered area on the lower abdomen in which the skin has thickened and become rich with blood vessels." (Source: Sibley)
Inhibition
The suppression of a colonizing population by another that is already established, especially during successional sequences.
Insectivore
Used as a term of classification, this word denotes an insect-eating mammal of the Order Insectovira (such as the shrew). The word is more generally used of any insectivorous creature (such as the bat)‚ a creature that eats mainly insects.
Instinct
Inborn or innate behavior.
Intergrading
"The merging of characteristics of two populations where their ranges come into contact." (Source: Sibley)
Internal Compass
"The hypothesized mechanism that allows organisms to orient themselves so as to proceed in the proper direction during long-distance movements such as migration." (Source: Sibley)
Interstitial Skin
Skin between a snake's scales.
Introduced Species
A species that humans have placed into an ecosystem or community (either accidentally or intentionally) in which it does not naturally occur.
Invasion
"Sudden large movement of individuals into an area where they are generally uncommon, often on an unpredictable basis." (Source: Sibley)
Invertebrate
Animal without a backbone. Invertebrates make up over 90 percent of all animal species.
Irruption
"Sudden large movement of individuals into an area where they are generally uncommon, often on an unpredictable basis." (Source: Sibley)
Isolating Mechanism
An obstacle to interbreeding, either extrinsic, such as a geographical barrier, or intrinsic, such as structural or behavioral incompatibility.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
Ichthyology
The study of fish.
Ideal Free Distribution
The distribution of individuals across resource patches of different intrinsic quality that equalizes the net rate of gain of each when competition is taken into account.
Imago
The fourth, or adult, stage in the life of certain insects, such as the butterfly or moth.
Immature
"A yong bird no longer under parental care but not yet old enough to breed; a bird that is not yet fully adult." (Source: Sibley)
Imprinting
The tendency of young animals to follow the first moving thing they see. In the wild, this is usually the mother, but in captivity, where the mother may not be the first thing they see, they might follow a human being or any moving object.
Incubation Patch
"A defeathered area on the lower abdomen in which the skin has thickened and become rich with blood vessels." (Source: Sibley)
Inhibition
The suppression of a colonizing population by another that is already established, especially during successional sequences.
Insectivore
Used as a term of classification, this word denotes an insect-eating mammal of the Order Insectovira (such as the shrew). The word is more generally used of any insectivorous creature (such as the bat)‚ a creature that eats mainly insects.
Instinct
Inborn or innate behavior.
Intergrading
"The merging of characteristics of two populations where their ranges come into contact." (Source: Sibley)
Internal Compass
"The hypothesized mechanism that allows organisms to orient themselves so as to proceed in the proper direction during long-distance movements such as migration." (Source: Sibley)
Interstitial Skin
Skin between a snake's scales.
Introduced Species
A species that humans have placed into an ecosystem or community (either accidentally or intentionally) in which it does not naturally occur.
Invasion
"Sudden large movement of individuals into an area where they are generally uncommon, often on an unpredictable basis." (Source: Sibley)
Invertebrate
Animal without a backbone. Invertebrates make up over 90 percent of all animal species.
Irruption
"Sudden large movement of individuals into an area where they are generally uncommon, often on an unpredictable basis." (Source: Sibley)
Isolating Mechanism
An obstacle to interbreeding, either extrinsic, such as a geographical barrier, or intrinsic, such as structural or behavioral incompatibility.
Zoology glossary ~ H
Zoology Glossary Index:
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Habitat Patch
An area of distinct habitat type.
Habitat Selection
Preference for certain habitats.
Habitat
Place where an animal or plant normally lives, often characterized by a dominant plant form or physical characteristic (that is, the stream habitat, the forest habitat).
Hacking
"A conservation and rehabilitation practice in which birds released into the wild are prvisioned with food while they gradually become independent." (
Hadean
Hadean
Hallux
"Hind toe."
Hatchling
Animal that has just emerged from an egg.
Heat Sensitive Pit
Organ that helps certain snakes locate their warm-blooded prey. In boas and pythons, these border the mouth (labial pits); in pitvipers, they are between the nostri, the eye, and the moutn (loreal pits).
Herbaceous
Having a stem that remains soft and succulent; not woody.
Herbivore
An organism that consumes living plants or their parts.
Hermaphroditic
A type of animal in which each individual possesses both male and female reproductive organs.
Heterodactyly
"Arrangement of the toes in which the inner front toe is turned backward such that two toes point forward and two backward."
Heterogeneity
Heterotroph
An organism that utilizes organic materials as a source of energy and nutrients.
Hibernation
State of winter dormancy associated with lowered body temperature and metabolism.
Histology
The structure and arrangement of the tissues of organisms; the study of these.
Holarctic
"Relating to the boigeographic region that includes the northern parts of the Old and New Worlds, and that comprises the Nearctic and Palearctic regions."
Holotype
A single individual organism that is selected to represent the standard for a particular taxon and which serves as the standard for the original name and description of the species.
Home Range
"The area that an animal uses in the course of its daily activities. Not necessarily defended."
Homeostasis
The process by which an organism maintains constant internal conditions in the face of a varying external environment.
Homeothermy
Ability to maintain constant body temperature in the face of fluctuating environmental temperature; warm-blooded.
Homology
A similarity in traits that reflects descent from a common ancestor and which by inference was also present in that common ancestor. A shared character that is due to common hereditary.
Host
"Bird whose nest receives eggs laid by brood parasites. The hosts then provide parental care to the unrelated young that hatch from the parasitic egg, often to the detriment of their own young."
Humus
Fine particles of organic detritis in soil.
Hyoid Apparatus
"A collective term for the bones of the tongue and associated connective tissues, found in the upper throat."
Hypostracum
The innermost layer of a snail's shell, closest to the snail's body.
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Habitat Compression
Restriction of habitat distribution in response to increase in number of competing species.
Habitat Expansion
Increase in average breadth of habitat distribution of species in depauperate biotas, especially on islands, compared with species in more diverse biotas.
Restriction of habitat distribution in response to increase in number of competing species.
Habitat Expansion
Increase in average breadth of habitat distribution of species in depauperate biotas, especially on islands, compared with species in more diverse biotas.
Habitat Patch
An area of distinct habitat type.
Habitat Selection
Preference for certain habitats.
Habitat
Place where an animal or plant normally lives, often characterized by a dominant plant form or physical characteristic (that is, the stream habitat, the forest habitat).
Hacking
"A conservation and rehabilitation practice in which birds released into the wild are prvisioned with food while they gradually become independent." (
Hadean
Hadean
Hallux
"Hind toe."
Hatchling
Animal that has just emerged from an egg.
Heat Sensitive Pit
Organ that helps certain snakes locate their warm-blooded prey. In boas and pythons, these border the mouth (labial pits); in pitvipers, they are between the nostri, the eye, and the moutn (loreal pits).
Herbaceous
Having a stem that remains soft and succulent; not woody.
Herbivore
An organism that consumes living plants or their parts.
Hermaphroditic
A type of animal in which each individual possesses both male and female reproductive organs.
Heterodactyly
"Arrangement of the toes in which the inner front toe is turned backward such that two toes point forward and two backward."
Heterogeneity
The variety of qualities found in an environment (habitat patches) or a population (genotypic variation).
Heterotroph
An organism that utilizes organic materials as a source of energy and nutrients.
Hibernation
State of winter dormancy associated with lowered body temperature and metabolism.
Histology
The structure and arrangement of the tissues of organisms; the study of these.
Holarctic
"Relating to the boigeographic region that includes the northern parts of the Old and New Worlds, and that comprises the Nearctic and Palearctic regions."
Holotype
A single individual organism that is selected to represent the standard for a particular taxon and which serves as the standard for the original name and description of the species.
Home Range
"The area that an animal uses in the course of its daily activities. Not necessarily defended."
Homeostasis
The process by which an organism maintains constant internal conditions in the face of a varying external environment.
Homeothermy
Ability to maintain constant body temperature in the face of fluctuating environmental temperature; warm-blooded.
Homology
A similarity in traits that reflects descent from a common ancestor and which by inference was also present in that common ancestor. A shared character that is due to common hereditary.
Host
"Bird whose nest receives eggs laid by brood parasites. The hosts then provide parental care to the unrelated young that hatch from the parasitic egg, often to the detriment of their own young."
Humus
Fine particles of organic detritis in soil.
Hyoid Apparatus
"A collective term for the bones of the tongue and associated connective tissues, found in the upper throat."
Hypostracum
The innermost layer of a snail's shell, closest to the snail's body.
Zoology glossary ~ G
Zoology Glossary Index:
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Gamma Diversity
The inclusive diversity of all the habitat types within an area; regional diversity.
Gaping
"A foraging technique in which a bird thrusts its bill into the soil and forcibly opens the bill, creating an opening."
Gelding
A male horse that has been castrated.
Gene Flow
Exchange of genetic traits between populations by movement of individuals, gametes, or spores.
Gene Frequency
The proportion of a particular allele of a gene in the gene pool of a population.
Gene
Generally, a unit of genetic inheritance. In biochemistry, gene refers to the part of the DNA molecule that encodes a single enzyme or structural protein.
Generalist
A species with broad food or habitat preferences.
Generation Time
Average age at which a female gives birth to her offspring, or the average time for a population to increase by a factor equal to the net reproductive rate.
Genetic Drift
Change in allele frequency due to random variations in fecundity and mortality in a population.
Genetic Feedback
Evolutionary response of a population to the adaptations of competitors, predators, or prey.
Genetic Variance
Variation in a phenotypic value within a population due to the expression of genetic factors.
Genome
The cell's total complement of DNA: in eucaryotes, the nuclear and organelle chromosomes; in procaryotes, the major chromosome, episomes, and plasmids. In viruses and viroids, the total complement of DNA or RNA.
Genotype
All the genetic characteristics that determine the structure and function of an organism; often applied to a single gene locus to distinguish one allele, or combination of alleles, from another.
Gharial
Asia, fish-eating crocodilian with a very narrow snout.
Gizzard
A chamber of an animal's digestive tract specialized for grinding food.
Gonads
The testes or ovaries.
Gorget
"Iridescent throat patch on hummingbirds."
Greenhouse Effect
Warming of the earth's climate owing to the increased concentration of carbon dioxide and certaain other pollutants in the atmosphere.
Gross Production
The total energy or nutrients assimilated by an organism, a population, or an entire community.
Group Selection
Elimination of groups of individuals with a detrimental genetic trait, caused by competition with other groups lacking the trait; often called intergroup selection.
Guano
"Large deposits of bird feces that accumulate in sites that birds regularly use, such as breeding colonies."
Gular Fluttering
"A cooling behavior in which birds rapidly flap membranes in the throat to increase evaporation; particularly obvious in cormorants, pelicans, and their relatives."
Gular Pouch
"A bare throat pouch that can be expanded to accomodate large prey; found in pelicans and their relatives."
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Gamma Diversity
The inclusive diversity of all the habitat types within an area; regional diversity.
Gaping
"A foraging technique in which a bird thrusts its bill into the soil and forcibly opens the bill, creating an opening."
Gelding
A male horse that has been castrated.
Gene Flow
Exchange of genetic traits between populations by movement of individuals, gametes, or spores.
Gene Frequency
The proportion of a particular allele of a gene in the gene pool of a population.
Gene
Generally, a unit of genetic inheritance. In biochemistry, gene refers to the part of the DNA molecule that encodes a single enzyme or structural protein.
Generalist
A species with broad food or habitat preferences.
Generation Time
Average age at which a female gives birth to her offspring, or the average time for a population to increase by a factor equal to the net reproductive rate.
Genetic Drift
Change in allele frequency due to random variations in fecundity and mortality in a population.
Genetic Feedback
Evolutionary response of a population to the adaptations of competitors, predators, or prey.
Genetic Variance
Variation in a phenotypic value within a population due to the expression of genetic factors.
Genome
The cell's total complement of DNA: in eucaryotes, the nuclear and organelle chromosomes; in procaryotes, the major chromosome, episomes, and plasmids. In viruses and viroids, the total complement of DNA or RNA.
Genotype
All the genetic characteristics that determine the structure and function of an organism; often applied to a single gene locus to distinguish one allele, or combination of alleles, from another.
Gharial
Asia, fish-eating crocodilian with a very narrow snout.
Gizzard
A chamber of an animal's digestive tract specialized for grinding food.
Gonads
The testes or ovaries.
Gorget
"Iridescent throat patch on hummingbirds."
Greenhouse Effect
Warming of the earth's climate owing to the increased concentration of carbon dioxide and certaain other pollutants in the atmosphere.
Gross Production
The total energy or nutrients assimilated by an organism, a population, or an entire community.
Group Selection
Elimination of groups of individuals with a detrimental genetic trait, caused by competition with other groups lacking the trait; often called intergroup selection.
Guano
"Large deposits of bird feces that accumulate in sites that birds regularly use, such as breeding colonies."
Gular Fluttering
"A cooling behavior in which birds rapidly flap membranes in the throat to increase evaporation; particularly obvious in cormorants, pelicans, and their relatives."
Gular Pouch
"A bare throat pouch that can be expanded to accomodate large prey; found in pelicans and their relatives."
Zoology glossary ~ F
Zoology Glossary Index:
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Fall Bloom
The rapid growth of algae in temperate lakes following the autumnal breakdown of thermal stratification and mixing of water layers.
Fall Overturn
The vertical mixing of the layers of the water in temperate lakes. This turnover occurs in autumn when temperatures start to change.
Fallout
Birds that are forced during migration to land in areas they would not normally inhabit in order to avoid harsh weather.
Family
A taxonomic group used in the classification of living things. This group ranks below an order and is subdivided into one or more genera.
Fang
A long hollow tooth found in venomous snakes. The snakes inject their venom into prey through their fangs.
Fauna
The entire set of animals that live in an area or during a period of time.
Feces
The indigestible waste that an animal expells from its digestive tract.
Fecundity
A measure of the rate at which an individual organism reproduces.
Femur
The thigh bone in vertebrates that have four limbs or the third segment of the leg in insects.
Feral
Pertaining to an animal that comes from domesticated stock and that has subsequently taken up life in the wild.
Fetus
An embryo that is in the later stages of devemlopment but is still in the egg or uterus. A female horse that is four years or younger in age.
Filter Feeder
Fitness
The genetic contribution that an individual's descendents makes to future generations of a population.
Fledging
"The development in young birds of the feathers necessary for flight."
Flight Feathers
"A young bird that ahs left the nest but is not yet completely independent of parental care."
Flight Feathers
Foal
Refers to a horse, either male or female, up to six months in age.
Food Chain
A representation of the passage of energy through populations in the community.
Food Web
A representation of the various paths of energy flow through populations in the community.
Founder Effect
The difference between the gene pool of a population as a whole and that of a newly isolated population of that species.
Frugivorous
Fruit-eating. Relying on fruit as a sole source of food.
Functional Response
Change in the rate of exploitation of prey by an individual predator as a result of a change in prey density.
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Facial Shield
A hard plate on the forehead of some birds (coots, for example). It functions as a display ornament as well as enables the distinguishing between different species.
A hard plate on the forehead of some birds (coots, for example). It functions as a display ornament as well as enables the distinguishing between different species.
Fall Bloom
The rapid growth of algae in temperate lakes following the autumnal breakdown of thermal stratification and mixing of water layers.
Fall Overturn
The vertical mixing of the layers of the water in temperate lakes. This turnover occurs in autumn when temperatures start to change.
Fallout
Birds that are forced during migration to land in areas they would not normally inhabit in order to avoid harsh weather.
Family
A taxonomic group used in the classification of living things. This group ranks below an order and is subdivided into one or more genera.
Fang
A long hollow tooth found in venomous snakes. The snakes inject their venom into prey through their fangs.
Fauna
The entire set of animals that live in an area or during a period of time.
Feces
The indigestible waste that an animal expells from its digestive tract.
Fecundity
A measure of the rate at which an individual organism reproduces.
Femur
The thigh bone in vertebrates that have four limbs or the third segment of the leg in insects.
Feral
Pertaining to an animal that comes from domesticated stock and that has subsequently taken up life in the wild.
Fetus
An embryo that is in the later stages of devemlopment but is still in the egg or uterus.
Filter Feeder
An organism that filters food particles from its surrounding aqueous environment. It strains the water using sieve-like structures. Examples of filter feeders include clams and baleen whales.
Fitness
The genetic contribution that an individual's descendents makes to future generations of a population.
Fledging
"The development in young birds of the feathers necessary for flight."
Flight Feathers
"A young bird that ahs left the nest but is not yet completely independent of parental care."
Flight Feathers
"Collective name for the long feathers of the wings and tail."
Foal
Refers to a horse, either male or female, up to six months in age.
Food Chain
A representation of the passage of energy through populations in the community.
Food Web
A representation of the various paths of energy flow through populations in the community.
Founder Effect
The difference between the gene pool of a population as a whole and that of a newly isolated population of that species.
Frugivorous
Fruit-eating. Relying on fruit as a sole source of food.
Functional Response
Change in the rate of exploitation of prey by an individual predator as a result of a change in prey density.
