Definitions

• What is adaptation?

  a feature of an organism that increases its chance of survival in its environment. An adaptation may be anatomical, physical or behavioural
• What is an allele?


  a version of a gene
• What is Anticodon?

  A sequence of three nucleotide bases at one end of a tRNA molecule that is specific to an mRNA codon.
• What is arithmetic mean?

  The average of a set of numbers calculated by dividing the sum of the values by the number of values
• What is Artificial Classification?

  A type of classification that divides organisms into groups based on analogous characteristics such as leaf shape, number of legs and type of wing
• What is Binomial System?


  A universal system of naming organisms that consists of two parts: the generic name and the specific name (eg Homo sapiens)
• What is Biodiversity?

  The variety of genes, species and habitats within a particular area
• What is Cellular Proteome?

  The proteins expressed in a given type of cell
• What is a Chromatid?

  one strand of a replicated chromosome
• What is a Chromosome?

  a structure consisting of a long, coiled molecule of DNA and its associated proteins, by which genetic information is passed from generation to generation
• What is a Chromosome mutation?

  A change to the number or structure of chromosomes that can occur spontaneously
• What is Classification?

  the organisation of organisms into groups. There are 2 types of classification: artificial and phylogenetic
• What is a codon?


  A sequence of 3 bases of DNA on mRNA that codes for a specific amino acid
• What is conservation?


  The maintenance of ecosystems and biodiversity by humans in order to preserve the Earth's resources
• What is courtship?

  The behaviour by which members of a species select reproductive partners. It enables organisms to recognise their own species, identify a male with the capacity to breed, form a pair bond, synchronise mating and become able to breed themselves
• What is crossing over?


  The process in meiosis 1 in which homologous chromosomes pair up, their chromatids wrap around one another and their alleles are exchanged at equivalent portions of chromatids. This creates genetic variation,
• What is the definition of DEGENERATE?

  A feature of the genetic code; more than one triplet can code for a particular amino acid
• What is a Deletion?

  A form of gene mutation in which one or more nucleotide bases are removed from a DNA sequence. This may change all amino acids in a sequence , rendering the protein non-functional
• What is Directional Selection?

  A type of selection that favours individuals that differ in one direction (fall to the left or the right) from the population mean. This changes the traits of the population