THE STEINHART AQUARIUM - Gulf of Guinea Science ...

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A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium
epipodal on or near the edge of the foot
estivation dormancy of animals through a drought or
warm season
evolution descent with modification; changes in the
genetic makeup of a population over time that produce
cumulative changes in the characteristics of the
population
extinction the total disappearance of a species or higher
taxon
extracellular outside of the cell
fertilization the union of sperm and egg
filter feeder an animal that feeds by filtering out and ingesting
small particles of food suspended in the water
fin ray one of the bony or horny rods that support the
fins of rayfin fishes; may be soft or spiny
foliaceous a growth form of corals exhibiting leaflike
sheets and plates
food chain movement of energy and nutrients from
one feeding group of organisms to another in a series
that begins with plants and ends with carnivores, detrital
feeders, and decomposers
food pyramid a graphic representation showing all the
energy and biomass contained in each trophic level
of an ecosystem at any given time, moving from producers
(autotrophs) up the food web to top-level consumers
(heterotrophs)
food web the food relationships within a community;
a diagram of who eats what or whom
founder effect genetic drift observed in a population
founded by a small non-representative sample of a
larger population
fusiform spindle-shaped; tapered at both ends
gamete an egg cell or sperm cell; a mature reproductive
cell with a haploid set of chromosomes
gametophyte a haploid (1n) plant or plant part that
can produce gametes
gene flow the movement of genes from one population
to another by way of interbreeding of individuals in
the two populations
genetic code the DNA sequence of a gene; the genetic
code determines the sequence of amino acids in a
protein or enzyme, and thus the functions of a living
organism
genetic drift random variation in gene frequency from
one generation to another
genotype the total set of genes present in the cells of an
organism, as contrasted with phenotype, which is the
realized expression of the genes
habitat the area in which an organism lives and finds
the essentials it needs to survive
halophyte a plant adapted to living in a saline environment
haploid pertaining to cells that have only one copy
of each chromosome; typically are sex cells (sperm or
egg) produced through meiosis
herbivore an animal that feeds on plants or plantlike
organisms
hermaphrodite an animal which has the sex organs of
both male and female. May be sequential or synchronous
(See protandrous and protogynous)
heterocercal describes a caudal fin in which the spinal
column extends into the larger upper lobe
holotype the single physical example (or illustration)
of an organism, known to have been used when the
species (or lower-ranked taxon) was initially and formally
described
homocercal describes a caudal fin that is nearly or
completely symmetrical and that is supported by a
complex internal V-shaped bony plate; characteristic
of teleosts
hydrostatic skeleton a skeleton in which the body’s
shape and/or function is maintained by an incompressible
fluid such as blood or hemolymph
intracellular within the cell
laminar arranged in, consisting of, or resembling
plates or scales
larva the early form of any animal that changes structurally
when it becomes an adult
lateral line a series of sensory pores along the head and
sides of fish and some amphibians by which water currents,
vibrations, and pressure changes are detected
longitudinal fission asexual reproduction by a lengthwise
division of the cell or body into two or more
parts of roughly equal size
mandible lower part of the jaw; the “jawbone”
mantle layer of tissue over a mollusk body that secretes
the shell, if present
maxilla in vertebrates, the upper jaw
medusa the free-swimming, bell- or umbrella-shaped
stage in the life cycle of many cnidarians
meiosis a special type of cell division that occurs when
mature eggs and sperm are formed. Through the process
of meiosis the number of chromosomes present