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Zoology Glossary
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Z
The name of the Roman goddess of animals, now used to describe the animals native to a particular habitat as in 'The Fauna of the British Isles'.
Fertilisation
The part of sexual reproduction involving the fusion of a male and female gamete to form a zygote
Fertilise
This can either relate to giving a plant extra nutrient by providing it with organic material (I bought some Good Grow liquid the other day so I can fertilise my carrots) or relates to the process of fertilisation which is part of sexual reproduction.
Filament
The thin stalk that supports the anther in flowering plants. Together they are called the stamen.
Filter feeder
This is a method of finding food that occurs in water, usually practised by invertebrates. Using specialised structures, these organisms strain the water to catch and collect the tiny particles that are found in it. Many of these particles are tiny organisms such as bacteria, single-celled algae and the larvae of other invertebrates. The particles also include tiny fragments of decaying bodies! Filter feeders simply sit there and wave their collecting structures through the water; the particles stick to the structures and are gathered together to be ingested. Coral and crinoids are good examples of filter feeders.
Fission track dating
A geological dating method that is pretty accurate. Crystals often contain atoms of uranium and these decay on a regular basis. When they do, the particles they throw out often burst through the surfaces of the crystal and leave a tiny track on the surface. By counting these, and calibrating the results against induced fission tracks, an accurate age for the crystal can be found.
Flagellum (flagella)
A structure found usually in bacteria and other single celled protistan organisms. It is longer than a cilium and bacteria usually posses either one of them or have them arranged in groups, rather than distributed over their surface as they may do with cilia. It has a sort of rotary motion, where it spins in one direction quickly, propelling the bacteria forwards. It then stops and spins back the other way (to unwind itself) more slowly, pushing the bacteria forwards again.
Flora
The name of the Roman goddess of plants, now used to describe the plants native to a particular habitat, such as the 'Flora of the British Isles'.
Foetus
Generally, all developing organisms are called embryos until they attain an independent existence. However, in mammals - and especially humans - the term foetus is used when the embryo has reached a stage where most of the adult features can be seen (ears, eyes, cloven feet, tail, fingernails and so on). In humans, this change in name usually takes place at around 8 weeks after conception.
Fossil
The remains of an organism or of the activity of an organism that has been preserved and/or mineralised by the process of fossilisation.
Entries for F
FaunaThe name of the Roman goddess of animals, now used to describe the animals native to a particular habitat as in 'The Fauna of the British Isles'.
Fertilisation
The part of sexual reproduction involving the fusion of a male and female gamete to form a zygote
Fertilise
This can either relate to giving a plant extra nutrient by providing it with organic material (I bought some Good Grow liquid the other day so I can fertilise my carrots) or relates to the process of fertilisation which is part of sexual reproduction.
Filament
The thin stalk that supports the anther in flowering plants. Together they are called the stamen.
Filter feeder
This is a method of finding food that occurs in water, usually practised by invertebrates. Using specialised structures, these organisms strain the water to catch and collect the tiny particles that are found in it. Many of these particles are tiny organisms such as bacteria, single-celled algae and the larvae of other invertebrates. The particles also include tiny fragments of decaying bodies! Filter feeders simply sit there and wave their collecting structures through the water; the particles stick to the structures and are gathered together to be ingested. Coral and crinoids are good examples of filter feeders.
Fission track dating
A geological dating method that is pretty accurate. Crystals often contain atoms of uranium and these decay on a regular basis. When they do, the particles they throw out often burst through the surfaces of the crystal and leave a tiny track on the surface. By counting these, and calibrating the results against induced fission tracks, an accurate age for the crystal can be found.
Flagellum (flagella)
A structure found usually in bacteria and other single celled protistan organisms. It is longer than a cilium and bacteria usually posses either one of them or have them arranged in groups, rather than distributed over their surface as they may do with cilia. It has a sort of rotary motion, where it spins in one direction quickly, propelling the bacteria forwards. It then stops and spins back the other way (to unwind itself) more slowly, pushing the bacteria forwards again.
Flora
The name of the Roman goddess of plants, now used to describe the plants native to a particular habitat, such as the 'Flora of the British Isles'.
Foetus
Generally, all developing organisms are called embryos until they attain an independent existence. However, in mammals - and especially humans - the term foetus is used when the embryo has reached a stage where most of the adult features can be seen (ears, eyes, cloven feet, tail, fingernails and so on). In humans, this change in name usually takes place at around 8 weeks after conception.
Fossil
The remains of an organism or of the activity of an organism that has been preserved and/or mineralised by the process of fossilisation.
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