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This glossary of biology terms is a list of definitions of fundamental terms and concepts used in biology, the study of life and of living organisms.It is intended as introductory material for novices; for more specific and technical definitions from sub-disciplines and related fields, see Glossary of cell biology, Glossary of genetics, Glossary of evolutionary biology, Glossary of ecology ...
Living systems are life forms (or, more colloquially known as living things) treated as a system. They are said to be open self-organizing and said to interact with their environment. These systems are maintained by flows of information , energy and matter .
Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from matter that does not. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, organisation, metabolism, growth, adaptation, response to stimuli, and reproduction.
Biochemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. Molecular biology is the branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including molecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactions.
In biology, homeostasis (British also homoeostasis; / h ɒ m i oʊ ˈ s t eɪ s ɪ s,-m i ə-/) is the state of steady internal physical and chemical conditions maintained by living systems. [1] This is the condition of optimal functioning for the organism and includes many variables, such as body temperature and fluid balance , being kept ...
From one year to another, ecosystems experience variation in their biotic and abiotic environments. A drought, a colder than usual winter, and a pest outbreak all are short-term variability in environmental conditions. Animal populations vary from year to year, building up during resource-rich periods and crashing as they overshoot their food ...
A planet roughly 1,200 light-years away from Earth might be suited for habitability, according to researchers.
Opinions differ on who was the founder of modern ecological theory. Some mark Haeckel's definition as the beginning; [242] others say it was Eugenius Warming with the writing of Oecology of Plants: An Introduction to the Study of Plant Communities (1895), [243] or Carl Linnaeus' principles on the economy of nature that matured in the early 18th ...