Project Glossary

The following list is the glossary of all the definitions I needed during my project.

• acellular: not consisting of, divided into, or containing cells. (especially of protozoa) consisting of one cell only.

• aggregate: (of a group of species) comprising several very similar species formerly regarded as a single species.

• amoeba: a single-celled animal that catches food and moves about by extending finger-like projections of protoplasm. Amoebas are either free-living in damp environments or parasitic.

• amoeboid: denoting or characteristic of an amoeba.

• cellular: relating to or consisting of living cells.

• coenocyte: a body of algal or fungal cytoplasm containing several nuclei, enclosed in a single membrane.

• culmination: the highest or climactic point of something, especially as attained after a long time.

• culture: 1) the cultivation of bacteria, tissue cells, etc. in an artificial medium containing nutrients. 2) a preparation of cells obtained by culture.

• cyst: a tough, protective capsule enclosing the larva of a parasitic worm or the resting stage of an organism.

• cytokinesis: the cytoplasmic division of a cell at the end of mitosis or meiosis, bringing about the separation into two daughter cells

• digest: 1) break down (food) in the alimentary canal into substances that can be absorbed and used by the body. 2) CHEMISTRY - treat (a substance) with heat, enzymes, or a solvent in order to decompose it or extract essential components.

• filaments: 1) the slender part of a stamen that supports the anther. 2) a slender threadlike object or fibre, especially one found in animal or plant structures.

• fruiting body: the spore-producing organ of a fungus, often seen as a toadstool.

• germinate: 1) (of a seed or spore) begin to grow and put out shoots after a period of dormancy. 2) cause (a seed or spore) to germinate.

• habituate: 1) Make or become accustomed or used to something. 2) "a progressive decrease in the magnitude of a behavioural response to an iterative stimulus." [Memory inception and preservation in slime moulds: the quest for a common mechanism]

• hypha (pl: hyphae): each of the branching filaments that make up the mycelium of a fungus.

• ingest: take (food, drink, or another substance) into the body by swallowing or absorbing it.

• meiosis: a type of cell division that results in four daughter cells each with half the number of chromosomes of the parent cell, as in the production of gametes and plant spores.

• mitosis: a type of cell division that results in two daughter cells each having the same number and kind of chromosomes as the parent nucleus, typical of ordinary tissue growth.

• motile: (of cells, gametes, and single-celled organisms) capable of motion.

• mycelium: the vegetative part of a fungus, consisting of a network of fine white filaments (hyphae).

• naive (slime mould): A slime mold that hasn't been habituated.

• phagocytosis: the ingestion of bacteria or other material by phagocytes and amoeboid protozoans.

• primitive cognition: No definition yet that I know of (similar to habituation, refers to the kind of intelligence that primitive organisms have and that more developed organisms have had since their primitive stages).

• protoplasm: the colourless material comprising the living part of a cell, including the cytoplasm, nucleus, and other organelles.

• sclerotium (pl: sclerotia): the hard dark resting body of certain fungi, consisting of a mass of hyphal threads, capable of remaining dormant for long periods.

• sporangium: (in ferns and lower plants) a receptacle in which asexual spores are formed.

• swarmer cells: 1) another term for zoospore. 2) a spore of certain algae, fungi, and protozoans, capable of swimming by means of a flagellum.

• syngamy: the fusion of two cells, or of their nuclei, in reproduction.

• vegetative: 1) relating to or denoting reproduction or propagation achieved by asexual means, either naturally (budding, rhizomes, runners, bulbs, etc.) or artificially (grafting, layering, or taking cuttings). 2) relating to or concerned with growth rather than sexual reproduction.

• viable: 1) (of a seed or spore) able to germinate. 2) (of a plant, animal, or cell) capable of surviving or living successfully, especially under particular environmental conditions.