DOCSLIB.ORG

Life Science Vocabulary Terms

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Life Science Vocabulary Terms LIFE SCIENCE VOCABULARY TERMS abiotic - Nonliving, physical features of amino acids - Building blocks of the environment, including air, water, proteins. sunlight, soil, temperature, and climate. amniotic egg - Egg covered with a acid precipitation - leathery shell that provides a complete Precipitation with a pH environment for the embryo's below 5.6; occurs when development; for reptiles, a major pollutants from burning adaptation for living on land. fossil fuels react with amniotic sac - Thin, liquid-filled, water in the air to form acids; pollutes protective membrane that forms around water, kills fish and plants, damages soil. the embryo. active immunity - Long-lasting anaerobe - Any organism that is able to immunity that results when the body live without oxygen. makes its own antibodies in response to angiosperms - Flowering vascular a specific antigen. plants that produce a fruit containing one active transport - Energy-requiring or more seeds; monocots and dicots. process in which transport proteins bind antibiotics -Chemicals produced by with particles and move them through a some bacteria that are used to limit the cell membrane. growth of other bacteria. adaptation - Any variation that makes antibody - A protein made in response an organism better suited to its to a specific antigen that can attach to environment. the antigen and cause it to be useless. aerobe - Any organism that uses oxygen antigen - Complex molecule that is for respiration. foreign to your body. aggression - Forceful behavior, such as anus - Opening at the end of the fighting, used by an animal to control or digestive tract through which wastes dominate another animal in order to leave the body. protect young, defend appendages - Jointed structures of territory, or get food. arthropods, such as legs, wings, or algae chlorophyll- antennae. containing, plantlike artery - Blood vessel that carries blood protists that produce away from the heart and has thick, oxygen as a result of elastic walls made of connective tissue photosynthesis. and smooth muscle tissue. allele - An alternate form that a gene ascus - Saclike, spore-producing may have for a single trait; can be structure of sac fungi. dominant or recessive. asexual reproduction - A type of allergen - Substance that causes an reproduction--fission, budding, and allergic reaction. regeneration--in which a new organism allergy - Overly strong reaction of the is produced from one parent and has immune system to a foreign substance. DNA identical to the parent. alveoli - Tiny, thin-walled, grapelike asthma - Lung disorder in which the clusters at the end of each bronchiole bronchial tubes contract quickly and that are surrounded by capillaries, where cause shortness of breath, wheezing, or carbon dioxide and oxygen exchange coughing; may occur as an allergic takes place. reaction. LIFE SCIENCE VOCABULARY TERMS atmosphere -Air surrounding Earth; bladder - Elastic, muscular organ that made of gases, including 78 percent holds urine until it leaves the body nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen, and 0.03 through the urethra. percent carbon dioxide. brain stem - Connects the brain to the atriums - Two upper chambers of the spinal cord and is made up of the heart that contract at the same time midbrain, the pons, and the medulla. during a heartbeat. bronchi - Two short tubes that branch auxin - Plant hormone that causes plant off the lower end of the trachea and leaves and stems to exhibit positive carry air into the lungs. phototropisms. budding - Form of asexual reproduction axon - Neuron structure that carries in which a new, genetically identical messages away from the cell body. organism forms on the side of its parent. basidium Club - shaped, reproductive cambium - Vascular tissue that structure in which club fungi produce produces xylem and phloem cells as a spores. plant grows. behavior - The way in which an capillary - Microscopic blood vessel organism interacts with other organisms that connects arteries and veins, has and its environment; can be innate or walls one cell thick, through which learned. nutrients and oxygen diffuse into body bilateral symmetry - Body parts cells and waste materials and carbon arranged in a similar way on both sides dioxide diffuse out. of the body, with each half being a carbohydrate - Nutrient that usually is mirror image of the other half. the body's main source of energy. binomial nomenclature - Two-word Carbon cycle - Model describing how naming system for organisms; first word carbon molecules move between the is the genus and second word is the living and nonliving world. species. cardiac muscle - Striated, involuntary biogenesis - Theory that living things muscle found only in the heart. can come only from other living things. carnivore - Animal that eats only other biological vector - Disease-carrying animals or the remains of other animals. organism, such as a rat, mosquito, or fly, carrying capacity - Largest number of that spreads infectious disease. individuals of a particular species that an biomes - Large geographic areas with ecosystem can support over time. similar climates and ecosystems; cartilage - Tough, flexible tissue that includes tundra, taiga, desert, temperate joins vertebrae and makes up all or part deciduous forest, tropical and temperate of the vertebrate endoskeleton. rain forest, and grassland. cell - Smallest unit of a living thing that biosphere - Part of Earth that supports can perform the functions of life; has an life, including the top portion of Earth's orderly structure and contains hereditary crust, the atmosphere, and all the water material. on Earth's surface. cell membrane - Protective outer biotic - Features of the environment that covering of all cells that is made up of a are alive or were once alive. double layer of fatlike molecules and regulates the interaction between the cell and the environment. LIFE SCIENCE VOCABULARY TERMS cell theory - States that all organisms cilia - Short, threadlike structures that are made up of one or more cells, the extend from the cell membrane of a cell is the basic unit of life, and all cells ciliate and allow the organism to move come from other cells. quickly. cell wall - Rigid structure that encloses, climate – Average supports, and protects the cells of plants, weather conditions of algae, fungi, and most bacteria. an area over time, cellulose - Chemical compound made including wind, out of sugar; forms tangled fibers in the temperature, and cell walls of many plants and provides rainfall or other types of structure and support. precipitation such as snow, wind, or central nervous system - Division of sleet. the nervous system, made up of the brain climax community - Stable, end stage and spinal cord. of ecological succession in which the cerebellum - Part of the brain that plants and animals of a community use controls voluntary muscle movements, resources efficiently and balance is maintains muscle tone, and helps maintained by disturbances such as fire. maintain balance. closed circulatory system - Blood cerebrum - Largest part of the brain, circulation system in which blood moves where memory is stored, movements are through the body in closed vessels. controlled, and impulses from the senses cochlea Fluid - filled structure in the are interpreted. inner ear in which sound vibrations are chemical digestion - Occurs when converted into nerve impulses that are enzymes and other chemicals break sent to the brain. down large food molecules into smaller commensalism - A type of symbiotic ones. relationship in which one organism chemosynthesis – Process in which benefits and the other organism is not producers make energy-rich nutrient affected. molecules from chemicals. community - All the populations of chemotherapy - Use of chemicals to different species that live in an destroy cancer cells. ecosystem. chlorophyll – Green, light-trapping conditioning - Occurs when the pigment in plant chloroplasts what is response to a stimulus becomes important in photosynthesis. associated with another stimulus. chloroplast - Green, chlorophyll- condensation – Process that takes place containing, plant-cell organelle that when a gas changes into liquid. converts sunlight, carbon dioxide, and consumer - Organism that cannot create water into sugar. energy-rich molecules but obtains its chordate - Animal that has a notochord, food by eating other organisms. a nerve cord, gill slits, and a postanal tail contour feathers - Strong, lightweight present at some stage in its development. feathers that give birds their coloring and chromosome - Structure in a cell's shape and that are used for flight. nucleus that contains genetic material. control - In an experiment, the standard chyme - Liquid product of digestion. to which the outcome of the test will be compared. LIFE SCIENCE VOCABULARY TERMS coral reef – Diverse ecosystem formed diffusion - A type of passive transport in from the calcium carbonate shells cells in which molecules move from secreted by corals. areas where there are more of them to courtship behavior - Behavior that areas where there are fewer of them. allows males and females of the same diploid – Cell whose chromosomes species to recognize each other and occur in pairs. prepare to mate. DNA - Deoxyribonucleic crop - Digestive system sac in which acid, which is the genetic earthworms store ingested soil. material of all organisms, cuticle - Waxy protective layer that made up of two twisted covers the stems, leaves, and flowers of strands of sugar-phosphate many plants and helps prevent
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Glossary - Cellbiology
    1 Glossary - Cellbiology Blotting: (Blot Analysis) Widely used biochemical technique for detecting the presence of specific macromolecules (proteins, mRNAs, or DNA sequences) in a mixture. A sample first is separated on an agarose or polyacrylamide gel usually under denaturing conditions; the separated components are transferred (blotting) to a nitrocellulose sheet, which is exposed to a radiolabeled molecule that specifically binds to the macromolecule of interest, and then subjected to autoradiography. Northern B.: mRNAs are detected with a complementary DNA; Southern B.: DNA restriction fragments are detected with complementary nucleotide sequences; Western B.: Proteins are detected by specific antibodies. Cell: The fundamental unit of living organisms. Cells are bounded by a lipid-containing plasma membrane, containing the central nucleus, and the cytoplasm. Cells are generally capable of independent reproduction. More complex cells like Eukaryotes have various compartments (organelles) where special tasks essential for the survival of the cell take place. Cytoplasm: Viscous contents of a cell that are contained within the plasma membrane but, in eukaryotic cells, outside the nucleus. The part of the cytoplasm not contained in any organelle is called the Cytosol. Cytoskeleton: (Gk. ) Three dimensional network of fibrous elements, allowing precisely regulated movements of cell parts, transport organelles, and help to maintain a cell’s shape. • Actin filament: (Microfilaments) Ubiquitous eukaryotic cytoskeletal proteins (one end is attached to the cell-cortex) of two “twisted“ actin monomers; are important in the structural support and movement of cells. Each actin filament (F-actin) consists of two strands of globular subunits (G-Actin) wrapped around each other to form a polarized unit (high ionic cytoplasm lead to the formation of AF, whereas low ion-concentration disassembles AF).
    [Show full text]
  • Eastern Deciduous Forest
    Eastern Deciduous Forest Physical description Most of the terrain is rolling except for the Ozark Mountains, which can be steep. The average annual precipitation ranges from approximately 35 inches to 90 inches and is usually well-distributed throughout the year. Summers are hot; winters are cold. Dominant vegetation Deciduous trees dominate the landscape across the Eastern Deciduous Forest ecoregion where there is a lack of disturbance. Depending on location, trees such as oaks, hickories, maples, American beech, basswood, buckeye, yellow poplar, walnut, and birches are common in the overstory and can be indicators of a climax successional stage. Prevalent midstory trees include flowering dogwood, sassafras, sourwood, eastern redbud, hophornbeam, American hornbeam, and striped maple. Common shrubs include arrowwood, black huckleberry, blueberries, hawthorn, pawpaw, spicebush, viburnums, and witchhazel. A wide variety of forbs and ferns may be found in the understory. Common evergreen trees on many sites undergoing succession include eastern redcedar and shortleaf pine. Figure 2. Deciduous forest cover occurs over the Eastern Deciduous Forest ecoregion, except where areas have been cleared for agriculture and livestock. Changes in the composition, structure and function of the Eastern Deciduous Forest have already occurred during the past 100 years with the loss of American chestnut and the near total exclusion of fire. Prior to fire suppression, savannas and woodlands dominated by oak and shortleaf pine were prevalent over much of this ecoregion. Well-interspersed with forested areas in the Eastern Deciduous Forest ecoregion are agricultural fields, pastures and hayfields, and fields undergoing succession. Virtually all of these “old- fields” have been cropped in the past, and the vast majority has since been planted to nonnative grasses, especially tall fescue.
    [Show full text]
  • Activity-Release-Form-KLCC
    Kingdom Life Community Church Activity Release Form For those 18 years of age or older, all parents, and all guardians: I consent for any of my children listed below to participate in any activity or trip sponsored by Kingdom Life Community Church. In case of medical need or injury, I authorize the church to arrange for medical or dental services for me and any of my children listed below. I agree that any such expense will be my obligation. I, individually, or in my capacities as parent or guardian of the below listed children, waive, release, and indemnify the church and all of its agents, directors, officers, employees and volunteers (collectively, “released parties”) from all demands, claims, liability, in law or in equity, that have arisen or may arise from any church activity or trip and that involve any damage, loss, or injury to me, my spouse, any of my children, my property, or the property of any of my children. In the same capacities, I promise not to sue any of the released parties for any such demands, claims, or liability. This waiver, release, indemnification, and promise not to sue do not apply to claims of criminal conduct or gross negligence. I understand that the church may take photographs of me and my family in the course of its activities, and I grant the church permission to publish such photographs in a manner the church deems appropriate. This activity release form is in effect for any activities that I, or any of my children, may participate in. This form is revocable, prospectively only, by a writing signed by me that bears the date that the revocation is delivered to the church.
    [Show full text]
  • Buzzle – Zoology Terms – Glossary of Biology Terms and Definitions Http
    Buzzle – Zoology Terms – Glossary of Biology Terms and Definitions http://www.buzzle.com/articles/biology-terms-glossary-of-biology-terms-and- definitions.html#ZoologyGlossary Biology is the branch of science concerned with the study of life: structure, growth, functioning and evolution of living things. This discipline of science comprises three sub-disciplines that are botany (study of plants), Zoology (study of animals) and Microbiology (study of microorganisms). This vast subject of science involves the usage of myriads of biology terms, which are essential to be comprehended correctly. People involved in the science field encounter innumerable jargons during their study, research or work. Moreover, since science is a part of everybody's life, it is something that is important to all individuals. A Abdomen: Abdomen in mammals is the portion of the body which is located below the rib cage, and in arthropods below the thorax. It is the cavity that contains stomach, intestines, etc. Abscission: Abscission is a process of shedding or separating part of an organism from the rest of it. Common examples are that of, plant parts like leaves, fruits, flowers and bark being separated from the plant. Accidental: Accidental refers to the occurrences or existence of all those species that would not be found in a particular region under normal circumstances. Acclimation: Acclimation refers to the morphological and/or physiological changes experienced by various organisms to adapt or accustom themselves to a new climate or environment. Active Transport: The movement of cellular substances like ions or molecules by traveling across the membrane, towards a higher level of concentration while consuming energy.
    [Show full text]
  • Revised Glossary for AQA GCSE Biology Student Book
    Biology Glossary amino acids small molecules from which proteins are A built abiotic factor physical or non-living conditions amylase a digestive enzyme (carbohydrase) that that affect the distribution of a population in an breaks down starch ecosystem, such as light, temperature, soil pH anaerobic respiration respiration without using absorption the process by which soluble products oxygen of digestion move into the blood from the small intestine antibacterial chemicals chemicals produced by plants as a defence mechanism; the amount abstinence method of contraception whereby the produced will increase if the plant is under attack couple refrains from intercourse, particularly when an egg might be in the oviduct antibiotic e.g. penicillin; medicines that work inside the body to kill bacterial pathogens accommodation ability of the eyes to change focus antibody protein normally present in the body acid rain rain water which is made more acidic by or produced in response to an antigen, which it pollutant gases neutralises, thus producing an immune response active site the place on an enzyme where the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) an increasing substrate molecule binds problem in the twenty-first century whereby active transport in active transport, cells use energy bacteria have evolved to develop resistance against to transport substances through cell membranes antibiotics due to their overuse against a concentration gradient antiretroviral drugs drugs used to treat HIV adaptation features that organisms have to help infections; they
    [Show full text]
  • Solar System Simulator NASA SUMMER of INNOVATION
    National Aeronautics and Space Administration Solar System Simulator NASA SUMMER OF INNOVATION UNIT Earth and Space Science – Year of the Solar System DESCRIPTION This online software generates views of GRADE LEVELS the bodies of our planetary system at any th th 7 – 9 date from any artificial or natural point of observation. CONNECTION TO CURRICULUM Science and technology OBJECTIVES TEACHER PREPARATION TIME Students will: 1 hour • Investigate how to determine the relative position of the sun, LESSON TIME NEEDED planets, and a number of 30 minutes Complexity: Basic planetary spacecraft using a simple web-based program • Explore how planets change their position in space over time NATIONAL STANDARDS National Science Education Standards (NSTA) Science and Technology Standards • Abilities of technological design • Understanding about science and technology Earth and Space Science • Earth in the solar system • Objects in the sky Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (NCTM) Number and Operations in Base Ten • Perform operations with multi-digit whole numbers and with decimals to hundredths Operations and Algebraic Thinking • Generate and analyze patterns ISTE NETS and Performance Indicators for Students (ISTE) Creativity and Innovation • Use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues. Technology Operations and Concepts • Understand and use technology systems Aerospace Education Services Project MANAGEMENT MATERIALS Take time to practice with this software. While simple, it offers a • Computer with Internet variety of views with which to become familiar. access On the simulator homepage, a FIELD OF VIEW of 2 will show the inner solar system very nicely. It will be difficult to see the position of ALL the planets at one time.
    [Show full text]
  • The History of Planet Earth
    SECOND EDITION Earth’s Evolving The History of Systems Planet Earth Ronald Martin, Ph.D. University of Delaware Newark, Delaware © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC, an Ascend Learning Company. NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION 9781284457162_FMxx_00i_xxii.indd 1 07/11/16 1:46 pm World Headquarters Jones & Bartlett Learning 5 Wall Street Burlington, MA 01803 978-443-5000 [email protected] www.jblearning.com Jones & Bartlett Learning books and products are available through most bookstores and online booksellers. To contact Jones & Bartlett Learning directly, call 800-832-0034, fax 978-443-8000, or visit our website, www.jblearning.com. Substantial discounts on bulk quantities of Jones & Bartlett Learning publications are available to corporations, professional associations, and other qualified organizations. For details and specific discount information, contact the special sales department at Jones & Bartlett Learning via the above contact information or send an email to [email protected]. Copyright © 2018 by Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC, an Ascend Learning Company All rights reserved. No part of the material protected by this copyright may be reproduced or utilized in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the copyright owner. The content, statements, views, and opinions herein are the sole expression of the respective authors and not that of Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not constitute or imply its endorsement or recommendation by Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC, and such reference shall not be used for advertis- ing or product endorsement purposes.
    [Show full text]
  • THE CASE AGAINST Marine Mammals in Captivity Authors: Naomi A
    s l a m m a y t T i M S N v I i A e G t A n i p E S r a A C a C E H n T M i THE CASE AGAINST Marine Mammals in Captivity The Humane Society of the United State s/ World Society for the Protection of Animals 2009 1 1 1 2 0 A M , n o t s o g B r o . 1 a 0 s 2 u - e a t i p s u S w , t e e r t S h t u o S 9 8 THE CASE AGAINST Marine Mammals in Captivity Authors: Naomi A. Rose, E.C.M. Parsons, and Richard Farinato, 4th edition Editors: Naomi A. Rose and Debra Firmani, 4th edition ©2009 The Humane Society of the United States and the World Society for the Protection of Animals. All rights reserved. ©2008 The HSUS. All rights reserved. Printed on recycled paper, acid free and elemental chlorine free, with soy-based ink. Cover: ©iStockphoto.com/Ying Ying Wong Overview n the debate over marine mammals in captivity, the of the natural environment. The truth is that marine mammals have evolved physically and behaviorally to survive these rigors. public display industry maintains that marine mammal For example, nearly every kind of marine mammal, from sea lion Iexhibits serve a valuable conservation function, people to dolphin, travels large distances daily in a search for food. In learn important information from seeing live animals, and captivity, natural feeding and foraging patterns are completely lost.
    [Show full text]
  • The Polyp and the Medusa Life on the Move
    The Polyp and the Medusa Life on the Move Millions of years ago, unlikely pioneers sparked a revolution. Cnidarians set animal life in motion. So much of what we take for granted today began with Cnidarians. FROM SHAPE OF LIFE The Polyp and the Medusa Life on the Move Take a moment to follow these instructions: Raise your right hand in front of your eyes. Make a fist. Make the peace sign with your first and second fingers. Make a fist again. Open your hand. Read the next paragraph. What you just did was exhibit a trait we associate with all animals, a trait called, quite simply, movement. And not only did you just move your hand, but you moved it after passing the idea of movement through your brain and nerve cells to command the muscles in your hand to obey. To do this, your body needs muscles to move and nerves to transmit and coordinate movement, whether voluntary or involuntary. The bit of business involved in making fists and peace signs is pretty complex behavior, but it pales by comparison with the suites of thought and movement associated with throwing a curve ball, walking, swimming, dancing, breathing, landing an airplane, running down prey, or fleeing a predator. But whether by thought or instinct, you and all animals except sponges have the ability to move and to carry out complex sequences of movement called behavior. In fact, movement is such a basic part of being an animal that we tend to define animalness as having the ability to move and behave.
    [Show full text]
  • Nature Based Solutions FEMA
    PROMOTING NATURE-BASED HAZARD MITIGATION THROUGH FEMA MITIGATION GRANTS ABBREVIATIONS ADCIRC – Advanced Circulation Model HGM Approach – Hydrogeomorphic Approach BCA – Benefit-Cost Analysis HMA – Hazard Mitigation Assistance BCR – Benefit-Cost Ratio HMGP – Hazard Mitigation Grant Program BRIC – Building Resilient Infrastructure and MSCP – Multiple Species Conservation Program Communities NBS – Nature-Based Solution C&CB – Capability- and Capacity-Building NFIP – National Flood Insurance Program CDBG-DR – Community Development Block Grant- Disaster Recovery NFWF – National Fish and Wildlife Foundation CDBG-MIT – Community Development Block NOAA – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Grant-Mitigation Administration D.C. – District of Columbia NOFO – Notice of Funding Opportunity DEM – Department of Emergency Management NPV – Net Present Value DOI – Department of the Interior SCC – State Coastal Conservancy EDYS – Ecological Dynamics Simulation SDG&E – San Diego Gas & Electric EMA – Emergency Management Agency SFHA – Special Flood Hazard Area EPA SWMM – Environmental Protection Agency SHMO – State Hazard Mitigation Officer Storm Water Management Model SLAMM – Sea Level Affecting Marshes Model FEMA – Federal Emergency Management Agency SRH-2D – Sedimentation and River Hydraulics – FIRM – Flood Insurance Rate Map Two-Dimension FMA – Flood Mitigation Assistance STWAVE – Steady-State Spectral Wave Model FMAG – Fire Management Assistance Grant TNC – The Nature Conservancy HAZUS – Hazards US USACE – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers HEC-HMS – Hydrologic
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction to the Cell Cell History Cell Structures and Functions
    Introduction to the cell cell history cell structures and functions CK-12 Foundation December 16, 2009 CK-12 Foundation is a non-profit organization with a mission to reduce the cost of textbook materials for the K-12 market both in the U.S. and worldwide. Using an open-content, web-based collaborative model termed the “FlexBook,” CK-12 intends to pioneer the generation and distribution of high quality educational content that will serve both as core text as well as provide an adaptive environment for learning. Copyright ©2009 CK-12 Foundation This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/us/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA. Contents 1 Cell structure and function dec 16 5 1.1 Lesson 3.1: Introduction to Cells .................................. 5 3 www.ck12.org www.ck12.org 4 Chapter 1 Cell structure and function dec 16 1.1 Lesson 3.1: Introduction to Cells Lesson Objectives • Identify the scientists that first observed cells. • Outline the importance of microscopes in the discovery of cells. • Summarize what the cell theory proposes. • Identify the limitations on cell size. • Identify the four parts common to all cells. • Compare prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Introduction Knowing the make up of cells and how cells work is necessary to all of the biological sciences. Learning about the similarities and differences between cell types is particularly important to the fields of cell biology and molecular biology.
    [Show full text]
  • Congolius, a New Genus of African Reed Frog Endemic to The
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Congolius, a new genus of African reed frog endemic to the central Congo: A potential case of convergent evolution Tadeáš Nečas1,2*, Gabriel Badjedjea3, Michal Vopálenský4 & Václav Gvoždík1,5* The reed frog genus Hyperolius (Afrobatrachia, Hyperoliidae) is a speciose genus containing over 140 species of mostly small to medium-sized frogs distributed in sub-Saharan Africa. Its high level of colour polymorphism, together with in anurans relatively rare sexual dichromatism, make systematic studies more difcult. As a result, the knowledge of the diversity and taxonomy of this genus is still limited. Hyperolius robustus known only from a handful of localities in rain forests of the central Congo Basin is one of the least known species. Here, we have used molecular methods for the frst time to study the phylogenetic position of this taxon, accompanied by an analysis of phenotype based on external (morphometric) and internal (osteological) morphological characters. Our phylogenetic results undoubtedly placed H. robustus out of Hyperolius into a common clade with sympatric Cryptothylax and West African Morerella. To prevent the uncovered paraphyly, we place H. robustus into a new genus, Congolius. The review of all available data suggests that the new genus is endemic to the central Congolian lowland rain forests. The analysis of phenotype underlined morphological similarity of the new genus to some Hyperolius species. This uniformity of body shape (including cranial shape) indicates that the two genera have either retained ancestral morphology or evolved through convergent evolution under similar ecological pressures in the African rain forests. African reed frogs, Hyperoliidae Laurent, 1943, are presently encompassing almost 230 species in 17 genera.
    [Show full text]