Biology Questions and Answers

PTC(phenylthiocarbamide) has the unusual property that it either tastes very bitter or is virtually tasteless, depending on the genetic makeup of the taster. The ability to taste PTC is often treated as a dominant genetic trait, although inheritance and expression of this trait are somewhat more complex.

To some people, small amounts of the compounds phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) taste very bitter; other people do not taste these compounds. The myth is that there are only two kinds of people, tasters and non-tasters, and that the trait is controlled by a single gene, with the allele for tasting dominant over the allele for non-tasting.
∴ ability to taste PTC in some individuals is a character that is heritable.

Morphological variation includes aspects of the outward appearance i.e shape, structure, color, pattern, size which is in contrast to physiology variation which deals primarily with function.

Morphological variation arises from a number of factors which can be bluntly classified as either genetic or environmental implanted into the process of evolution.

Volvox is an example of organism thatforms spherical colonies of up to 50,000 cells.
A colony is composed of two or more individuals living in close association with, or connected to, one another, usually for mutual benefit such as stronger defense or the ability to attack bigger prey.

It is a cluster of identical cells (clones) on the surface of (or within) a solid medium, usually derived from a single parent cell.

Parasitic nutrition is heterotrophic nutrition where a parasitic organism lives on the body surface or inside the body of another type of organism (a host) and gets nutrition directly from the body of the host. Since these parasites derive nourishment from their host, this symbiotic interaction is often described as harmful to the host.
Saprotrophic nutrition is a process of chemoheterotrophic extracellular digestion involved in the processing of decayed organic matter.

The organism feeds on dead matter i.e fungi
A carnivore is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of animal tissue, whether through predation or scavenging.

A superior ovary is an ovary attached to the receptacle above the attachment of other floral parts
A half-inferior ovary is embedded or surrounded by the receptacle.

An inferior ovary lies below the attachment of other floral parts.