The hydrological cycle is also called the water cycle, the global water cycle or the hydrologic cycle. It explains the water-cycling mechanism through the earth’s biosphere. The physical state of water has three phases, namely solid (glaciers, ice sheets etc.), liquid (oceans, rivers, lakes, ponds etc.) and gas (water vapours). The water cycle has four …
Cloud formation can be seen in the earth’s homosphere. Nephology is the science of clouds. Clouds form by the condensation of water vapours into water droplets or ice crystals. Stratus, cirrus, stratocumulus, cumulus and cumulonimbus are common types of clouds in the troposphere, stratosphere and mesosphere. Clouds in the stratosphere and mesosphere regions appear as …
The physical state of water has three phases (solid, liquid and gas), depending upon the factors like hydrogen bonding, temperature and pressure. Water is a polar inorganic compound that serves as a universal solvent. It has a neutral pH in a pure state. The melting point of water is 0 degrees Celsius, and the boiling …
The difference between colloid and solution is due to the properties like the solubility of particles, chemical nature and light scattering property. Colloids form when the particles (diameter from 1-1000 nm) are suspended in the dispersion medium. Oppositely, a true solution forms when the solute particles (diameter less than 1 nm) completely dissolve in the …
Bacterial transcription occurs in the cytoplasm. Transcription merely refers to the mechanism of mRNA synthesis complementary to the DNA template strand. The whole process is regulated enzymatically by the RNA polymerase holoenzyme. The study of transcription in prokaryotes is quite simple than the eukaryotic transcription. Besides RNA polymerase, prokaryotic transcription uses some protein factors that …
Seed dispersal is an essential mechanism through which spermatophytes or seed-bearing plants disperse their seeds via dispersal agents like wind, water, fruit explosion and animals. Seeds disperse into new sites where they grow or germinate under favourable conditions. Seeds first grow into seedlings and later into well-developed plants and trees, thereby providing food, shelter and …
Nastic movement is another form of curvature movement shown by some members of plants. It occurs in response to diffuse external stimuli. A stimulus that does not affect the plant’s orientation is called a diffuse stimulus. The direction of response in the nastic movement is independent of stimuli direction. Nastic movement is also referred to …
The difference between anabolism and catabolism is mainly characterized due to the difference in the types of substrates participating, types of products forming and the type of metabolic phase. Small monomers function as the substrate molecules in anabolism, whereas large and complex polymers serve as the substrate molecules in catabolism. Anabolic pathways typically form complex …
Ex-situ biodiversity conservation refers to one of the approaches of conserving biodiversity that ensure the survival and sustainability of endangered plants and animal species outside their native habitat. It provides an artificial environment for diverse plants and animals similar to their actual growth conditions. It is also termed as “Off-site conservation”. Human activities and some …
Lipid aggregates exist in varying forms starting from monolayer to structures like lamellar, tubular, cubic etc. The different structures or aggregates of lipids are known as phases. Largely, lipids are hydrophobic or water-insoluble. Lipids assemble into microscopic aggregates in the aqueous environment because of their amphipathic nature. They possess both hydrophilic (a polar head) and …