Find the word definition

Crossword clues for eukaryote

The Collaborative International Dictionary
eukaryote

eukaryote \eukaryote\ n. an organism with "good" or membrane-bound nuclei having multiple chromosomes; eucaryotes also have other membrane-bound organelles such as mitochondria or chloroplasts, within the cytoplasm enclosed by the outer membrane. Such cells are characteristic of all life forms except primitive microorganisms such as bacteria and blue-green algae. Contrasted with prokaryote.

Syn: eucaryote.

Wiktionary
eukaryote

n. Any of the single-celled or multicellular organisms, of the taxonomic domain ''Eukaryota'', whose cells contain at least one distinct nucleus.

WordNet
eukaryote

n. an organism with cells characteristic of all life forms except primitive microorganisms such as bacteria; i.e. an organism with `good' or membrane-bound nuclei in its cells [syn: eucaryote] [ant: prokaryote]

Wikipedia
Eukaryote

A eukaryote ( or or ) is any organism whose cells contain a nucleus and other organelles enclosed within membranes.

Eukaryotes belong to the taxon Eukarya or Eukaryota. The defining feature that sets eukaryotic cells apart from prokaryotic cells ( Bacteria and Archaea) is that they have membrane-bound organelles, especially the nucleus, which contains the genetic material, and is enclosed by the nuclear envelope. The presence of a nucleus gives eukaryotes their name, which comes from the Greek εὖ (eu, "well") and κάρυον (karyon, "nut" or "kernel"). Eukaryotic cells also contain other membrane-bound organelles such as mitochondria and the Golgi apparatus. In addition, plants and algae contain chloroplasts. Eukaryotic organisms may be unicellular, or multicellular. Only eukaryotes form multicellular organisms consisting of many kinds of tissue made up of different cell types.

Eukaryotes can reproduce both asexually through mitosis and sexually through meiosis and gamete fusion. In mitosis, one cell divides to produce two genetically identical cells. In meiosis, DNA replication is followed by two rounds of cell division to produce four daughter cells each with half the number of chromosomes as the original parent cell ( haploid cells). These act as sex cells ( gametes – each gamete has just one complement of chromosomes, each a unique mix of the corresponding pair of parental chromosomes) resulting from genetic recombination during meiosis.

The domain Eukaryota appears to be monophyletic, and so makes up one of the three domains of life. The two other domains, Bacteria and Archaea, are prokaryotes and have none of the above features. Eukaryotes represent a tiny minority of all living things. However, due to their much larger size, eukaryotes' collective worldwide biomass is estimated at about equal to that of prokaryotes. Eukaryotes first developed approximately 1.6–2.1 billion years ago (during the proterozoic eon).

Usage examples of "eukaryote".

The genome is complex, and looks much more like a eukaryote genome than a virus genome.

There have been about 640,000 of the former, he estimated, and from 20 to 100 of the latter during the several hundred million years of eukaryote evolution.

The oldest eukaryotes yet known, called Grypania, were discovered in iron sediments in Michigan in 1992.

This master-slave arrangement is the common view of full-grown biologists, eukaryotes all.

Living things can be divided into two great groups, eukaryotes and prokaryotes, on the basis of their cellular structure.

The oldest eukaryotes yet known, called Grypania, were discovered in iron sediments in Michigan in 1992.

Another puzzle is the complexity of eukaryotes, especially the Cambrian explosion of 525 million years ago, when the range of terrestrial body-plans suddenly diversified out of all recognition.