bio-, bi-, -bia, -bial, -bian, -bion, -biont, -bius, -biosis, -bium, -biotic, -biotical

(Greek: life; living, live, alive)

Don’t confuse this element with another bi- which means "two".

The most important things in life are not things.

—Anonymous
abiotically (adverb), more abiotically, most abiotically
That which is harmful to or destructive of living organisms: "Water pollution abiotically creates deadly conditions for aquatic plants and animals; such as, fish."
abiotrophia (s) (noun), abiotrophias (pl)
Degeneration or the loss of physical vitality or ability.
abiotrophic (adjective), more abiotrophic, most abiotrophic
1. A reference to the physical degeneration or the loss of vitality.
2. Describing disease processes presumed to be a result of the progressive loss of vitality of certain tissues or organs leading to physical disorders or the loss of bodily functions.
abiotrophy (s) (noun), abiotrophies (pl)
1. The loss of vitality in or the degeneration of certain cells or tissues, as in the aging process; physical degeneration; loss of vitality: The loss of functions or vitality in an organism or in cells or tissues which is not a result of any apparent injury; for example, senile dementia and related abiotrophies.
2. Progressive loss of vitality of certain tissues or organs leading to disorders or losses of functions: The abiotrophy of the heart may be appreciably shorter than that of other organs of the body which can lead to early disturbances in activities that upset other bodily organs.
acaustobiolith (s) (noun), acaustobioliths (pl)
A noncombustible rock that is organic or formed by organic accumulation of minerals: Acaustobioliths include diatomite, radiolarite, phosphorite, and some limestones.
actinobiology (s) (noun) (no pl)
The study of the effects of radiation on living organisms; radiation biology: Actinobiology, the science concerning the action of ionising radiation on living creatures, is especially concerned with the effects of this on living creatures.
active euthanasia (s) (noun), active euthanasias (pl)
The deliberate putting of someone to death because that person is suffering from a painful and incurable disease and desperately wants to die: Active euthanasia is another term for "mercy killing".
aerobiological (adjective) (not comparable)
A reference to the study of airborne micro-organisms or spores and their distributions: The agrobiological branch of science deals with the occurrence and transportation of viruses, pollen, or pollutants that can be agents of infection.

Aerobiological aspects include the distribution of living organisms by air, either by the exterior, or outdoor air (extramural aerobiology), or by the indoor air (intramural aerobiology).

aerobiologist (s) (noun), aerobiologists (pl)
Someone who specializes in the study of airborne microorganisms or spores: Jack's dad was an aerobiologist who studied the effects of viruses, pollen, and pollutants that were transported by air currents.
aerobiont (s) (noun), aerobionts (pl)
Any kind of living thing that needs oxygen to survive: An aerobiont can be a cat, a dog a horse, a plant, or a human being since they all need air to live!
aerobioscope (s) (noun), aerobioscopes (pl)
An apparatus for collecting and determining the bacterial content in a sample of air: As an agrobiologist, Mary's father had to use an aerobioscope in his lab for doing research on bacteria that he collected from the air.
aerobiosis (s) (noun), aerobioses (pl)
Growith or the occurrence of life only in the presence of molecular oxygen: Aerobiosis concerns life forms, or their rexistence, in the air with free oxygen.

Aertobiosis pertains to life, or the organic wonder or miracle, which makes the difference between living forms of life and nonliving forms of life.

Life which is sustainable by means of atmospheric oxygen is termed aerobiosis.

agrobiologist (s) (noun), agrobiologists (pl)
An expert in the field of plant nutrition and growth: An agrobiologist is a specialist in the line of bacteria and microorganisms in soil regarding the growth of crops and the feeding of domestic animals.
agrobiology (s) (noun) (no pl)
The study of the breeding, nutrition, and growth of crops: Agrobiology deals especially with soil management.

Agrobiology is the quantitative science of plant life and plant nutrition.

allobiosphere (s) (noun), allobiospheres (pl)
That part of the earth's surface and surrounding air that is capable of supporting life in which heterotrophic (dependent on other sources for food) organisms occur but into which organic food material must be transported because the primary production does not take place where they are: Most of the occupants of the various allobiospheres usually depend on green plants that include elements of solar energy that have been converted into chemical energy which is food for the various species of animal life.

Another allobiosphere has been discovered at the bottom of the seas where hot springs come up from that part of the Earth that is deep below the surface or on the seafloor where hot springs have animals that are separate from green plants but that depend on bacteria that utilize the energy of chemicals from the hot springs.

Ocean depths are the most extensive and permanent example of the allobiosphere where in great areas there is no light and so there is no active plant life; however, explorers of the depths of the oceans have discovered various animals; such as, worms, prawn-like creatures, and many types of fish that live in these locations.

The ecologist, G. Evelyn Hutchinson, coined the term allobiosphere for these environments, where plant life and its photosynthesis are replaced by environmental extremes of darkness, heat, or cold, but where life continues, life that depends for nourishment from materials that come from other places.

—This information was compiled from the following sources:
"The Allobiosphere", WorldandISchool.com; "Life in the allobiosphere", UK Pubmed Central;
based on excerpts from "Natural Science", by John S. Edwards; 1988.
Quiz If you would like to take a series of self-scoring quizzes over some of the words in this bio- unit, then click this Life, Live, Living Quiz link so you can check your knowledge. You may also try several additional quizzes in this listing.

Related life, live-word units: anima-; -cole; vita-; viva-.