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
triadic symbiosis
Interdependence between three people, as in the intrafamilial setting of two parents and their child.
triphibious
Capable of living or operating on land, on water, and in the air; specifically of or pertaining to military operations involving land, sea, and air forces.
triphibiously
troglobiont (s) (noun), troglobionts (pl)
1. An organism found only in caves or subterranean passages: Jack, the scientific spelunker (cave explorer), was studying the plant troglobiont which was found in the deep recesses of the cave.
2. An animal living entirely in the dark parts of caves: Many troglobionts have adapted to life in caverns and no longer have functional eyes; in other words, they are blind.
troglobitic (adjective), more troglobitic, most troglobitic
1. A reference to any creature having a cave-dwelling mode of life: Some species of bats are more troglobitic than others in terms of establishing a life cycle in caverns.
2. Descriptive of an animal living entirely in the dark parts of underground dwellings: Most troglobitic creatures have become specifically adapted for life in total darkness and over time they have evolved to develop improved senses of smell, taste, and vibration detection, while losing anatomical features that are unnecessary without light; such as, eyes and pigmentation.

trophobiosis
Symbiosis in insects in which food is obtained from one species (the trophobiont) by another in return for protection.
trophobiotic
tryphobiontic
Inhabiting or living in bogs.
unbiological
1. Not in accord with the findings of biology.
2. Not such as occurs in the course of nature or as studied in biology.
virgin biomass
Living vegetation that has the potential for use as energy, as opposed to processed or waste materials.
waste biomass (s) (noun), waste biomasses (pl)
A collective term for substances, including municipal sewage, manure, forestry and agricultural residues and some types of unusable industrial products: The municipal engineers studied the waste biomass to determine what could be recycled into safe products.
xeniobiosis
Hospitality (cordial and generous treatment) in ant colonies.
xenobiologist
A scientist who speculates on the biology of alien life forms.

A xenobiologist is usually a human doctor, or biologist, who is an expert regarding the physiology of alien organisms and life forms.

xenobiosis
A form of symbiosis among ants in which two colonies of different species live together on friendly terms without rearing their broods in common.
xenobiotic
1. A pharmacologically, endocrinologically, or toxicologically active substance not endogenously produced and therefore foreign to an organism.
2. A foreign organic chemical; a reference to environmental pollutants; such as, pesticides in runoff water.
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-.