Glossary - Letter C

Ç - Vitamin C or ascorbic acid. Water-soluble antioxidant vitamin that fights scurvy. Main sources: citrus fruits such as acerola, orange and lemon.

Food chain - is the transfer of food energy that exists in the natural environment, in a sequence in which some organisms consume and others are consumers. These chains are responsible for the natural balance of communities and their disruption can bring about natural balance in communities and their disruption can have drastic consequences, as is the case with the elimination of insect predators. These can proliferate rapidly and turn into pests harmful to the human economy. The food chain is formed by different trophic levels (trophe = nutrition). The energy needed for ecosystem functioning comes from the sun and is captured by chlorophyll organisms (autotrophs), which for producing food are called producers (1st trophic level). These serve as food for primary consumers (2nd trophic level or herbivores), who serve as food for secondary consumers (3rd trophic level) who feed tertiary consumers (4th trophic level) and so on. action of saprophages (sapros = dead, decaying; phagos = devourer), which constitute the trophic level of decomposers.
Cup - Set of angiosperm flower sepals. It is usually green in color and is associated with the protection of floral structures.

Carcinogenic - chemicals that cause cancer or promote the growth of tumors previously started by other substances. There are cases where cancer appears in the children of mothers exposed to these substances. Some substances are carcinogenic at low levels, such as dioxin, and others react more vigorously. Most carcinogenic substances are also mutagenic and teratogenic.

Karyogamy - Fusion of haploid cell nuclei (n) forming an egg or zygote cell (2n)

Karyotype - Collection of genes that make up an individual.

Carotene - Yellow or orange pigment in plants and some algae; converted to vitamin A in the liver of vertebrates.

Carpel - Or pistil; megasporophil of angiosperm plants; it is formed by rolled and welded carpel sheets; The dilated and hollow part of the carpel is the ovary, inside which the eggs are. It can be said to be the unit of the female reproductive apparatus of vegetables. (see gyno).

Stem - Part of the plant embryo that forms the stem. (see radicle).

Eukaryotic Cell - The one that presents itself constituted of library.

Cellulose - Polysaccharide formed by the union of thousands of cellobiose molecules; each cellobiose is formed by two joined glycoses; Cellulose is the main component of the plant cell wall.

Centrioles - Cytoplasmic organelle present in eukaryotic cells, except fruit plants; Its functions are to originate eyelashes and flagella and to organize the achromatic spindle.

Centromeres - Or primary constriction. It is the previously spiral part that forms the chromosome. It is the most condensed part that forms and divides the chromosome.

Manure - Liquid waste from solid waste (garbage), particularly when disposed of on the ground, such as landfills. It mainly results from infiltrating rainwater and the biological decomposition of the organic part of solid waste. It is highly polluting.

Cyanobacteria - Denomination of Monera beings that although they have characteristics of bacteria, they also present chlorophyll, such as cyanophytic algae.

Cyanophytes - Designation of cyanofice beings.

Cyanomes - Characteristic cell structure of cyanophytic algae containing pigments such as phycocyanin and phycoerythrin

Life cycle - Includes the birth, growth, maturity, old age and death of organisms.

Ciliates - See Cilliophora.

Eyelashes - Filiform structure present on the surface of certain cells, generally shorter than the flagella; Its function is to promote movement (for swimming, cleaning or catching food).

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