Biology Prefixes and Suffixes: haplo-

Biology Prefixes and Suffixes: haplo-

Definition:

The prefix (haplo-) means single or simple. It is derived from the Greek haplous, which means single, simple, sound or uncompounded.

Examples:

Haplobiont (haplo - biont) - organisms, such as plants, that exist as either haploid or diploid forms and do not have a life cycle that alternates between a haploid stage and a diploid stage (alternation of generations).

Haplodeficiency (haplo - deficiency) - of, relating to, or pertaining to, the state of being haplodeficient.

Haplodeficient ( haplo - deficient) - describes a state where a gene is absent in one of a diploid copy.

Haplodiploidy (haplo - diploidy) - a type of asexual reproduction, known as arrhenotokous parthenogenesis, in which an unfertilized egg develops into a haploid male and a fertilized egg develops into a diploid female. Haplodiploidy occurs in insects such as bees, wasps and ants. Scientists believe that a type of bacteria found in bark may have contributed to the evolution of haplodiploidy in insects due to their nesting in the bark.

Haplodiplontic (haplo - diplontic) - a term that describes the life cycle of an organism that has both a haploid stage or stages as well as a multi-cellular diploid phase or phases.

Haplography (haplo - graphy) - the unintentional omission in the recording or writing of one or more similar letters.

Haplogroup (haplo - group) - a population of individuals that are genetically linked sharing similar genes inherited from a common ancestor. Haplogroups can correlate with the geographic origin for a particular population and can be traced through the mother's side of the family. The oldest known haplogroups are from Africa.

Haploid (haplo - id) - refers to a cell with a single set of chromosomes. Haploid can also refer to the number of chromosomes that are present in sex cells (in egg cells and in sperm cells).

Haploidentical (haplo - identical) - possessing the same underlying haplotype.

Haplometrosis (haplo - metrosis) - an entomological term that describes an ant colony that was established by just one queen.

Haplont (haplo - nt) - organisms, such as fungi and plants, that have a life cycle that alternates between a haploid stage and a diploid stage (alternation of generations).

Haplophase (haplo - phase) - the haploid phase in the life cycle of an organism. This phase is typical of the life cycle of some types of plants.

Haplopia (haplo - pia) - a type of vision, known as single vision, where objects viewed with two eyes appear as single objects. This is considered normal vision.

Haploscope (haplo - scope) - an instrument used to test binocular vision by presenting separate views to each eye so that they may be seen as a single integrated view. A synoptophore is an example of such a device that is used in medical settings.

Haplosis (haplo - sis) - the halving of the chromosome number during meiosis that produces haploid cells (cells with a single set of chromosomes).

Haplotype (haplo - type) - a combination of genes or alleles that are inherited together from a single parent.

haplo- Word Dissection

Similar to how biology students perform a live or virtual dissection on a fetal pig, using suffixes and prefixes to 'dissect' unfamiliar words is a key component to having success in the biological sciences. Now that you are familiar with haplo- words, you should be able to 'dissect' other similar biology terms like haplology and haploidies.

Additional Biology Prefixes and Suffixes

For more information on understanding complex biology terms, see:

Biology Word Dissections - Do you know what pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis is?

Biology Prefixes and Suffixes: "Cyto-" and "-Cyte" - The prefix cyto- means of or relating to a cell. It is derived from the Greek kytos which means hollow receptacle.

Biology Suffix Definition: -otomy, -tomy - The suffix "-otomy," or "-tomy," refers to the act of cutting or making an incision. This word part is derived from the Greek -tomia, which means to cut.
Biology Prefixes and Suffixes: proto- - The prefix (proto-) is derived from the Greek prôtos meaning first.
Biology Prefixes and Suffixes: staphylo-, staphyl- - The prefix (staphylo- or staphyl-) refers to shapes that resemble clusters, as in a bunch of grapes.

Sources

• Reece, Jane B., and Neil A. Campbell. Campbell Biology. Benjamin Cummings, 2011.