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Biology vocabulary · Experiments and Research Methods

Model organism

Meaning in biology, with examples

/ˈmɑːdəl ˌɔːrɡənɪzəm/nounCommon term

In biology, model organism means: A species that is studied in great detail because it is easy to keep and breed in the lab, so that findings can help explain biology in other organisms.

In Turkish: model organizma

How it is used

Classic examples are the bacterium E. coli, baker's yeast, the fruit fly Drosophila, the worm C. elegans, the plant Arabidopsis, zebrafish and the mouse. Each has a large research community, shared databases and established protocols.

Example sentences

  1. Arabidopsis is the most widely used model organism in plant biology.

  2. Fruit flies are a good model organism because they breed quickly and are cheap to keep.

Common collocations

  • genetic model
  • mouse model
  • animal model
  • model system
  • organismAny individual living thing, such as a bacterium, a mushroom, a tree or a human, that can grow, reproduce and respond to its environment.
  • in vivoDone or happening inside a living organism, such as a mouse, a plant or a human. The Latin phrase means 'in the living'.
  • vertebrateAn animal with a backbone made of vertebrae, such as a fish, amphibian, reptile, bird or mammal.
  • replicateOne of several repeats of the same measurement or experiment, done to check that the results are reliable. As a verb, it means to repeat an experiment or, for DNA and viruses, to copy itself.

More terms: Experiments and Research Methods

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