DIAECIOUS Meaning and
Definition
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Diaecious is an adjective that describes a biological condition in which male and female reproductive structures are found on separate individuals of the same species. The term is commonly used in the field of botany and refers to plants that exhibit unisexual flowers or plants that have distinct male and female individuals.
In diaecious plants, there are male plants that produce only male flowers with stamens (structures that produce pollen) and female plants that produce only female flowers with pistils (structures that contain the ovary and receive pollen for fertilization). This separation of sexes in different individuals allows for cross-pollination and prevents self-fertilization, which can promote genetic variation and increase the chances of successful reproduction.
Diaecious plants can be further classified as either monoecious or dioecious. Monoecious plants possess separate male and female flowers on the same plant, while dioecious plants have male and female flowers on distinct male and female individuals. The term diaecious is often used to refer specifically to dioecious plants.
This reproductive strategy can vary across different plant species and is an important aspect of their ecology and evolutionary success. Understanding the sexual reproductive biology of plants, including whether they are diaecious or not, is crucial for many areas of research, including plant breeding, conservation, and agricultural practices.
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A practical medical dictionary. By Stedman, Thomas Lathrop. Published 1920.
Common Misspellings for DIAECIOUS
- siaecious
- xiaecious
- ciaecious
- fiaecious
- riaecious
- eiaecious
- duaecious
- djaecious
- dkaecious
- doaecious
- d9aecious
- d8aecious
- dizecious
- diqecious
- diawcious
- diascious
- diadcious
- diarcious
- dia4cious
- dia3cious
Etymology of DIAECIOUS
The word "diaecious" is derived from the Greek term "diaikia", which means "into two households". It is a combination of "dia", meaning "through" or "across", and "oikos", meaning "house" or "household". The term is used in biology to describe a specific reproductive system in certain plants and animals, wherein male and female reproductive organs are found on separate individual organisms.
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