Dictionary > Anoxia

Anoxia

Definition
noun
(1) A condition in which oxygen is completely absent or depleted.
(2) Severe hypoxia; lack of oxygen supply, e.g. to a body organ or tissue.
Supplement
Anoxia happens when a body tissue is completely deprived of oxygen. It is also observed in the environment, particularly when oxygen is depleted in a basin. This leads to denitrification wherein bacteria use nitrate of sea water as the second-best electron acceptor when oxygen is absent in water.
Word origin: an– (without) + oxy(gen) –ia.

Related forms: anoxic (adjective)
Compare: hyperoxia

See also: hypoxia
Related terms:

  • Stagnant anoxia
  • Oxygen affinity anoxia


You will also like...

squirrel
Animal Water Regulation

Animals adapt to their environment in aspects of anatomy, physiology, and behavior. This tutorial will help you understa..

Plant Water Regulation
Plant Water Regulation

Plants need to regulate water in order to stay upright and structurally stable. Find out the different evolutionary adap..

Water Cycle
The Water Cycle

The water cycle (also referred to as the hydrological cycle) is a system of continuous transfer of water from the air, s..

Adaptation Tutorial
Adaptation Tutorial

Adaptation, in biology and ecology, refers to the process or trait through which organisms or the populations in a habit..

Plant biology
Plant Biology

Plantlife can be studied at a variety of levels, from the molecular, genetic and biochemical level through organelles, c..

Early Earth
The Origins of Life

This tutorial digs into the past to investigate the origins of life. The section is split into geological periods in the..