This directory maps physical and biological structure levels from fundamental particles up to species, showing how each connects to the UCLS ontology and taxonomy.
Quark — Particle
Built From: Elementary fermion
Connected To: Combines to form hadrons (protons, neutrons)
UCLS Role: Fundamental substrate; part of all baryonic matter anchoring biological systems
Lepton — Particle
Built From: Elementary fermion
Connected To: Electrons orbit nuclei; neutrinos interact weakly
UCLS Role: Electrons determine chemical bonding → molecule formation → biochemistry anchors
Gauge Boson — Particle
Built From: Elementary boson
Connected To: Mediates fundamental forces (photon, gluon, W/Z bosons)
UCLS Role: Underlying interactions that allow matter cohesion
Scalar Boson — Particle
Built From: Elementary boson
Connected To: Higgs boson gives mass via Higgs field
UCLS Role: Mass assignment to particles → stable structures for biology
Proton — CompositeParticle
Built From: 2 up quarks + 1 down quark
Connected To: Atomic nucleus (with neutrons) → defines element identity
UCLS Role: Anchor for atomic number → chemical element in taxonomy of matter
Neutron — CompositeParticle
Built From: 1 up quark + 2 down quarks
Connected To: Atomic nucleus; isotope variation
UCLS Role: Anchor for isotope identity; isotopic data used in ecological/taxonomic studies
Electron — Lepton
Built From: Elementary fermion
Connected To: Electron cloud; chemical bonding
UCLS Role: Defines chemical reactivity → biochemical pathways → organism traits
Atom — Atom
Built From: Protons + Neutrons + Electrons
Connected To: Elements; periodic table
UCLS Role: Chemical taxonomy base; elements in biological molecules
Molecule — Molecule
Built From: Two or more atoms
Connected To: Organic/inorganic compounds
UCLS Role: Basis for biochemical taxonomy (lipids, proteins, nucleic acids)
Macromolecule — Macromolecule
Built From: Polymers of smaller molecules
Connected To: DNA, RNA, proteins, polysaccharides
UCLS Role: Direct anchors in modern taxonomy (DNA barcodes, protein sequences)
Organelle — Organelle
Built From: Macromolecules and membranes
Connected To: Cellular structures (nucleus, mitochondria, ribosomes)
UCLS Role: Morphological/genomic anchors for taxonomic classification
Cell — Cell
Built From: Organelles (eukaryotes) or macromolecular complexes (prokaryotes)
Connected To: Prokaryotic/Eukaryotic domains
UCLS Role: Type strain (ICNP) or type specimen (ICNafp/ICZN) originates from whole cells
Tissue — Tissue
Built From: Specialized cells
Connected To: Organs
UCLS Role: Histological features used in species descriptions
Organ — Organ
Built From: Tissues
Connected To: Organ systems
UCLS Role: Morphological anchors in taxonomy (e.g., floral structures, skeletal features)
Organism — Organism
Built From: Organ systems
Connected To: Populations
UCLS Role: Physical type specimens for nomenclature
Population — Population
Built From: Organisms of the same species
Connected To: Species
UCLS Role: Population-level variation informs taxonomic decisions
Species — Taxon
Built From: Populations
Connected To: Higher taxa
UCLS Role: Base unit in ICNafp, ICZN, ICNP, ICTV; anchored by type specimen/strain/sequence
Genus — Taxon
Built From: Species
Connected To: Families
UCLS Role: Grouping of species; key binomial component; governed by all biological codes
Family — Taxon
Built From: Genera
Connected To: Orders
UCLS Role: Grouping of genera; often defined by morphological/genetic characters; rank analogs vary by code
Order — Taxon
Built From: Families
Connected To: Classes
UCLS Role: Grouping of families; connects morphological/ecological traits; suffixes vary by code
Class — Taxon
Built From: Orders
Connected To: Phyla / Divisions
UCLS Role: Higher grouping; organizes orders into broader categories; suffixes vary by code
Phylum / Division — Taxon
Built From: Classes
Connected To: Kingdoms
UCLS Role: Groups classes into major body plan or lineage categories; terminology differs by code
Kingdom — Taxon
Built From: Phyla / Divisions
Connected To: Domains / Realms
UCLS Role: Broadest traditional rank within many codes; groups life forms into major categories
Domain / Realm — Taxon
Built From: Kingdoms
Connected To: Root of Life Tree
UCLS Role: Highest level in modern taxonomy; unites all life or viruses under super-categories
Key terms in plain language
Open a term for a concise explanation of language used on this page.
Cloud Computing
Computing resources—such as applications, servers, storage, or databases—delivered from remote infrastructure and scaled as requirements change.
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
Cloud-based servers, storage, and networking that customers configure and manage without owning the underlying data-center hardware.
Software as a Service (SaaS)
Software accessed as an online service instead of being installed and maintained entirely on the customer’s own computers or servers.
Disaster Recovery (DRaaS)
A plan and service for restoring applications, data, and operations after an outage or disruption. DRaaS provides recovery infrastructure through a managed cloud service.
Identity and Access Management (IAM)
The systems and policies that determine who a user is, what resources they may access, and how that access is authenticated and reviewed.
API
An application programming interface is a defined way for software systems to exchange data or request functions from one another.