A fenestra (fenestration; plural fenestrae or fenestrations) is any small opening or pore, commonly used as a term in the

biological sciences Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary ...

. It is the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

word for "window", and is used in various fields to describe a pore in an anatomical structure.

Biological morphology

morphology Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to: Disciplines * Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts * Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies ...

, fenestrae are found in

cancellous bone A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, and ...

s, particularly in the

skull The skull is a bone protective cavity for the brain. The skull is composed of four types of bone i.e., cranial bones, facial bones, ear ossicles and hyoid bone. However two parts are more prominent: the cranium and the mandible. In humans, th ...

. In

anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having it ...

, the

round window The round window is one of the two openings from the middle ear into the inner ear. It is sealed by the secondary tympanic membrane (round window membrane), which vibrates with opposite phase to vibrations entering the inner ear through the oval ...

and

oval window The oval window (or ''fenestra vestibuli'' or ''fenestra ovalis'') is a membrane-covered opening from the middle ear to the cochlea of the inner ear. Vibrations that contact the tympanic membrane travel through the three ossicles and into the in ...

are also known as the ''fenestra rotunda'' and the ''fenestra ovalis''. In

microanatomy Histology, also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology which studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissues. Histology is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy, which looks at larger structures vis ...

, fenestrae are found in

endothelium The endothelium is a single layer of squamous endothelial cells that line the interior surface of blood vessels and lymphatic vessels. The endothelium forms an interface between circulating blood or lymph in the lumen and the rest of the vesse ...

of fenestrated capillaries, enabling the rapid exchange of

molecule A molecule is a group of two or more atoms held together by attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions which satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemistry, and bioche ...

s between the blood and surrounding tissue. The elastic layer of the

tunica intima The tunica intima (New Latin "inner coat"), or intima for short, is the innermost tunica (layer) of an artery or vein. It is made up of one layer of endothelial cells and is supported by an internal elastic lamina. The endothelial cells are i ...

is a fenestrated membrane. In surgery, a fenestration is a new opening made in a part of the body to enable drainage or access.

Plant biology and mycology

plant biology Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

, the perforations in a

perforate leaf Perforate leaves, sometimes called fenestrate, occur naturally in some species of plants. Holes develop as a leaf grows. The size, shape, and quantity of holes in each leaf can vary greatly depending on the species and can even vary greatly withi ...

are also described as fenestrae, and the leaf is called a fenestrate leaf. The

leaf window Leaf window, also known as epidermal window, and fenestration. is a specialized leaf structure consisting of a translucent area through which light can enter the interior surfaces of the leaf where photosynthesis can occur. The translucent structu ...

is also known as a fenestra, and is a translucent structure that transmits light, as in ''

Fenestraria ''Fenestraria'' (known as babies' toes or window plant) is a (possibly monotypic) genus of succulent plants in the family Aizoaceae, native to the Namaqualand in Namibia. Description The only species currently recognised in this genus is '' ...

''. Examples of fenestrate structures in the fungal kingdom include the symmetrically arranged gaps in the indusium ("skirt") of the mushroom ''

Phallus duplicatus ''Phallus duplicatus'' (common name, netted stinkhorn or wood witch) is a species of fungus in the stinkhorn family. The bell-shaped to oval cap is green-brown, the cylindrical stalk is white. When mature the cap becomes sticky with a slimy gree ...

'', and the

thallus Thallus (plural: thalli), from Latinized Greek (), meaning "a green shoot" or "twig", is the vegetative tissue of some organisms in diverse groups such as algae, fungi, some liverworts, lichens, and the Myxogastria. Many of these organisms ...

of the coral lichen ''

Pulchrocladia retipora ''Pulchrocladia retipora'', most commonly known as the coral lichen, is a species of fruticose lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. It occurs in Australasia and New Caledonia where it grows in coastal and alpine heathlands. The lichen features co ...

''.

Zoology

zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and ...

, the trilobite ''

Fenestraspis ''Fenestraspis'' is an extinct genus of trilobite in the order Phacopida from the Upper Pragian and Lower Emsian. ''Fenestraspis'' is unusual because of the development of extensive fenestrae in the posterior part of the body and apparently of t ...

'' possessed extensive fenestrae in the posterior part of the body. In the

paleognathae Palaeognathae (; ) is a infraclass of birds, called paleognaths, within the class Aves of the clade Archosauria. It is one of the two extant infraclasses of birds, the other being Neognathae, both of which form Neornithes. Palaeognathae contain ...

, there is an ilio–ischiatic fenestra. Fenestrae are also used to distinguish the three types of amniote:

References

{{Reflist, colwidth=30em, refs= {{cite book , last1=Kiernan , first1=J.A. , last2=Barr , first2=Murray Llewellyn , title=Barr's the Human Nervous System: An Anatomical Viewpoint , publisher=Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins , publication-place=Philadelphia , year=2009 , isbn=978-0-7817-8256-2 , oclc=219262888 , page=320 {{cite book , last1=Beentje , first1=H. , last2=Williamson , first2=J. , year=2010 , title=The Kew Plant Glossary: An Illustrated Dictionary of Plant Terms , publisher=Kew Publishing , location=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew , page=47 {{cite dictionary , last=Dorland , first=W. A. Newman , title=Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary , edition=28th , publisher=Saunders , publication-place=Philadelphia , year=1994 , isbn=978-0-7216-2859-2 , oclc=30948606 , page=615 {{cite journal , first1=David J. , last1=Holloway , first2=Maria da Gloria Pires de , last2=Carvalho , year=2009 , title=The extraordinary trilobite ''Fenestraspis'' (Dalmanitidae, Synphoriinae) from the Lower Devonian of Bolivia , journal= Palaeontology , volume=52 , issue=4 , pages=933–949 , doi=10.1111/j.1475-4983.2009.00878.x , doi-access=free {{cite book , last1=Krstić , first=Radivoj V. , title=Human Microscopic Anatomy: An Atlas for Students of Medicine and Biology , publisher=Springer Berlin Heidelberg , publication-place=Berlin, Heidelberg , year=1991 , isbn=978-3-662-02676-2 , oclc=851388484 , page=56 {{cite journal , last1=Stocker-Wörgötter , first1=Elfie , last2=Elix , first2=John A. , year=2006 , title=Morphogenetic strategies and induction of secondary metabolite biosynthesis in cultured lichen-forming Ascomycota, as exemplified by ''Cladia retipora'' (Labill.) Nyl. and ''Dactylina arctica'' (Richards) Nyl. , journal=Symbiosis , volume=40 , pages=9–20 , url=https://dalspace.library.dal.ca/bitstream/handle/10222/78197/VOLUME%2041-NUMBER%201-2006-PAGE%209.pdf?sequence=1 {{cite book , last1=Ulloa , first1=Miguel , last2=Halin , first2=Richard T. , title=Illustrated Dictionary of Mycology , edition=2nd , year=2012 , publisher=The American Phytopathological Society , location=St. Paul, Minnesota , isbn=978-0-89054-400-6 , page=220 Anatomy Biology Angiology Fungal morphology and anatomy sv:Fenestrae

Biological morphology

Plant biology and mycology

Zoology

See also

References