The chemical reactions and pathways resulting in the formation of a fatty acid, any of the aliphatic monocarboxylic acids that can be liberated by hydrolysis from naturally occurring fats and oils. Fatty acids are predominantly straight-chain acids of 4 to 24 carbon atoms, which may be saturated or unsaturated; branched fatty acids and hydroxy fatty acids also occur, and very long chain acids of over 30 carbons are found in waxes.

A reproduction process that creates a new organism by combining the genetic material of two gametes, which may come from two organisms or from a single organism, in the case of self-fertilizing hermaphrodites, e.g. C. elegans, or self-fertilization in plants. It occurs both in eukaryotes and prokaryotes: in multicellular eukaryotic organisms, an individual is created anew; in prokaryotes, the initial cell has additional or transformed genetic material. In a process called genetic recombination, genetic material (DNA) originating from two gametes join up so that homologous sequences are aligned with each other, and this is followed by exchange of genetic information. After the new recombinant chromosome is formed, it is passed on to progeny.

The process whose specific outcome is the progression of the sorocarp over time, from its formation to the mature structure. The process begins with the aggregation of individual cells and ends with the mature sorocarp. The sorocarp is a structure containing a spore-bearing sorus that sits on top of a stalk. An example of this process is found in Dictyostelium discoideum.

Any process involved in the controlled self-propelled movement of a cell that results in translocation of the cell from one place to another.

Any process during chimeric sorocarp development that increases by which a cell increases the number of spore cells sharing its genotype at the expense of cells of other genotypes.