Scientifically, the term buffalo is incorrect for the North American species; its proper Latin name is Bison bison. However, common usage has made the term buffalo an acceptable synonym for the American bison. (from The American Buffalo in Transition, by J. Albert Rorabacher.).
Life cycle. Life cycle, in biology, the series of changes that the members of a species undergo as they pass from the beginning of a given developmental stage to the inception of that same developmental stage in a subsequent generation.
life cycle. 1  The series of changes in the growth and development of an organism from its beginning as an independent life form to its mature state in which offspring are produced. 2  The sequence of events between the start of one generation and the start of the next.