Terms
The involvement of the general public in scientific research.
Citizen Science
A plant that completes its lifecycle from seedling to mature plant, in a single growing season. Ex. corn, wheat, watermelon
Annual
Organisms with a hard, jointed exoskelton and paired, jointed legs. Ex. lobsters, crabs, spiders, mites, insects, centipedes, and millipedes.
Anthropod
Means protecting something from attack.
Defense
A soil type with the smallest particles. Clay is very compact.
Clay
The storage of chemicals in an organism in higher concentrations than are normally found in the environment.
Bioaccumulation
An herbaceous flowering plant with broad leaves, other than a grass
Forb
An organism that can produce its own food.
Autotroph
Not active or at rest.
Dormant
Fossilized carbon that is used for energy
Coal
Coast/Coastal
A plant that lives for 2 growing seasons, producing leaves the first season and flowers/seeds the second season. Ex. onions, hollyhocks
Biennial
The pupa stage of a butterfly; the hard "skin" around the body of a butterfly when it is in the pupa stage of development.
Chrysalis
Type of herbivory in which a herbivore feeds on leaves, soft shoots, or fruits of high-growing, generally woody plants such as shrubs. Over-browsing occurs when overpopulated or densely concentrated herbivores put extreme pressure on plants by eating too much of them or consuming them when they are in a vulnerable state.
Browsing
A gas that is essential to life on earth, but that can have negative impacts when released into the atmosphere in excess quantities. Plants, trees, and some bacteria convert CO2 into oxygen through photosynthesis.
CO2 Carbon Dioxide
An animal that appears or is active during twilight (dawn and dusk). Ex. Lion, moth, flies, beetles, bear.
Crepuscular
Occurs when a spore or seed starts to grow.
Germination
A silk web that encloses the pupae of many moths and other insects, but not butterflies.
Cocoon
An internal skeleton, such as the bony or cartilaginous skeleton of vertebrates
Endoskeleton
The liquid fossil fuel that is extracted from the ground; a non renewable energy source
Crude Oil
Conditions that make people, animals, or plants unhealthy. Diseases fall into two major groups: infectious diseases and noninfectious diseases.
Disease
A plant that does not have much wood and its stems are green and soft. These plants grow fast and produce flowers and many seeds in a short period of time.
Herbaceous
Term used to describe animals that walk or run on their toes, like cats and coyotes.
Digitigrade
State of animal dormancy, similar to hibernation. The animals are inactive and have a lowered metabolic rate. The state is entered in response to high temperatures and dry conditions.
Estivation
The action or process of clearing of forests or the state of having been cleared of forests.
Deforestation