Glossary

Abiotic

Nonliving, inanimate, characterized by the absence of life; of inorganic matter.

Acid

A substance that provides hydrogen ions (H+) and lowers pH.

Adaptation

A heritable trait or behavior in an organism that aids in its survival in its present environment.

Adaptive Radiation

A speciation when one species radiates out to form several other species.

Adhesion

The ability of a substance to stick to an unlike substance.

Aerobic

Requiring oxygen.

Allopatric Speciation

A speciation that occurs via a geographic separation.

Amino Acid

The building block of proteins

Anaerobic

Existing in the absence of oxygen.

Analogous Structure

A structure that is similar because of evolution in response to similar selection pressures resulting in convergent evolution, not similar because of descent from a common ancestor.

Aqueduct

A watercourse constructed to convey water.

Atom

The smallest component of an element that retains all of the chemical properties of that element.

Atomic Mass

The mass of an atom. It is equal to the number of protons and neutrons of that atom.

Atomic Number

The number of protons in an atom.

Autopolyploidy

A polyploid individual will have two or more complete sets of chromosomes from its own species.

Base

A substance that provide hydroxide ions (OH–) and raise pH.

Binomial Nomenclature

The scientific system of naming each species of organism with a Latinized name in two parts; the first is the genus, and is written with an initial capital letter; the second is some specific epithet that distinguishes the species within the genus. By convention, the whole name is typeset in italics.

Biochemical Oxygen Demand

The amount of dissolved oxygen consumed by aerobic bacteria growing on the organic material present in a water sample at a specific temperature over a specific time period. Also called Biological Oxygen Demand.

Biodiversity

Variety of a biological system, typically conceived as the number of species, but also applying to genes, biochemistry, and ecosystems.

Biodiversity Hotspot

A concept originated by Norman Myers to describe a geographical region with a large number of endemic species and a large percentage of degraded habitat.

Biogeography

The study of the geographic distribution of living things and the abiotic factors that affect their distribution.

Biological Species Concept

A group of actually or potentially interbreeding natural populations which are reproductively isolated from other such groups.

Biology

The scientific study of life.

Biome

Large, distinct geographical regions of Earth's surface that are characterized by its specific climate, and plant and animal life.

Biosphere

The global ecological system that consists of living things, their environment, and the interactions inbetween.

Biotic

Of, pertaining to, or produced by life or living organisms.

Black Water

Domestic wastewater containing feces.

Buffer

A solution that resists a change in pH by absorbing or releasing hydrogen or hydroxide ions.

Carbohydrate

A biological macromolecule in which the ratio of carbon to hydrogen to oxygen is 1:2:1; carbohydrates serve as energy sources and structural support in cells.

Cell

The basic unit of a living organism, consisting of a quantity of protoplasm surrounded by a cell membrane, which is able to synthesize proteins and replicate itself.

Cellulose

A polysaccharide that makes up the cell walls of plants and provides structural support to the cell.

Chemical Bond

An interaction between two or more of the same or different elements that results in the formation of molecules.

Chemical Diversity

Variety of metabolic compounds in an ecosystem.

Chitin

Atype of carbohydrate that forms the cell walls of fungi, as well as the outer skeleton of arthropods (i.e. insects and crustaceans).

Chytridiomycosis

A disease of amphibians caused by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis; thought to be a major cause of the global amphibian decline.

Clade

A group of taxa with the same set of shared derived characters, including an ancestral species and all its descendants.

Cladistics

A method used to organize homologous traits to describe phylogenies using common descendent as the primary criterion used to classify organisms.

Class

The category in the taxonomic classification system that falls within phylum and includes orders.

Climax Community

The final stage of succession, where a stable community is formed by a characteristic assortment of plant and animal species.

Cohesion

The ability of a substance to stick to other members of the same substance.

Commensalism

A symbiotic relationship between two species where one species benefits from a close prolonged interaction, while the other neither benefits nor is harmed.

Community

The set of populations inhabiting a particular area.

Competitive Exclusion Principle

No two species within a habitat can coexist indefinitely when they compete for the same resources at the same time and place.

Control

A part of an experiment that does not change during the experiment.

Convergent Evolution

An evolution that results in similar forms on different species.

Covalent Bond

A type of chemical bond where two atoms are connected to each other by the sharing of two or more electrons.

Dead Zone

Hypoxic areas in aquatic systems. It occurs when the concentration of dissolved oxygen (DO) falls to or below 2 mg of O2/liter. When this happens, aquatic flora and fauna begin to change behavior in order to reach sections of water with higher oxygen levels. Once DO declines below 0.5 mg O2/liter in a body of water, mass mortality occurs.

Deductive Reasoning

A form of logical thinking that uses a general statement to forecast specific results.

Denaturation

The loss of shape in a protein as a result of changes in temperature, pH, or exposure to chemicals.

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)

Adouble-stranded polymer of nucleotides that carries the hereditary information of the cell.

Desalination

The artificial process by which salt water (generally sea water) is converted to fresh water.

Disaccharide

Two sugar monomers that are linked together by a peptide bond.

Dispersal

An allopatric speciation that occurs when a few members of a species move to a new geographical area.

Divergent Evolution

An evolution that results in different forms in two species with a common ancestor.

DNA Barcoding

Molecular genetic method for identifying a unique genetic sequence to associate with a species.

Eco-districts

Neighborhoods that reuse and recycle materials and significantly reduce the volume of solid waste and toxic chemical releases.

Ecology

The study of the interactions of living organisms with their environment.

Ecosystem

Consists of all the living things in a particular area together with the abiotic, or non-living, parts of that environment such as nitrogen in the soil or rainwater.

Ecosystem Diversity

Variety of ecosystems.

Electron

The subatomic particle having a negative charge and orbiting the nucleus.

Empirical

Verifiable by means of scientific experimentation.

Endemic

Limited to a particular area or region.

Environmental science

The dynamic, interdisciplinary study of the interaction of living and non-living parts of the environment, with special focus on the impact of humans on the environment.

Enzyme

Acatalyst in a biochemical reaction that is usually a complex or conjugated protein.

Estivation

A state of animal dormancy characterized by inactivity and a lowered metabolic rate, entered in response to high temperatures and arid (dry) conditions.

Eukarya

The domain of life containing cells with nuclei and sub-cellular organelles..

Eutrophication

A process in which nutrients accumulate in a body of water, resulting in an increased growth of organisms that may deplete the oxygen in the water. It may occur naturally or as a result of human actions. This pollution usually causes algal blooms and bacterial growth, resulting in the depletion of dissolved oxygen in water and causing substantial environmental degradation.

Evaporation

The release of individual water molecules at the surface of a liquid, such as a body of water, the leaves of a plant, or the skin of an organism.

Evolution

A change in a population's genetic composition over successive generations.

Exergy

Exergy is a thermodynamic term that measures the quality or usefulness of energy, specifically defining the maximum amount of actual work an energy source can perform. While energy tells you how much power exists in a system, exergy tells you how much of that power you can actually use before inefficiencies and the laws of physics turn it into unusable waste heat.

Extremophile

An organism that thrives in an extreme environment.

Extinction

Disappearance of a species from Earth; local extinction is the disappearance of a species from a region.

Extinction Rate

Number of species becoming extinct over time, sometimes defined as extinctions per million species–years to make numbers manageable (E/MSY).

Exurbs

An urbanized area outside the typically denser inner suburban areas of a city, located at the edge of a metropolitan area.

Falsifiable

Able to be disproven by experimental results.

Family

The category in the taxonomic classification system that falls within order and includes genera.

Fat

Alipid molecule composed of three fatty acids and a glycerol (triglyceride) that typically exists in a solid form at room temperature.

Food Security

The state of having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, healthy food.

Food Web

A complex, overlapping network of multiple food chains that encompass the feeding relationships and energy transfer within an ecosystem.

Foundation Species

A species which often forms the major structural portion of the habitat.

Gene Pool

All of the alleles carried by all of the individuals in the population.

Genetic Drift

The effect of chance on a population’s gene pool.

Gentrification

The process whereby the character of a neighborhood changes through the influx of more affluent residents and investment.

Genus

The category in the taxonomic classification system that falls within family and includes species; the first part of the scientific name.

Glycogen

The storage form of carbohydrates in animals.

Green Urbanism

The practice of creating communities that are beneficial to both humans and the environment.

Grey Water

Domestic wastewater (households, office buildings) that lacks substantial fecal contamination; Sources include sinks, showers, baths, washing machines and dishwashers.

Hard Water

Water with high mineral content.

Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium

A population genetics theorem that states that allele and genotype frequencies in a population will remain constant from generation to generation in the absence of other evolutionary influences.

Homeostasis

The ability of a system or living organism to adjust its internal environment to maintain a state of dynamic constancy; such as the ability of warm-blooded animals to maintain a stable temperature.

Homologous Structure

A structure that is similar because of descent from a common ancestor.

Hormone

A chemical signaling molecule, usually a protein or steroid, secreted by an endocrine gland or group of endocrine cells; acts to control or regulate specific physiological processes.

Hydrogen Bond

A weak bond in which a hydrogen atom in one molecule is attracted to an electronegative atom (usually nitrogen or oxygen) in the same or different molecule.

Hydrophilic

A substance that dissolves in water; water-loving.

Hydrophobic

A substance that does not dissolve in water; water-fearing.

Hypothesis

A statement that explains an observation, phenomenon or scientific problem, and that can be tested by further observation, investigation or experimentation.

Hypoxia

Abnormally low oxygen content.

Inductive Reasoning

A form of logical thinking that uses related observations to arrive at a general conclusion.

Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics

An idea that describes the mechanism of evolution proposed by Lamarck in which traits acquired by individuals through use or disuse could be passed on to their offspring thus leading to evolutionary change in the population.

Insolation

The amount of solar radiation (sunlight) that reaches a specific area of Earth's surface over a set period of time.

Ionic Bond

A type of chemical bond where two atoms or molecules are connected to each other by electrostatic attraction.

Ionic Bond

An atom or compound that does not contain equal numbers of protons and electrons, and therefore has a net charge.

Island Biogeography

The study of life on island chains and how their geography interacts with the diversity of species found there.

Isotope

Any of two or more forms of an element where the atoms have the same number of protons, but a different number of neutrons within their nuclei. Thus, isotopes have the same atomic number but a different mass number.

Keystone Species

A species whose presence is key to maintaining biodiversity in an ecosystem and to upholding an ecological community’s structure.

Kinetic Energy

The energy of motion.

Kingdom

The category in the taxonomic classification system that falls within domain and includes phyla.

Lineage Species Concept

This species concept defines species as groups of organisms that share a pattern of ancestry and descent and which form a single branch on the tree of life.

Lipids

Aclass of macromolecules that are nonpolar and insoluble in water.

Macroevolution

A broader scale of evolutionary changes seen over paleontological time.

Macromolecule

A large molecule typically formed by the joining of smaller molecules

Macromolecule

Alarge molecule, often formed by polymerization of smaller monomers.

Macronutrients

Nutrients that the body needs in relatively large amounts. They include carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and water.

Matter

Anything that has mass and occupies space.

Maximum Parsimony

An optimality criterion under which the phylogenetic tree that minimizes the total number of character-state changes (or minimizes the cost of differentially weighted character-state changes) is constructed.

Megalopolis

A group of metropolitan areas which are perceived as a continuous urban area through common systems of transport, economy, resources, ecology, and beyond.

Metropolis

A large city or a large continuous urban area formed when multiple separate towns and cities grow outward and merge together. They are a significant economic, political, and cultural area for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications.

Microevolution

The changes in a population’s genetic structure (i.e., allele frequency)/

Micronutrients

Nutrients the body needs in relatively small amounts. They include vitamins and minerals.

Migration

The movement of individuals of a population to a new location; in population genetics it refers to the movement of individuals and their alleles from one population to another, potentially changing allele frequencies in both the old and the new population.

Mimicry

An adaptation in which an organism looks like another organism that is dangerous, toxic, or distasteful to its predators.

Modern Synthesis

The overarching evolutionary paradigm that took shape by the 1940s and is generally accepted today.

Molecular Systematics

The methods of using molecular evidence to identify phylogenetic relationships.

Molecule

A chemical structure consisting of at least two atoms held together by a chemical bond.

Monophyletic

Descending from a single ancestral species and containing all descendants of that single ancestor.

Monosaccharide

A single unit or monomer of carbohydrates.

Morphological Species Concept

A species concept that defines species by its observable physical characteristics; Often called morphospecies.

Mutualism

A symbiotic relationship between two species where both species benefit.

Natural Selection

The greater relative survival and reproduction of individuals in a population that have favorable heritable traits, leading to evolutionary change.

Neutron

A subatomic particle forming part of the nucleus of an atom and having no charge.

Nucleic acid

A biological macromolecule that carries the genetic information of a cell and carries instructions for the functioning of the cell.

Nucleotide

A monomer of nucleic acids; contains a pentose sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base.

Obesity

When excess body fat accumulates to such an extent that it can have negative effects on health.

Octet Rule

States that the outermost shell of an element with a low atomic number can hold eight electrons.

Oil

An unsaturated fat that is a liquid at room temperature.

Order

The category in the taxonomic classification system that falls within class and includes families.

Organ

Collections of tissues grouped together based on a common function.

Organelle

A specialized membrane-bound structure found inside cells that carries out a specific life process (e.g. ribosomes, vacuoles).

Outgroup

A species or group of species that diverged before the lineage containing the group(s) of interest.

Overweight

Having more body fat than what is considered healthy.

Paleontology

The study of the forms of life existing in prehistoric or geologic times, especially as represented by fossils.

Parasitism

A symbiotic relationship between two species where one species benefits to the detriment of the other.

Peer Reviewed Article

A scientific report that is reviewed by a scientist’s colleagues before publication.

Periodic Table of Elements

An organizational chart of elements, indicating the atomic number and mass number of each element; also provides key information about the properties of elements.

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP)

Organic compounds that are resistant to degradation through chemical, biological, and photolytic processes.[

pH

The measure of the acidity (low pH) or basicity (high pH) of an aqueous solution.

Phospholipid

A major constituent of the membranes of cells; composed of two fatty acids and a phosphate group attached to the glycerol backbone.

Phylogenetic Tree

A branching diagram illustrating the potential evolutionary relationships among biological organisms or other entities in which the tree-maker hypothesizes share a common ancestor.

Phylogeny

The evolutionary history and the relationships among a species or group of species.

Phylum

The category in the taxonomic classification system that falls within kingdom and includes classes.

Pioneer species

The first species to appear in primary and secondary succession.

Point Sources

Any single, identifiable, and localized origin from which pollutants are discharged directly into the environment.

Polypeptide

A ong chain of amino acids linked by peptide bonds.

Polyploidy

A condition in which a cell, or organism, has an extra set, or sets, of chromosomes.

Polysaccharide

A long chain of monosaccharides; may be branched or unbranched.

Population

A collection of organisms of a particular species, sharing a particular characteristic of interest, most often that of living in a given area.

Population Genetics

The study of how selective forces change the allele frequencies in a population over time.

Postzygotic Mechanisms

Mechanisms of reproductive isolation that occur after fertilization.

PPB

Parts Per Billion

PPM

Parts Per Million

Prezygotic Mechanisms

Mechanisms of reproductive isolation that occur before fertilization.

Primary Succession

The succession on land that previously has had no life.

Prokarya

The domain of life containing cells that lack nuclei and sub-cellular organelles.

Protein

A biological macromolecule composed of one or more chains of amino acids.

Proton

A positively charged subatomic particle forming part of the nucleus of an atom and determining the atomic number of an element.

Relative Species Abundance

The absolute population size of a particular species relative to the population size of other species within the community.

Reproductive Isolation

When different evolutionary mechanisms, behaviors and physiological processes prevent members of different species from producing offspring, or ensure that any offspring are sterile.

Reservoir

An artificial and enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation.

Ribonucleic Acid (RNA)

Asingle-stranded polymer of nucleotides that is involved in protein synthesis.

Rooted

Describing a phylogenetic tree with a single ancestral lineage to which all organisms represented in the diagram relate.

Saturated fatty acid

A long-chain hydrocarbon with single covalent bonds in the carbon chain; the number of hydrogen atoms attached to the carbon skeleton is maximized

Science

From the Latin scientia, meaning ""knowledge"".

Scientific Laws

A description of what happens in nature under specific conditions; They are often expressed mathematically.

Scientific Method

A method of discovering knowledge about the natural world based in making falsifiable predictions (hypotheses), testing them empirically, and developing theories that match known data from repeatable physical experimentation.

Scientific Theory

A coherent statement or set of ideas that explains observed facts or phenomena and correctly predicts new facts or phenomena not previously observed, or which sets out the laws and principles of something known or observed.

Secondary Metabolite

An organic compound produced by any lifeform which is not directly involved in the normal growth, development, or reproduction of the organism. Instead, they generally mediate ecological interactions, which may produce a selective advantage for the organism.

Secondary Plant Compound

A plant secondary metabolite.

Secondary Succession

The succession in response to environmental disturbances that move a community away from its equilibrium.

Shared Ancestral Character

A character on a phylogenetic branch that is shared by a particular clade.

Shared Derived Character

A character on a phylogenetic tree that is shared only by a certain clade of organisms.

Sister Taxa

A sister group or sister taxon, is made up of the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree.

Slum Cities

The development on the outskirts of cities of unplanned shantytowns or squats with no access to clean water, sanitation, or other municipal services.

Solvent

A substance capable of dissolving another substance.

Speciation

Formation of a new species.

Species

The most specific category of classification; the second part of the scientific name.

Species Concept

A working definition of a species and/or a methodology for determining whether or not two organisms are members of the same species.

Species Richness

The number of different species in a community.

Species-area Relationship

Relationship between area surveyed and number of species encountered; typically measured by incrementally increasing the area of a survey and determining the cumulative numbers of species.

The amount of heat that must be added to one unit of mass of the substance in order to cause an increase of one unit in temperature.

Starch

A storage carbohydrate in plants.

Steroid

A type of lipid composed of four fused hydrocarbon rings.

Suburbs

The communities surrounding cities, typically close enough for a daily commute in, but far enough away to allow for more space than city living affords.

Surface Tension

The cohesive force at the surface of a body of liquid that prevents the molecules from separating.

Symbiosis

The long-term living together or association of two unlike organisms.

Sympatric Speciation

A speciation that occurs in the same geographic space.

Systematics

The study of organisms with the purpose of deriving their relationships.

Taxon

A single level in the taxonomic classification system.

Taxonomy

The science of finding, describing, classifying and naming organisms.

Temperature

A measure of molecular motion.

Thermoregulation

The maintenance of a constant internal temperature of an organism independent of the temperature of the environment.

Tissue

A group of cells (along with their extracellular matrix if any) that are similar in origin and function together to perform a specific job.

Torpor

A state similar to hibernation characterised by energy-conserving, very deep sleep.

Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)

The total amount of dissolved material in water.

Tragedy of the Commons

An economic principle that resources held in common will inevitably be overexploited.

Triglyceride

A fat molecule; consists of three fatty acids linked to a glycerol molecule.

Unsaturated Fatty Acid

A long-chain hydrocarbon that has one or more than one double bonds in the hydrocarbon chain.

Urban Heat Island Effect

A meteorological and climatological phenomenon in which urban areas experience significantly warmer temperatures than surrounding rural areas.

Urban Sprawl

The extension of low-density residential, commercial, and industrial development into areas beyond a city's boundaries that occurs in an unplanned or uncoordinated manner.

Urbanization

the study of the social, political, and economic relationships in cities.

van der Waals Interaction

The relatively weak attraction between neutral atoms and molecules arising from polarization induced in each particle by the presence of other particles.

Variable

A part of an experiment that can vary or change.

Vector

An organism that transmits a pathogen.

Vestigial Structure

A physical structure present in an organism but that has no apparent function and appears to be from a functional structure in a distant ancestor.

Vicariance

An allopatric speciation that occurs when something in the environment separates organisms of the same species into separate groups.

Wastewater Pretreatment

Screening and removal of sand and gravel.

Wastewater Primary Treatment

Settling or floatation to remove organic solids, fat, and grease.

Wastewater Secondary Treatment

Takes place when aerobic bacterial decompose of organic solids.

Wastewater Sludge

The concentrated organic solid produced during primary and secondary treatment.

Wastewater Tertiary Treatment

Occurs when bacteria decompose and filter nutrients.

Water Residence Time

The average time that a water molecule spends in a water reservoir.

Watershed

A drainage basin. An area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point.

White-nose Syndrome

A disease of cave-hibernating bats in the eastern United States and Canada associated with the fungus Geomyces destructans.