| Acid Rain: | Also called acid precipitation or acid deposition, acid rain is precipitation containing harmful amounts of nitric and sulfuric acids formed primarily by nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides released into the atmosphere when fossil fuels are burned |
| Action Spectrum: | Rate of activity in relation to wavelength of light, e.g. photosynthesis most active in blue and red parts of the visible spectrum |
| Agar: | An enriched gelatinous media used in lab for the propogation of microorganisms. |
| Dissolved Oxygen: | Oxygen in solution. Term usually associated with water quality measurements. Higher levels of D.O. generally indicates better water quality. |
| Base Pairs: | A base pair is one of two complimentary pairs of nitrogenous bases composed of a purine-pyrimidine couple (Adenine-Thymine and Guanine-Cytosine). Complementary base pairing is the basis of gene function and DNA replication. |
| Flagellum: | A long whiplike appendage a cell uses for motility, composed of microtubules |
| Cell Wall: | An additional rigid protective membrane that surrounds the plasma membrane of cells in some organisms (plants, bacteria, fungi and some protists). |
| Cilium: | A microscopic hairlike process extending from the surface of a cell or unicellular organism. Capable of rhythmical motion, it acts in unison with other such structures to bring about the movement of the cell or of the surrounding medium |
| Food Web: | A complex of interrelated food chains in an ecological community. Also called food cycle |
| Crypsis: | Concealment. An organism that is cryptic has coloration and markings that resemble the substrate or other surroundings which help to conceal it from other organisms. |
| Cytoplasm: | The jellylike fluid in which cell structures are suspended |
| Decomposers: | Organisms that consumes feces and dead organisms |
| Diffusion: | The movement of a substance from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration |
| Direct Competition: | Competition that involves behaviors directed at other organisms to prevent their access to a resource (Contest competition). |
| Disruptive Coloration: | A distinct coloration which delays recognition of the whole animal by attracting the attention of the observer to certain elements of the color pattern. |
| Encounter Rate: | The frequency at which a predator detects prey. |
| Guard Cells: | One of a pair of epidermal cells that open and close stomata in plants by gaining and losing turgor pressure |
| Handling Time: | The time it takes for an animal to capture and eat its prey. |
| Hierarchical Classification System: | The Hierarchical order of Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species. |
| Hypertonic: | The solution on one side of a membrane where the solute concentration is greater than on the other side |
| Hypotonic: | The solution on one side of a membrane where the solute concentration is less than on the other side |
| Intrasexual Competition: | Competition between the sexes |
| Ion: | An atom that has lost or gained electrons, giving it an electrical charge |
| Isotonic: | When solute concentration is the same on both side of a membrane |
| Law of Q10: | The increase of a rate of reaction as a function of temperature. As a general rule, reaction rates double with every 10o C change in temperature. |
| Ligase: | An enzyme that catalzes formation of covalent bonds in the DNA sugar-phosphate backbone |
| Mode Of Action: | The mechanism by which something works |
| Molecule: | The smallest particle of a substance that retains the chemical and physical properties of the substance and is composed of two or more atoms; a group of like or different atoms held together by chemical forces |
| Phytoplankton: | Microscopic photosynthetic organisms that drift in water |
| Nitrogen: | N - Nitrogen makes up 78 percent of air by volume, and is obtained by liquefaction and fractional distillation of air. Nitrogen is colorless, odorless, and generally inert, yet when combined with other molecules is very active |
| Nucleoid: | The part of a prokaryotic cell where the DNA is located |
| Nucleolus: | A structure within the nucleus where RNA nucleotides are stored |
| Optimal Foraging Theory: | That selection favors a strategy in which a predator utilizes prey in a manner that optimizes net energy gain per unit feeding time. |
| Osmosis: | Passive diffusion of water through a semipermeable membrane |
| Paradigm Shift: | A paradigm is a theory of such general importance or usefulness that it shapes the way science is conducted. A paradigm shift is when a paradigm is found to be in error or no longer useful and is replaced by another. |
| Phosphorus: | One of the major minerals in the body. Also one of the main components in ATP production |
| Photomicrograph : | An image taken using a microscope (light, electron, or confocal) |
| Phycobilin: | Water-soluble photosynthetic pigment |
| Plasmids: | These are circular piece of DNA found in bacteria. Like other DNA molecules, they code for proteins which result in the characteristics he bacteria have. They are naturally transferred betweeen bacteria during conjugation. By inserting selected pieces of DNA into a plasmid, scientists can change the characteristics of bacteria and give them the ability to make desired proteins |
| Plastid: | A plant organelle that encapsulates photosynthetic membranes |
| Point-source Pollution: | Source of pollution that involves discharge of wastes from an identifiable point, such as a smokestack or sewage treatment plant, water pollution coming from a single point, such as a sewage outflow pipe |
| Population Growth: | The rate of population growth is determined directly by the change in population size, which in turn is directly correlated to the rate of births (b) and deaths (d). Essentially r = b – d. |
| UV: | (Ultraviolet Radiation) Portion of the electromagnetic spectrum with wavelengths shorter than 400 nm. |
| Random Sampling: | A commonly used sampling technique in which sample units are selected in such a manner that all combinations of n units under consideration have an equal chance of being selected as the sample |
| Scramble Competition: | Competition in which organisms attempt to consume the resources as quickly as they can therby preventing others from acquiring it. |
| Selective Agent: | |
| Size Distribution: | The distribution of different sizes of organisms (or objects) in a population (or other group). |
| Search Image: | A model for visual comparison, formed as part of the behavioral mechanism by which individual predators select certain prey types and ignore others, thereby optimizing their foraging efficiency. |
| Solute: | A chemical that dissolves in another, forming a solution |
| Solution: | A homogenous mixture of a substance (the solute) dissolved in water (the solvent) |
| Solvent: | A chemical in which others dissolve, forming a solution |
| Solvent/Solute: | A chemical in which others dissolve, forming a solution |
| Species Diversity Index: | A mathematical expression of the species of plants and animals that live in particular community |
| Stomata: | Pore in a plant's epidermis through which gases excahnge between the plant and the atmosphere |
| Turbidity: | A measure of the degree of clarity of a solution. For cloudy water, turbidity would be high; for clear water, the turbidity would be low |
| Surface Area: | Surface area is the total area of the surface of a three-dimensional object such as a cube, pyramid or sphere. Since the surface area measures two dimensions, it is measured in square units |
| Taxonomy: | The branch of bilogy dealing with the classification of organisms. |
| Temperature-Pressure-Volume: | This really refers to the relationship among these as defiend by the Ideal Gas Law. Search the web for many fine tutorials. |
| Thermoregulation: | The ability of an organism to balance heat loss and gain with the environment, using conduction, convection, evaporation, and radiation. |
| Transmittance: | The fraction of radiant energy that passes through a substance [syn: transmission] |
| Transpiration: | The movement of water vapor from plant parts to the atomosphere through open stomata |
| Travel Time: | Time it take to get from one foraging area to another. |
| Vesicle: | A membrane-bounded sac in a cell |
| Visible Light Spectrum: | The small range of the electromagnetic spectrum that human eyes perceive as light. Ranges from about 400 to 700 nm, corresponding to blue through red light |
| Visual Acuity: | The ability of the eye to resolve detail. |
| Xanthophyll: | A yellow carotenoid pigment |
| Xylem: | Plant tissue that transports dissolved ions and water. |
| Search Time: | Time it takes an animal to find a resource(essentially the opposite of encounter rate) |