| TERM/PHRASE | CLASSIFICATION | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|
| Abiotic | is a general term | which refers to the non-living components of an ecosystem |
| Anaerobic Bacteria | are bacteria | which survive without oxygen- the opposite of aerobic |
| Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) | is an amount of oxygen | which would be used if the organic wastes in a litre of polluted water were broken down by decomposing organisms in that water |
| Biome (Bio-Geo-Climatic Zone) | is a large-scale ecological system | which is dominated by a particular type of vegetation |
| Capillary Action | is a movement in soil | by which water travels upward through small pore spaces as a result of evapotranspiration exceeding precipitation |
| Climax Vegetation | is a type of vegetation | which can be supported by the climatic conditions of an area over the long term |
| Closed System | is a type of system | which is self-contained, not having inputs and not producing outputs |
| Decomposers | are a type of organism | which causes decay, including bacteria and fungi |
| Ecology | is a study | which deals with the relationships between organisms and the physical environment |
| Ecosystem | is a general term | which refers to a biological community and its physical environment |
| Eutrophication | is an excessive growth of organisms and oxygen depletion | which is caused by the enrichment of water by nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus |
| Evapotranspiration | is a process | in which water is returned to the atmosphere by evaporation and transpiration |
| Food Chain | is a transfer of food | which moves through a sequence of organisms, each feeding on the previous one |
| Food Pyramid | is a diagram | which shows the feeding relationships in an ecosystem with photosynthesizers at the base and omnivores at the top |
| Ground Water | is all subsurface water | which participates in the hydrologic cycle |
| Habitat | is a physical environment | in which an organism lives |
| Humus | is a soil material | which is produced from decaying organic material |
| Hydrophyte | is a type of plant | which requires a particularly large amount of water |
| Hydrosphere | is the general term | which refers to the water in the atmosphere and on the surface of the earth |
| Natural Environment | is a condition | in which the environment has not been modified by people |
| Food Chain Concentration | is a tendency | in which foreign material become concentrated at the higher levels of the food chain |
| Open System | is a type of system | which receives materials from external sources and releases materials to the outside |
| Photosynthesis | is a process | in which solar energy is used to turn carbon dioxide into sugar and other carbohydrates, releasing oxygen in the process |
| Plant Association | is a group of plants | which are commonly found together in an area |
| Succession | is a series of changes | through which a plant community passes before reaching its maximum possible development |
| System | is a set of different elements | which interact with one another in a particular way |
| Transpiration | is a process | by which moisture is released by vegetation |
| Water Budget | is a hydrologic term | which refers to the annual cycle of surplus and deficit soil moisture as a result of precipitation and evapotranspiration |
| Water Cycle | is a circulation | in which water moves between the atmosphere and the earth's surface |
| Water Table | is the line | which delineates the upper surface of ground water |
| Xerophyte | is a type of plant | which is adapted to an acute scarcity of water |