Glossary

Glossary

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Abiotic factors (n): non-living characteristics of a habitat or ecosystem that affect organisms' life processes

Accountant (n): a person professionally trained in the practice of recording the amounts of money made and spent by a person or business.

Actions (n): things people do that end up affecting other organisms and the environment

Adapt (v)/ adaptation (n): to change/changes in physiological structure so as to fit a new or specific use or situation/surroundings

Algae (n): chlorophyll containing non-vascular organisms, plant or plant-like

Aquarium (n): a container in which living water animals or plants are kept, or an establishment where collections of such animals and plants are kept and shown

Atom (n)s: the smallest particle of an element that has the properties of the element and can exist either alone or in combination.

Bacteria (n): groups of single-celled microorganisms that live in soil, water the bodies of plants and animals, or matter obtained from living things. Important because of their chemical effects and disease-causing abilities.

Biotic factor (n): relationships among organisms that affect their survival

Carbon dioxide (n): a heavy colorless gas formed by the burning and breaking down of organic substances (as in animal respiration), is absorbed by plants for photosynthesis and has many industrial uses.

Centrifugal Force (n): the force that tends to cause a thing or parts of a thing to go outward from a center of rotation (e.g. when water in a bucket is swung around, the water doesn't fall out when upside down.)

Concentration (n): the amount of an ingredient or part in relation to that of others.

Consumer (n): an animal that eats plants or other animals

Crustacean (n): class of arthropods with a segmented bodies, exoskeletons made of chiton, and paired, jointed limbs. (Ex: crabs, lobsters, shrimp, barnacles)

Decompose (v)/decomposition (n): to break down or separate a thing into its parts or into simpler compounds

Decomposer (n): an organism (examples: bacterium, fungus) that feeds on and breaks down dead plant or animal matter

Density (n): the average number of individuals or units in a unit of area or volume

Detritus (n): decaying bits of plants and animals

Detritivore (n): an organism that feeds on detritus

Director of Operations (N): the person who helps keep a facility running properly

Disruption (n): an interruption or change in normal processes

Dissolved gas (n): in this example the dissolved gas is oxygen found in water, which can be used as an indicator of water quality and suitability for aquatic organisms. In general, a dissolved gas refers to the mixing of a gas with a liquid so that the result is a liquid that is the same throughout

Diurnal tides (n): a 25 hour tide cycle which includes only one high tide and one low tide in a day

Earth (n): the planet we live on

E. coli (n): a bacterium in the shape of a short rod, found mainly in the lower intestines of mammals that sometimes causes intestinal illness.

Ecosystem (n): A community of living things, all the nonliving things that surround it, and the relationship between them.

Education Director (n): the person in charge of coordinating, scheduling and running the educational department of an organization

Eelgrass (n): a flowering seagrass, with rhizomes or roots and long, ribbon-like leaves, that spreads through muddy substrate; often found in estuaries. Eeelgrass beds are important nursery grounds for fish and shellfish; they provide substrate for algae and microinvertebrates, help with sediment stabilization and are an important food source for Brant geese and Wigeons

Environment (n): an organism's or ecological community's surroundings: including factors such as climate, soil, and other organisms, that affect its ability to survive and reproduce.

Estuary (n): a partially enclosed coastal body of water where fresh and saltwater mix, often associated with high levels of biological productivity.

Feces (n): bodily waste discharged through the anus

Fecal Coliform (n): bacteria that live in the intestines of warm-blooded animals and help with digestion. If found in water they indicate fecal matter that may include other harmful diseases such as hepatitis.

Filter (n,v): a substance or process through which a system is passed to separate out different parts

Filter Feeders (n): animals that filter food (often plankton) from the water (ex: clams,

oysters)

Float (v): to rest on the surface of a fluid, not sinking.

Food Chain (n): the transfer of energy (food) from plants to one or more organisms.

Food Web (n): overlapping and connecting food chains between plants, animals and the

environment

Fresh water (n): water generated from the land, and does not contain salt

Function (v): to serve a purpose

Georgia Basin (n): the Georgia Basin encompasses an inland sea and the land around it. It is made up of Puget Sound (Washington), the Straits of Georgia (B.C. Canada) and strait Juan de Fuca.

Glucose (n): a sugar that is found in plants, fruits, and blood and is a source of energy for living things

Graphic Arts Designer (n): an artist who gets a message across in print, electronic and film media using color, type, illustration, photography, animation, and different print and layout techniques.

Gravity (n): a force of attraction between particles or bodies that occurs because of their mass, is stronger as mass is increased, and is weaker as the distance between the objects is increased

Habitat (n): the place where an animal or plant lives

Heat Energy (n): energy coming from heat

Herbivore (n): a plant-eating animal

High-high tide (n): the highest tide in a day

High-low tide (n): the lower high tide of the day

High tide zone (n): located just below the spray or splash zone, normally uncovered except during high tides. Home to animals more conditioned to air than water, who often depend on the tides and waves to carry in food. Exposed to many changes in temperature, water cover and salt content.

Horizontal axis: the left-to-right line on a graph that usually represents the independent or fixed variable in a relationship (often time)

Impact (n): a strong effect on something

Industry (n): manufacturing activity, businesses that provide particular products or services

Input (n): power, energy, a signal, of information put into a machine or a system

Intern (n): an advanced student or graduate in a special field (such as medicine or biology) who is gaining supervised, practical experience (as in a hospital or laboratory)

Intertidal (n): tidal areas that change daily with the tides. Includes the high, middle, and low tide zones.

Invasive species (n): a pant or animal that has re-located to a new area which may or may not have natural predators and may or may not out-complete native plants or animals

Invertebrates (n): animals without backbones

Low-high tide (n): the higher low tide of the day

Low-low tide (n): the lowest low tide of the day

Low tide zone (n): located just below the middle tide zone, always covered except during the very lowest tides. The most diverse (most plants and animals) zone, because there are fewer changes in temperature, exposure and salt content

Macro Algae (n): large algae: does not require a microscope to be seen

Manure (n): material that fertilizes land, produced from bodily waste from birds and animals

Marine Biologist (n): a scientist who studies marine biology: plant and animal life of the sea

Matter (n): the substance of which a physical object is composed, or a material substance of a particular kind or function (ie, vegetable matter)

Microscopic (a): very small: only able to be seen through a microsope

Microorganism (n): microscopic organisms such as bacteria and algae

Middle tide zone (n): located just below the high tide zone, typically covered and uncovered twice a day with fewer temperature changes.

Molecules (n): the smallest particles of a substance having all the characteristics of the substance (molecule of water, molecule of oxygen)

Mollusk (n): phylum of invertebrates, usually unsegmented, with a head, foot and body covering called the mantle.

Moon (n): the earth's natural satellite that shines by reflecting light from the sun and revolves around the earth in about 29.5 days

Neap Tide (n): a tide of lowest range, occurs at first and third quarter moons.

Nitrates (n): chemical compound containing nitrogen that can exist in the atmosphere or as dissolved gas in water and can have harmful effects on humans and animals. Nitrates can be found in septic systems, animal feed lots, agricultural fertilizers, manure, industrial waste waters, sanitary landfills and garbage dumps.

Nutrients (n): chemicals needed for the maintenance, growth and development of an organism

Non-point pollution (n): pollution that enters from non-permitted sources, often numerous and in small quantities. Harder to track and quantify than point-source pollution.

Ocean (n): the whole body of salt water that covers nearly 3/4 of the surface of the earth

Organism (n): a living person, plant or animal

Output (n): something produced by a system or process

Oxygen (n): used in respiration, the process in which organisms release stored chemical energy

Percent (n): number expressed out of 100

Photosynthesis (n): when plants use sunlight to change carbon dioxide and water into food and oxygen

Phytoplankton (n): microscopic, free-floating plants (producers)

Plankton (n): tiny plants and animals that float freely in salt water

Point source pollution (n): the type of pollution that enters surface water from a facility with a permit. There is often a pipe (point source) at an identifiable industrial site.

Pollution (n): contamination of the natural environment

Preserve (v): to keep or save from loss or ruin, to be kept for future use (n) an area where natural resources are protected

Primary productivity (n): food and organic matter production driven by the sun (photosynthesis) and chemical nutrients (chemosynthesis) provided to producers from detritus: the transformation of chemical or solar energy to biomass

Primary consumer (n): an animal that eats only producers. Herbivores are primary consumers.

Producer (n): something that makes its own food, such as a plant

Protect (v): to cover or shield from something that would injure or destroy

Puget Sound (n): a deep inlet of the Pacific Ocean in western Washington extending south from the Strait of Juan de Fuca through Admiralty Inlet.

Recreation (n): pleasant activities people enjoy doing in their spare time to refresh their health and spirit

River (n): a natural stream of fresh water larger than a brook or creek

Salinity (n): the concentration of salts dissolved in salt water

Salish Sea (n): the aboriginal name for the inland waters from Puget Sound to Johnstone Strait.

Salmon (n): any of various large food and game fishes that are related to the trouts, have reddish or pinkish flesh, live in oceans or large lakes, and swim up rivers or streams to deposit or fertilize eggs and usually die after breeding

Salt (n): any of numerous compounds formed by replacement of part or all of the hydrogen of an acid by a metal or by a group acting like a metal, common salt: crystals that consist of sodium and chloride, used for seasoning or preserving food

Saltwater (a): related to, living in, or consisting of salt water

Salt water (n): water containing salt, usually found in the ocean

Saturation (n): the state of being saturated: filled to the point where no more can be absorbed or dissolved (as in saturated salt water)

Secondary Consumer (n): an animal that eats other animals: like carnivores

Sediment (n): material suspended in, or settled out of a liquid

Semi-diurnal tide (n): a 12 hour tide cycle which includes two high tides and two low tides in one day

Smoltification (n): the process through which juvenile salmon change from freshwater to saltwater fish with changes in body chemistry

Sodium chloride (n): a chemical compound that consists of crystals having equal numbers of sodium and chlorine atoms = table salt

Solution (n): a liquid in which something has been dissolved (the condition of being dissolved)

Splash zone (n): the zone highest up on the beach, only flooded by the highest storm waves and ocean spray and completely dry most of the time. Animals must be able to tolerate rapid changes in salinity, retain moisture for long periods and withstand extreme heat and cold

Spring tide (n): a tide having the greatest rise and fall, occurring at full and new moons

Structure (n): manner of construction: the arrangement or relationship of elements (parts, or organs) in a substance, body or system

Sub-tidal zone (n): area almost always flooded near the edge of tidal waters

Surface water (n): water on land in streams, brooks, rivers, ponds, lakes etc...

System (n): a group of objects or units combined to form a whole and to move or work together

Temperature (n): important abiotic factor affecting distribution and abundance of organisms; influences metabolic rate and affects growth and reproduction

Thermal (a): having to do with heat or temperature

Tide (n): periodic rise and fall of ocean waters due to the gravitational pull of the sun and moon, and the rotation of the earth

Tide Table (n): a document published by NOAA and other organizations to let people know when the tides will be high and low each day. Produced annually and constantly updated.

Vertical Axis (n): the top-to-bottom line on a graph that usually represents a change in a variable per fixed unit of measurement (such as time)

Water Quality Researcher (n): a scientist who studies water quality

Watershed (n): the region draining into a river, river system, or body of water.

Waves (n): moving ridges on the surface of water

Zones/zonation (n): distributions of plants or animals caused by gradations of abiotic and biotic factors

Zooplankton (n): free-floating, aquatic animals, usually microscopic.