sitesALIVE! Glossary 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 #
Select the first letter of the word from the list above to jump to appropriate section of the glossary.
ballast - weighted materials used as a counterweight to stabilize a boat
barbels - fleshy whiskers used to "taste" the bottom of the ocean
beam - the width of a ship
Beaufort Force - a scale of numbers, usually from 1 to 12 (although sometimes extended to 15), which indicate wind strength. Each number represents a range of several knots of wind. Beaufort Force 1 is calm, while Beaufort Force 12 is hurricane, i.e., 63 knots or 75 mph.
belay - to make a line or rope fast to a pin or cleat
benthic - refers to the bottom of the ocean
biologist - a scientist who studies living organisms and life processes
biome - communities coexisting in an environment, examples include grassland, desert, rainforest, temperate forest, and tundra
biosphere - those parts of the earth where life exists
bird - common name for member of the vertebrate class, Aves, includes any animal with feathers
bow - forward part of the boat
bowsprit - a spar that juts out forward of the bow; it enlarges the sail area of the ship by permitting extra jibs out in front of the boat
buoyancy - the ability of an object to float
canopy - the strata of trees that are 60 to 90 feet tall in the rainforest
capstan - large manual winch used for any extremely heavy lifting; especially the raising of the anchor
carnivore - an animal that eats other animals
classify - to arrange a series of objects, plants, or animals according to common traits
colonies - groups of animals of the same type that live or grow together
community - several populations of plants and animals coexisting in a common environment
compost - decayed organic material that can be used for fertilizing, usually consisting of food items
compound - a substance that is made up of two or more chemical elements
condense - to come together; to change from a vapor to a liquid
conservation - the act of saving something from harm
culture - the characteristics of a society
culture shock - a sense of strangeness that occurs when visiting a place with a different culture than your own
consumer - an organism that eats other organisms
Cooperative Extension Service - usually a state-funded organization that gives out information on how to grow different kinds of plants and provides services such as soil testing. Cooperative Extensions are often run out of university Botany Departments.
corridor - a strip of vegetation between two forests
crustacean - a type of aquatic arthropod with ten appendages, such as a crab, shrimp, or lobster
deciduous - a tree that loses leaves at the end of a growth period or season
decomposer - bacteria or fungus that breaks down the remains of dead animals and plants
decomposing- a plant or animal that has died and is slowly breaking down into basic elements (minerals and vitamins).
deforestation - clearing land of trees
development - changing the landscape by increasing the intensity of human use (more construction, more people, more industry)
displacement - the weight or volume of water displaced by a ship
diversity - the number of different species or types of animals
dive site - a location on the reef often visited by scuba divers
ecologist - a scientist who studies the relationship of organisms and their environment
ecosystem - communities of organisms that coexist and are self-sustaining
ecotourism - using natural resources for tourism without being destructive or wasteful
emergents - the tallest trees of the rainforest which usually top 150 feet and occasionally reach 200 feet
endemic - a plant that is native to a particular place
epiphyte - a plant that grows on another plant and gets its water from the air and rain, adapting to its conditions in order to get nutrients
equator - the imaginary line around the earth that is equidistant from the poles, and which separates the northern and southern hemispheres.
evaporate - to change from liquid to vapor
evergreen - a tree with leaves that stay green year round
fathom - A nautical measure of depth or distance equal to 6 feet
fauna - animal life
5% - 5% of earth's surface is rain forest
flora - plant life
food chain - connections between food chains
food web - a feeding pattern in which energy in food passes from one animal or plant to the next
foremast - Aboard the three-masted Concordia, the forward most of the three masts
groundwater - water that exists underground and is often used as a drinking water resource
habitat - the place where a plant or animal lives
head - Bathroom, or sink, shower, and toilet
helmsman - the person who is at the wheel steering the ship
herbivore - an animal that eats plants
hybrid - two separate plants are cross-fertilized, and create an offspring plant that has characteristics of both parent plants.
honey eater - a type of bird belonging to the songbird family, who use their long forked, tubular tongue to extract nectar and small insects from inside flowers
hull - The body of a boat
invertebrate - an animal that lacks a back bone
knot - Rate of motion equal to 1 nautical mile per hour (about 1.15 miles per hour)
latitude - One of the two coordinates (the other being longitude) used to locate a position at sea; marked in degrees north or south of the equator, from 0 degrees at the equator to 90 degrees north or south at the poles; one degree of latitude = 60 minutes of latitude; as one minute equals a mile, a common saying at sea is "a minute's a mile". Latitude is comparable to the x-axis on a graph.
longitude - One of the two coordinates (the other being latitude) used to locate a position at sea; marked in degrees east or west of the prime meridian (0 degrees longitude) universally accepted to be at Greenwich, England. As there are 360 degrees in a circle, longitude may range up to 180 degrees East or West. 180 degrees East and West, in fact, meet on the other side of the globe from Greenwich, at the International Date Line. Longitude is comparable to the y-axis on a graph.
lungs - rain forests are called the lungs of the earth, since they are the greatest producers of oxygen
mainmast - Aboard the three-masted Concordia, the middle of the three
mammal - the common name for the warm-blooded animals of the Mammalia class, includes humans and any other animal that nourishes its young with milk, has hair, and has a muscular diaphragm
marsupial - common name for any of a large group of mammals, many of which carry their young in an abdominal pouch after birth (for example: kangaroos, wallabies)
mizzenmast - Aboard the three-masted Concordia, the aft most of the three
mycorrhizal fungi - a kind of fungus that grows underground and twines around tree roots
naturalist - someone who studies animals or plants, usually in their natural surroundings
natural resource - a material, substance or place that is found in nature and is used by humans (oil, natural gas, beaches, forests, etc.)
nature trail- a marked trail designed to lead people through the natural environment which highlights and protects resources
negotiate - to discuss an issue in order to come to an agreement
nitrogen cycle - a process in which atmospheric nitrogen enters the soil and becomes part of living organisms, and then returns to the atmosphere
noisy - rain forests are chock-full of insects, birds, and the tropical rain forests are populated by very loud monkeys. They make noises to warn other animals about where they are, and to find mates.
non-consumptive - not being destructive or wasteful
non-renewable resource - a resource that cannot be replaced after harvesting
nursery - a place where young animals mature
nutrients - nitrogen and other minerals that animals and plants use for food
ocean - a great body of salt water made up of the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean
oceanography - the science of studying the oceans
organism - a living entity composed of one or more cells
paddock - an enclosed area for grazing animals
pelagic zone - the open sea
percolate - water trickling into the ground
photosynthesis - the process through which plants use energy from the sun to make food from water, carbon dioxide and nutrients
phylum - major scientific groups used to classify animals
phytoplankton - microscopic ocean plants and animals that float and drift with ocean currents
plankton - ocean plants
polyp - the individual coral animal
port - The left side of a ship when facing forward
predator - an animal that hunts and eats other animals
producer - an organism that produces food
quadrat - a square used to conduct scientific surveys
reforestation - renewing a forest by seeding and/or planting
regenerate - renewal by new growth or new life
renewable resource - a resource that replaces itself after harvesting so that it can be harvested again
reptile - common name for members of the cold-blooded vertebrate class Reptilia, includes snakes, lizards, turtles, and crocodiles
salinity - the concentration of salt in a solution
sandbar - a shallow area of sand in the ocean
scavenger - an animal that eats dead plants and/or animals
SPF - sun protection factor of suntan lotion. The higher the factor, the more protection you will get from the sun
sponge - rain forests absorb up to ten feet of rainfall annually
starboard - The right side of a ship when facing forward
stern - The rear of a boat
strata - consistent layers of rainforest trees
sustainable area - a natural area that can be used to meet various human needs but can easily replace itself
taxonomist - a scientist who names and classifies animals or plants according to natural relationships
tides - the rise and fall of sea level along the coast twice each day
tidal zone - the area of the coast covered at high tide and exposed a low tide
tourism - an industry created by travelers
transect - a line used for conducting scientific surveys
tropical - a region where the climate is always warm, located between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn at 23.5 degrees north and south latitude
understory - a strata of lower trees in the rainforest that are 15 to 45 feet tall
venomous -poisonous, but not necessarily deadly
vertebrate - an animal with a backbone
water cycle - the movement of water via evaporation from the ocean, lakes, and other water bodies to the atmosphere, then back to the water body through condensation and precipitation
watershed - a region or area where every drop of water drains into the nearest body of water
wheelhouse - where the steering wheel and engine controls are
windbreak - something that will break the force of the wind, such as the growth of shrubs, bushes or trees
windless - rainforest have very little wind
yardarm - The horizontal booms which hold the square sails out crosswise from the foremast
zoologist - a scientist who studies animals and how they are classified