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PSSA vocab
vocab for the PSSA get to know these words
Term | Definition |
---|---|
acid deposition | Precipitation with a pH less than 5.6 that forms in the atmosphere when certain pollutants mix with water vapor. |
stream order | Energy and nutrient flow that increases as water moves toward the oceans (e.g., the smallest stream (primary) that ends when rivers flow into oceans). |
topographic map | a type of map characterized by large-scale detail and quantitative representation of relief, usually using contour lines, but historically using a variety of methods. |
watershed | The land area from which surface runoff drains into a stream, channel, lake, reservoir or other body of water; also called a drainage basin. |
wetlands | Lands where water saturation is the dominant factor determining the nature of the soil development and the plant and animal communities (e.g., sloughs, estuaries, marshes). |
hydrology | the branch of science concerned with the properties of the earth's water, especially its movement in relation to land. |
groundwater | Water that infiltrates the soil and is located in underground reservoirs called aquifers. |
mitigation | The policy of constructing or creating man-made habitats, such as wetlands, to replace those lost to development. |
lentic | Relating to or living in still water |
lotic | Relating to or living in actively moving water. |
ecosystem | A community of living organisms and their interrelated physical and chemical environment. |
environment | The total of the surroundings air, water, soil, vegetation, people, wildlife influencing each living being’s existence, including physical, biological and all other factors; the surroundings of a plant or animal, including other plants or animals, clima |
homeostasis | The tendency for a system by resisting change to remain in a state of equilibrium. |
abiotic | A nonliving factor or element (e.g., light, water, heat, rock, energy, mineral). |
biotic | An environmental factor related to or produced by living organisms. |
biomes | a large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat, e.g., forest or tundra. |
niche | The role played by an organism in an ecosystem; its food preferences, requirements for shelter, special behaviors and the timing of its activities (e.g., nocturnal, diurnal), interaction with other organisms and its habitat. |
consumer | Those organisms that obtain energy by feeding on other organisms and their remains. 2) a person buying goods or services for personal needs or to use in the production of other goods for resale. |
decomposer | An organism, often microscopic in size, that obtains nutrients by consum organic matter, thereby making nutrients accessible to other organisms; examples of decomposers include fungi, scavengers, rodents and other animals. |
shredder | Through chewing and/or grinding, microorganisms feed on non-woody coarse particulate matter, primarily leaves. |
dichotomous | exhibiting or characterized by dichotomy. |
pest | A label applied to an organism when it is in competition with humans for some resource. |
integrated pest management | A variety of pest control methods that include repairs, traps, bait, poison, etc. to eliminate pests. |