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natural resource something that is found in nature that is useful to humans aquatic resource water and all things that live in or around water.... hydrosphere all of the Earth's water, including surface water, ground water, and water vapor resevoirs an artificial lake used to store water pollution the contamination of air, water or soil by substances that are harmful to living organisms conservation the wise use of natural resources dissolved oxygen oxygen gas absorbed by and mixed into water water pollution an excess of natural or man-made substances in a body of water organic composed of matter that comes from plants or animals either dead or alive inorganic composed of matter that doesn't come from plants or animals either dead or alive decompose to decay or rot aquatic organism any living thing that is a part of an aquatic ecosystem water quality the fitness of water source for a given use such as drinking, fishing, or swimming atmosphere the gaseous envelope surrounding the Earth; the air water cycle the natural process of evaporation and condensation, driven by solar energy and gravity, that distributes the Earth's water as it evaporates from bodies of water evaporation to change from a liquid shape into vapor biosphere the part of the world in which life can exist; living organisms and their environment transpiration the passage of water through a plant to the atmosphere acid rain rain or other precipitation containing a high amount of acidity surface water precipitation that runs off the land surface precipitation a form of water, such as rain, snow or sleet that condenses from the atmosphere and falls to the Earth's surface runoff precipitation not absorbed by soil wetlands a low-lying area where the soil is saturated with water geosphere the solid part of the Earth consisting of the crust and the outer mantle saturated soaked with moisture ground water water that flows or collects beneath the Earth's surface in saturated soil or aquifers aquifers an underground layer of sand, gravel, or rock that holds water in pores or crevices recharge areas water that soaks into and refills an aquifer weather the movement of water through the water cycle watershed all the land from which water drains into a specific body of water tributary a stream that flows into a larger stream or other body of water watershed address the watershed, sub-watershed, and sub-sub-watershed that includes a particular location headwaters the high ground where precipitation first collects and flows downhill in tiny trickles too small to create a permanent channel channel the part of the stream where water collects to flow downstream, including the stream-bed, gravel bars and stream banks perennial stream a stream that flows for most of or all of the year intermittent stream a stream that flows again at different times of the year point-source pollution water pollution that comes from a single source or outlet non-point pollution water pollution that comes from a combination of many sources rather that a single outlet sediment silt, sand, or rocks and other matter carried and deposited by moving water erosion the wearing away of land physiographic pertaining to physical geography adaptation a behavior or trait that increases a specie's chance of survival in a specific environment gills a respiratory organ that enables aquatic animals to take oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide fins a wing or paddle-like part of a fish used for propelling, steering, or balancing in the water swim bladder an air-filled sac near the spinal column in many fishes that helps maintain buoyancy scales any of the small, stiff fat plates that form the outer body covering of most fish stream bed the bottom of the stream channel lateral line an organ running lengthwise down the sides of fish, used for detecting vibrations for pressure changes predators an animal that lives by capturing and eating other animals prey an animal that is eaten by a predator plankton microscopic free floating plant or animal like organisms population a group of individuals of the same species occupying a safe area community a group of plants and animals living and interacting with one another in a particular place habitat the natural environment in which organisms normally live, including the surroundings and other physical conditions needed to sustain it compete the act of actively seeking after and using an environmental resource (such as food) in limited supply by two or more plants or animals niche the function position, or role of a species within an ecosystem biotic of or having to do with life or living organisms; organic abiotic nonliving; not derived from living organisms; inorganic carrying capacity an ecosystem's resource limit; the maximum number of individuals in a population that the ecosystem can support producers an organism that is able to produce its own from non-living materials, and which serves as a food source for other organisms in a food chain consumers an organism that feeds on another organism in a food chain decomposers an organism such as bacterium or fungus that feeds on and breaks down dead plants or animals, making essential components available to other organisms food chain a series of plants and animals linked by their feeding relationships food web many interconnected food chains within an ecological community energy pyramid a graphical representation designed to show the relationship between energy and trophic levels of a given ecosystem trophic levels a group of organisms that occupy the same position in a food chain; each step of an energy pyramid natural selection the natural process in which those organisms best adapted to the conditions under which they live survive and poorly adapted forms are eliminated ecosystem a community of organisms together with their physical environment and the relationships between them aquatic ecosystems an ecosystem organized around a body of water rivers a large stream streams a body of flowing water lakes a large body of standing water ponds a body of standing water small enough that sunlight can reach the bottom across the entire diameter marshes a wetland dominated by reeds and other grass like plants wetlands a low-lying area where the soil is saturated with water current the part of a body of water continuously moving in a different direction oxbow lake crescent-shaped lake formed when a bend of a stream is cut off from the main channel buffers to serve as a protective barrier to reduce or absorb the impact of other influences biodiversity the number and variety of living things in an environment pools an area of deeper, slower moving water in a stream riffles an area of shallow, faster-following water in a stream invertebrates an animal without a spinal chord stream bank the shoulder-like sides of the stream channel from the water's edge to the higher ground nearby riparian zone land next to the stream, starting at the top of the bank, with heavy plant cover on either side floodplain the flat land on both sides of a stream, into which the stream's extra water spreads during a flood first-order stream a small stream with no tributaries coming into it shredders an aquatic invertebrate that feeds by cutting and tearing organic matter collectors an aquatic invertebrate that feeds on fine material grazers an aquatic invertebrate that eats aquatic plants (algae) anglers fisherman, especially one fishing for pleasure filter feeders an aquatic animal that feeds by filtering tiny organisms or fine particles of organic matter from water that passes through it pond succession the natural process by which sediment and organic material gradually replace the water volume of a pond detritus loose material that results from natural breakdown; material in early stages of decay anaerobic ocurring or living in the absence of oxygen