1.
abiotic: nonliving; not derived from living organisms; inorganic
2.
acid rain: rain or other precipitation containing a high amount of acidity
3.
adaptation: a behavior or trait that increases a specie's chance of survival in a specific environment
4.
anaerobic: ocurring or living in the absence of oxygen
5.
anglers: fisherman, especially one fishing for pleasure
6.
aquatic ecosystems: an ecosystem organized around a body of water
7.
aquatic organism: any living thing that is a part of an aquatic ecosystem
8.
aquatic resource: water and all things that live in or around water....
9.
aquifers: an underground layer of sand, gravel, or rock that holds water in pores or crevices
10.
atmosphere: the gaseous envelope surrounding the Earth; the air
11.
biodiversity: the number and variety of living things in an environment
12.
biosphere: the part of the world in which life can exist; living organisms and their environment
13.
biotic: of or having to do with life or living organisms; organic
14.
buffers: to serve as a protective barrier to reduce or absorb the impact of other influences
15.
carrying capacity: an ecosystem's resource limit; the maximum number of individuals in a population that the ecosystem can support
16.
channel: the part of the stream where water collects to flow downstream, including the stream-bed, gravel bars and stream banks
17.
collectors: an aquatic invertebrate that feeds on fine material
18.
community: a group of plants and animals living and interacting with one another in a particular place
19.
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
20.
conservation: the wise use of natural resources
21.
consumers: an organism that feeds on another organism in a food chain
22.
current: the part of a body of water continuously moving in a different direction
23.
decompose: to decay or rot
24.
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
25.
detritus: loose material that results from natural breakdown; material in early stages of decay
26.
dissolved oxygen: oxygen gas absorbed by and mixed into water
27.
ecosystem: a community of organisms together with their physical environment and the relationships between them
28.
energy pyramid: a graphical representation designed to show the relationship between energy and trophic levels of a given ecosystem
29.
erosion: the wearing away of land
30.
evaporation: to change from a liquid shape into vapor
31.
filter feeders: an aquatic animal that feeds by filtering tiny organisms or fine particles of organic matter from water that passes through it
32.
fins: a wing or paddle-like part of a fish used for propelling, steering, or balancing in the water
33.
first-order stream: a small stream with no tributaries coming into it
34.
floodplain: the flat land on both sides of a stream, into which the stream's extra water spreads during a flood
35.
food chain: a series of plants and animals linked by their feeding relationships
36.
food web: many interconnected food chains within an ecological community
37.
geosphere: the solid part of the Earth consisting of the crust and the outer mantle
38.
gills: a respiratory organ that enables aquatic animals to take oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide
39.
grazers: an aquatic invertebrate that eats aquatic plants (algae)
40.
ground water: water that flows or collects beneath the Earth's surface in saturated soil or aquifers
41.
habitat: the natural environment in which organisms normally live, including the surroundings and other physical conditions needed to sustain it
42.
headwaters: the high ground where precipitation first collects and flows downhill in tiny trickles too small to create a permanent channel
43.
hydrosphere: all of the Earth's water, including surface water, ground water, and water vapor
44.
inorganic: composed of matter that doesn't come from plants or animals either dead or alive
45.
intermittent stream: a stream that flows again at different times of the year
46.
invertebrates: an animal without a spinal chord
47.
lakes: a large body of standing water
48.
lateral line: an organ running lengthwise down the sides of fish, used for detecting vibrations for pressure changes
49.
marshes: a wetland dominated by reeds and other grass like plants
50.
natural resource: something that is found in nature that is useful to humans
51.
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
52.
niche: the function position, or role of a species within an ecosystem
53.
non-point pollution: water pollution that comes from a combination of many sources rather that a single outlet
54.
organic: composed of matter that comes from plants or animals either dead or alive
55.
oxbow lake: crescent-shaped lake formed when a bend of a stream is cut off from the main channel
56.
perennial stream: a stream that flows for most of or all of the year
57.
physiographic: pertaining to physical geography
58.
plankton: microscopic free floating plant or animal like organisms
59.
point-source pollution: water pollution that comes from a single source or outlet
60.
pollution: the contamination of air, water or soil by substances that are harmful to living organisms
61.
pond succession: the natural process by which sediment and organic material gradually replace the water volume of a pond
62.
ponds: a body of standing water small enough that sunlight can reach the bottom across the entire diameter
63.
pools: an area of deeper, slower moving water in a stream
64.
population: a group of individuals of the same species occupying a safe area
65.
precipitation: a form of water, such as rain, snow or sleet that condenses from the atmosphere and falls to the Earth's surface
66.
predators: an animal that lives by capturing and eating other animals
67.
prey: an animal that is eaten by a predator
68.
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
69.
recharge areas: water that soaks into and refills an aquifer
70.
resevoirs: an artificial lake used to store water
71.
riffles: an area of shallow, faster-following water in a stream
72.
riparian zone: land next to the stream, starting at the top of the bank, with heavy plant cover on either side
73.
rivers: a large stream
74.
runoff: precipitation not absorbed by soil
75.
saturated: soaked with moisture
76.
scales: any of the small, stiff fat plates that form the outer body covering of most fish
77.
sediment: silt, sand, or rocks and other matter carried and deposited by moving water
78.
shredders: an aquatic invertebrate that feeds by cutting and tearing organic matter
79.
stream bank: the shoulder-like sides of the stream channel from the water's edge to the higher ground nearby
80.
stream bed: the bottom of the stream channel
81.
streams: a body of flowing water
82.
surface water: precipitation that runs off the land surface
83.
swim bladder: an air-filled sac near the spinal column in many fishes that helps maintain buoyancy
84.
transpiration: the passage of water through a plant to the atmosphere
85.
tributary: a stream that flows into a larger stream or other body of water
86.
trophic levels: a group of organisms that occupy the same position in a food chain; each step of an energy pyramid
87.
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
88.
water pollution: an excess of natural or man-made substances in a body of water
89.
water quality: the fitness of water source for a given use such as drinking, fishing, or swimming
90.
watershed: all the land from which water drains into a specific body of water
91.
watershed address: the watershed, sub-watershed, and sub-sub-watershed that includes a particular location
92.
weather: the movement of water through the water cycle
93.
wetlands: a low-lying area where the soil is saturated with water
