An A to Z reference of key terms used across the Mpala Live curriculum and field guides.
126 terms
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present in great quantity; more than adequate; overly sufficient
nonliving things
to adjust oneself to different conditions, environments
change in an organism or its parts that better fits it for the conditions of its environment; also, a structure resulting from this change
moving bodies or streams of air; can be measured on many different scales and can carry considerable force
an act or instance of attacking unexpectedly from a concealed position
any organism that is able to live both on land and in water; especially any of a class of cold-blooded vertebrate animals (such as frogs and salamanders) that in many respects are between fishes and reptiles
also known as flowering plants; all have seeds that are protected by an ovule (think of an apple or other fruit).
a porous subsurface rock that holds water
the gaseous envelope surrounding Earth; the air
any of a class of warm-blooded, egg-laying vertebrate animals with a body covered with feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
biological variety in an environment as indicated by numbers of different species of plants and animals
regions of the biosphere with a particular type of climate and similar plant and animal species
the part of the world in which life can exist
living things
the leaf that grows out of the side of the stem
the hiding or disguising of something by covering it up or changing the way it looks
an organism that eats mostly meat
the balance between the availability of habitat components (food, water, shelter) and the number of animals a habitat can support
a count of the number of animals in an area
a pigment that makes leaves green and facilitates photosynthesis by absorbing sunlight
the pupa of a butterfly or moth; the hardened outer layer of such a pupa
a systematic arrangement in groups
having a body temperature that is not internally regulated and that takes on the temperature of the environment
water that falls back to earth as precipitation; it may fall back in the oceans, lakes, or rivers, or it may end up on land
a group of living things that belong to one or more species, interact ecologically, and are located in one place (such as a bog or pond)
a reasoned deduction or inference
water vapor that changes back to liquid as the air cools, forming clouds
the management of resources such as water so as to eliminate waste or maximize the efficiency of use
a plant or animal that requires complex organic compounds for food which it obtains by preying on other living things or eating particles of organic matter
active at twilight and dawn; asleep or hiding during day and night
colors and patterns that obscure, making an animal hard to see
the main stem of the grass plant; it carries water from the roots to the blade where food is made.
an organism (such as a bacterium or a fungus) that feeds on and breaks down dead plant or animal matter
deprived of water
active by day; asleep or hiding by night
the process of adapting organisms for human use
a process for locating distant or invisible objects by means of sound waves reflected back to the sender from the objects
a system made up of an ecological community of living things interacting with their environment, especially under natural conditions
energy that travels in the form of a wave; examples include visible light, radio waves, infrared and ultraviolet light, X-rays, and gamma rays
a species whose dwindling population numbers have caused it to be classified as being threatened with extinction
the process by which water, ice, wind, and gravity reshapes the land by moving rocks, soil, and other weathered material
the process by which a substance changes from a liquid to a gas or vapor; the opposite of condensation
the combination of evaporation from the ground and transpiration from plants
the whole complex of factors (such as soil, climate, and living things) that influence the form and the ability to survive of a plant or animal or ecological community
a list of an animal’s observed behaviors
no longer in existence anywhere in the world
an external skeleton
a cold-blooded, vertebrate that lives and breathes in water and typically has a long, scaly, tapering body, limbs developed as fins, and a vertical tail fin
part of the plant where reproduction takes place; sometimes they look like small leaves.
a sequence of organisms arranged in such a way that each feeds on the organism below it in the chain and serves as a source of food for the organism above it
all the connected or linked food chains within an ecological community
a large system of stars held together by mutual gravitation and isolated from similar systems by vast regions of space
plants that have slender leaves and reproduce by sending out underground stems called rhizomes that usually grow horizontally
specific ecosystem characterized by its grasses; in Africa they are called savannas.
soil, pavement, grass, concrete, etc.
a term meaning "naked seed;" refers to plants with seeds that aren’t protected by an ovule. Examples are conifers, which have pinecones.
the place where an animal or plant naturally or normally lives or grows
the destruction or disappearance of the natural environment an animal or plant species requires to survive
those with leaves and stems that die at the end of the growing season
a chemical substance used to destroy or stop plant growth
an organism that eats mostly plants
human activity that affects the paths and cycles within an ecosystem
a proposed explanation of something that could occur
to filter into or through; permeate, as into the ground
any member of a class of arthropods (such as butterflies, true bugs, two-winged flies, bees, and grasshoppers) that has a three-part body (head, thorax, and abdomen), three pairs of jointed legs, and usually with one or two pairs of wings
a chemical used to kill insects
depending on one another
a species that is not native to an environment and whose introduction is likely to harm that system
the energy of motion. Any object with mass and velocity has kinetic energy. K = ½ mv2.
a young wingless often wormlike organism (such as a grub or caterpillar) that hatches from the eggs of many insects
the angular distance north or south from the equator of a point on Earth’s surface
Something such as disease, predator and prey relationships, weather, pollution, or habitat destruction that can affect an animal population
any of a class of warm-blooded vertebrates that includes human beings and all other animals that nourish their young with milk produced by mammary glands and that have some hair on their skin
the process of basic and usually rather sudden change in the form and habits of some animals during transformation from an immature stage (such as a tadpole or a caterpillar) to an adult stage (such as a frog or a butterfly)
the cultivation or growth of a single crop or organism especially on agricultural or forest land
a habitat that contains the things necessary for a particular plant or animal to live, or the part that a particular living thing plays in an ecological community
active at night; asleep or hiding during the day
plants that don’t use roots and stems
an act or instance of viewing or noting a fact or occurrence for a scientific purpose
an organism whose diet is broad, including both animal and plant foods
the process of handing down information by word of mouth rather than through writing
an individual living thing that carries on the activities of life by means of organs that have separate functions but are dependent on each other; a living person, plant, or animal
intense eating of vegetation over long periods that allows no time for the plants to recover
a minute structure that, after fertilization, becomes a plant seed
the process by which plants convert sunlight into energy using carbon dioxide and water
the (female) part of the flower that receives the pollen
the illegal hunting, capturing, or killing of a species especially for economic gain
a fine powder produced by certain plants that plays a role in reproduction
the transfer of pollen from a stamen to a pistil
a group of one or more species of organisms living in a particular area or habitat
rain, hail, sleet, or snow, all of which are formed by condensation of moisture in the atmosphere and fall to the ground when the air can hold no more
an animal that lives by killing and eating other animals
an animal or animals hunted as food by another animal
a long, tube-shaped body part (such as the sucking organ of a butterfly) in the mouth region of an invertebrate; a flexible snout
a living thing (such as a green plant) that makes its food from simple inorganic substances (such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen); many are food sources for other organisms
a special quality of something
a stage of an insect (such as a bee, moth, or beetle) having complete metamorphosis that occurs as it changes from a larva to an adult, usually inside a cocoon or a case
any of a group of cold-blooded, air-breathing vertebrates (such as snakes, lizards, turtles, and alligators) that usually lay eggs and have skin covered with scales or bony plates
to produce new individuals of the same kind
taking the life of an animal out of revenge for some act it did against humans, such as killing livestock or a person
an underground, usually horizontal, stem that can produce new plants
anchor the plant to the ground, absorb water and nutrients from the soil, support the stem, and store food
precipitation that flows over the ground rather than seeping into it
an organism (such as a vulture or hyena) that usually feeds on dead or decaying matter
part of the plant that contains the beginnings of a new plant that will grow if exposed to the proper conditions
water from melting snow
a device that uses sound waves to detect the presence and location of submerged objects (such as submarines)
a class of things of the same kind and with the same name
the (male) part of a flower where pollen is produced
central structure of the plant that provides support for the plant and a pathway for transportation of water and nutrients for the plant
the tip of the pistil (female part of the flower), which receives the male pollen grains
a horizontal, aboveground stem that produces roots and shoots
most commonly, the process of snow and ice changing into water vapor without first melting into water
a device that uses the position of the sun and the shadow it casts to tell the time of day
a tract of land, especially in reference to its natural features
any area defended by one or more individuals against intrusion by others of the same or different species
a record of how much time an organism spends at various activities
process in plants by which water is carried through the stem to the leaves and evaporates into the air
woody shrubs that have a main trunk and many branches
a world or sphere in which something exists or prevails
plants that use roots and stems to take in water and nutrients
maintaining a constant internal body temperature regardless of external conditions
a term that describes the movement of water in, on, and above Earth
a machine or device that transforms kinetic energy from the wind into another useful form of energy, such as electricity
plants that have stems that are covered by a layer of bark
