Ecology

Ecology

Industry: Biology

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Ecology

Element

Biology; Ecology

A molecule composed of one type of atom (e.g., Carbon, Hydrogen, Helium). At present the Periodic Table contains 112 elements. Two or more elements form a compound.

Lipids

Biology; Ecology

Fats, waxes, oils: greasy organic hydrocarbons insoluble in water. With proteins and carbohydrates, membrane-strengthening lipids provide cells with their structure.

Cyanobacteria

Biology; Ecology

Bacteria that photosynthesize. They were among the first living things on Earth. The food-making chloroplast of plants is actually a cynobacterium imported long ago.

Constancy

Biology; Ecology

The dispersion of of a species throughout a community. A constant is a species that shows up in almost every sample taken (indicating an occupation of roughly 80%).

Chaparral

Biology; Ecology

An evergreen shrub community adapted to dry seasons. Although it secrets a resin that burns like gasoline, homes continue to be built in its potentially explosive thickets.

Black body

Biology; Ecology

In theory, a body that absorbs and emits 100% of the electromagnetic radiation that strikes it and therefore appears black. Graphite comes close, with all but 3% absorption.

Sheet erosion

Biology; Ecology

The removal of a layer of soil by rain or runoff. Topsoil accumulated for centuries or aeons can erode away in minutes unless anchored with vegetation and properly drained.