River of Doubt
Glossary
ABDOMEN: the rear section of an insect's or spider's body
ACID SOIL: soil that has few nutrients and is too poor for soil organisms
to thrive
ADULT: the final stage of the life cycle
ANTENNA: one of a pair of sensory appendages on each side of an insect's
head.; two are called antennae
ARTHROPOD: any animal without a backbone, with a hard skeleton on the outside
of the body and with bendable, jointed legs
ASEXUAL: reproducing without the union of sperm and egg
BIODIVERSITY: all living organisms and the ecological complexes of which
they are a part; in other words, the variety of the world's species and
genes
BROMELIADS: tropical plants in the pineapple family that often grow on
trunks and branches of trees
BUTTRESSES: woody flanges that radiate from the bases of tall forest trees;
buttresses help support shallow rooted trees which might otherwise blow
down easily
CAMOUFLAGE: the use of color and shape in order to merge into the background
to avoid detection
COCOON: the case in which a fully-grown larva is enclosed during the pupal
stage, prior to emerging as an adult
COMPOUND EYE: a visual sensory organ which has many sides (facets) or lenses
and gives many images
DECOMPOSITION: the rotting of dead matter
DEFORESTATION: the permanent loss of forest land or its conversion to other
land uses (agriculture, cities, etc.)
ECOLOGY: the study of living things and how they relate to each other and
their
surroundings
ECOSYSTEM: a system consisting of a community of organisms and its environment
EGG: the first stage of the life cycle
ENTOMOLOGIST: a scientist who studies insects
ENTREPRENEUR: a peron who manages, organizes, promotes, and assumes the
responsibilities and risks of a business
ENVIRONMENT: all things found in an area: air, land, water, weather, plants,
animals and people; how they act together and affect each other
EPIPHYTE: a plant that grows on other plants: the roots can absorb moisture
directly from the air
EXOSKELETON: the hard, supporting outer structure of an insect's or spider's
body
FLORA: The total plant life of an area; usually the total number of plant
species in a geological stratum, region, ecosystem, habitat, community
at a specific time
FUNGI: plants that have no roots, stems, leaves, seeds, or flowers; they
live in the dark and get nourishment from living things or organic matter
GEOLOGIST: a scientist who studies the physical and chemical processes
that occur at, within, and below the surface of the earth
HABITAT: a combination of environmental conditions that make suitable living
(an animal might live in trees, people in houses)
HUMUS: soil formed from decayed debris of vegetation and animal matter;
plants need humus for growth
INSECT: an arthropod with two antennae, three separate body parts, four
wings (in most cases), and six legs in its adult stage
LARVA: the second stage of the life cycle, in complete metamorphosis
LIANA: a woody vine that is rooted in soil and grows up tree trunks and
open areas; they have thick stems and roots that hang from trees
MOLT: to shed the outer skin
NOCTURNAL: sleeping all day, active at night; some animals are nocturnal
in order to avoid predators
NUTRIENTS: an essential component of soil or food required by a plant or
animal to grow; a substance which provides nourishment and promotes growth
NYMPH: the second stage of the life cycle, in incomplete metamorphosis
OXYGEN: a gas in the air released by green plants and breathed in by animals
and people
PHARMACIST: a scientist who specializes in the preparation of drugs for
patients
PREDATOR: an animal that kills other animals for food
PREY: an animal that is killed for food
PROTECTED AREA: any area of land protected by laws or regulations that
limit human use of the plants.
PUPA: the third stage of the life cycle, in complete metamorphosis, in
which the insect is covered by a cocoon and transforms into an adult
QUARTZITE: a rock made from quartz; can be one of the rocks that cannot
be broken down into soil and they help make the beautiful waterfalls
seen in the rainforests
RECYCLE: the process of breaking materials down so they can be used again
SCAVENGER: an animal that feeds on dead and decaying matter rather than
eating live plants or killing animals
SIMPLE EYE: a visual sensory organ with one lens
SOCIAL: living in organized communities with a division of labor; ants
and bees, for example, are social creatures
TEMPERATE: mild climate including four yearly seasons of different temperatures
TROPICAL: warm climate including two yearly seasons marked by different
amounts of rainfall
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