Tropical Forest – Vol. 3 No. 1

• adapt

  (ǝ dapt): To change so as to fit a new or specific use or situation.

• anaerobic

  (an ǝ rō bik): Living, active, occurring, or existing in the absence of free oxygen.

• analyze

  (a nǝ līz): To study or find out the nature and relationship of the parts of something.

• bacteria

  (bak tir ē ǝ): (Singular: bacterium) A group of single-celled microorganisms that live in soil, water, the bodies of plants and animals, or matter obtained from living things and are important because of their chemical effects and disease-causing abilities.

• barren

  (ber ǝn): Producing little or no vegetation.

• biomass

  (bī ō mas): The amount of living matter (in a unit area or volume of habitat).

• biome

  (bī ōm): A major ecological community type (such as tropical rainforest, grassland, or desert).

• classify

  (kla sǝ fī): To arrange in a group, set, or kind that shares common attributes.

• climate

  (klī mǝt): The average weather conditions of a particular place or region over a period of years.

• compacted

  (kǝm pak tǝd): Having a dense structure or parts or units closely packed or joined.

• complexity

  (kǝm plek sǝ tē): Something that is complex, or hard to separate, analyze, or solve.

• cyclical

  (si kli kǝl): Characterized by a series of events or actions that repeat themselves regularly and in the same order.

• data

  (dā tǝ or da tǝ): Factual information (such as measurements or statistics) used as a basis for reasoning, discussion, or calculation.

• decomposer

  (dē kǝm pō zǝr): An organism (like a bacterium or a fungus) that feeds on and breaks down dead plant or animal matter.

• densely

  (dens lē): Closely or crowded together.

• diverse

  (dī vǝrs): Differing from one another.

• diversity

  (dǝ vǝr si tē): The condition of having or being composed of differing elements; variety.

• ecology

  (i kä lǝ gē): A branch of science concerned with the relationships between living things and their environment.

• external

  (ek stǝr nǝl): Of, relating to, or connected with the outside or an outer part.

• feedback

  (fēd bak): The giving or sending of information, or of something from which information can be obtained, about the value, effect, or result of an action or process to the controlling source.

• forage

  (fȯr ij): (noun) Food for browsing or grazing animals.

  (verb) To wander in search of forage or food.

• forest manager

  (fȯr ǝst ma ni jǝr): A person who manages a forest; in the Forest Service, forest managers focus on managing vegetation, restoring ecosystems, reducing hazards, and maintaining forest health (definition from USDA Forest Service).

• former

  (fȯr mǝr): Of, relating to, or occurring in the past.

• gaseous

  (ga sē ǝs or ga shǝs): Having the form of or being gas.

• greenhouse effect

  (grēn hau̇s i fekt): A warming of Earth’s surface and the air above it caused by gases in the air that trap energy from the Sun.

• habitat

  (ha bә tat): The place or environment where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives and grows.

• latitude

  (la tǝ tüd): Distance north or south from the equator measured in degrees.

• mature

  (mǝ chu̇r ): Having completed natural growth and development.

• migratory

  (mī grǝ tȯr ē): Of, relating to, or characterized by moving, usually periodically, from one region or climate to another for feeding or breeding.

• native

  (nā tiv): Living or growing naturally in a particular region.

• natural disaster

  (na ch(ǝ) rǝl di za stǝr): A sudden and terrible event in nature (such as a hurricane, tornado, or flood) that usually results in serious damage and many deaths.

• nutrient

  (nü trē ǝnt): A substance or ingredient that promotes growth, provides energy, and maintains life.

• organic

  (ȯr ga nik): Of, relating to, or obtained from living things.

• organism

  (ȯr gǝ ni zǝm): An individual living thing that carries on the activities of life by means of organs which have separate functions but are dependent on each other: a living person, plant, or animal.

• perch

  (pǝrch): A support, like a branch, on which a bird rests.

• population

  (pä pyǝ lā shǝn): The total of individuals occupying an area.

• porous

  (pȯr ǝs): Full of tiny openings or spaces (as in the skin or the soil); capable of absorbing liquids.

• predictable

  (pri dik tǝ bǝl): Able to be known, seen, or declared in advance; behaving in a way that is expected.

• quality

  (kwä lǝ tē): A basic characteristic.

• quantify

  (kwän tǝ fī): To determine, express, or measure the quantity of.

• sample

  (sam pəl): A small subset group, representative of the entire group.

• specialization

  (spe sh(ǝ) lǝ zā shǝn): Being designed, trained, or fitted for one particular purpose or job or area of study.

• species

  (spē sēz or spē shēz): A category of living things that ranks below a genus, is made up of related individuals able to produce fertile offspring, and is identified by a two-part scientific name.

• summarize

  (sǝ mǝ rīz): To tell in or reduce to a short statement of the main points.

• tropical

  (trä pi kǝl): Of, relating to, occurring in, or used in the tropics, which is the area between two parallels of the earth’s latitude that are approximately 23½ degrees north of the equator and approximately 23½ degrees south of the equator.

• understory

  (ǝn dǝr stȯr ē): The plant layer, especially the trees and shrubs, between the forest canopy and the ground cover.

Additional Resources