The variety of different species of plants, animals, and other organisms in a particular area.
Biodiversity
The total number of species and # of runs in a given area.
Index of Diversity (ID)
The number of individuals/size of a species in a given area.
Population Density
The process of planting trees in an area where they have been cut down, in order to restore a forest.
Reforestation
The removal of trees from a forest, often due to logging or land conversion, resulting in a loss of forest cover.
Deforestation
A farming method where land is cleared by cutting and burning vegetation, commonly used in agriculture.
Kaingin / Slash & Burn
The unauthorized removal of trees from forests, often targeting valuable or specific tree species.
Illegal Logging (Selective Logging)
Changing farmland into other uses, such as residential or commercial areas.
Conversion of Agricultural Lands
Uncontrolled fires in wooded areas, causing damage to forests and ecosystems.
Forest Fires
Powerful tropical storms with strong winds and heavy rainfall.
Typhoons
Refers to a species that no longer exists because the last member has died.
Extinct
Describes a species with a critically low population at risk of becoming extinct.
Endangered
Populations in rapid decline, indicating the risk of becoming endangered.
Threatened
The introduction of harmful substances into the environment, often from human activities.
Pollution
Destructive fishing methods that involve the use of explosives to capture fish, damaging coral reefs and marine life.
Muro-ami / Dynamite Fishing
The increase in organic nutrients in bodies of water, leading to excessive plant and algae growth.
Eutrophication (Increase in Organic Nutrients)
The accumulation of harmful substances like Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB) in organisms higher up in the food chain.
Biological Magnification (Increase in Polychlorinated Biphenyl or PCB)
A sudden and extensive growth of algae in bodies of water, potentially harmful to aquatic ecosystems.
Algal Bloom (Red Tide)
Certain gases trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere, leading to global warming.
Greenhouse Effect (Carbon Dioxide, Methane, Nitrous Oxide, CFC or Chloro-Fluoro-Carbons)
The Earth's temperature increases due to the build-up of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide.
Global Warming
Rainwater becomes acidic due to pollution from factories and vehicles, harming the environment.
Acid Rain
Excessive removal of resources from an ecosystem, depleting them.
Over Harvesting
A practice where society uses resources at a rate that doesn't exceed the environment's capacity to regenerate them.
Sustainable Development
Environmental conditions that prevent a population from growing too large, helping to maintain ecosystem balance.
Limiting Factors
The maximum number of individuals an environment can support without harm.
Carrying Capacity
A group of organisms of the same species living in a certain place.
Population
The process by which plants and other autotrophic organisms convert carbon dioxide, water, and light energy into glucose and oxygen.
Photosynthesis
The protective layers of cells on the upper and lower surface of a leaf.
Upper and Lower Epidermis
The tissue in the interior of the leaf where photosynthesis takes place, containing chloroplasts.
Mesophyll
A layer of loosely packed cells in the leaf that collects carbon dioxide and oxygen and allows for gas exchange.
Spongy Layer
Tissues in the leaf that contain the phloem and xylem, serving as transporting vessels of manufactured food and water.
Vascular Bundles
The organelle in plant cells where photosynthesis occurs, containing chlorophyll.
Chloroplast
The fluid-filled space within the chloroplast where the Calvin cycle (dark reaction) takes place.
Stroma
Flattened sacs within the chloroplast that contain chlorophyll and are stacked in grana.
Thylakoids
The first stage of photosynthesis that occurs in the thylakoid membrane, converting light energy to chemical energy and generating ATP and NADPH.
Light-Dependent Reaction
The second stage of photosynthesis that occurs in the stroma, converting carbon dioxide into sugar using the products of the light-dependent reaction.
Calvin Cycle (Dark Reaction)
The process by which cells convert oxygen and glucose into carbon dioxide, water, and ATP.
Cellular Respiration
The first step of cellular respiration that breaks down glucose into two molecules of pyruvate, producing a small amount of ATP and NADH.
Glycolysis
The second step of cellular respiration that occurs in the mitochondria and generates ATP, NADH, and FADH2 from the oxidation of pyruvate.
Krebs Cycle
The third step of cellular respiration that occurs in the inner mitochondrial membrane and generates a large amount of ATP by utilizing the energy stored in NADH and FADH2.
Electron Transport Chain
A high-energy molecule that stores and provides energy for cellular processes.
ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate)
The primary immediate energy source for cells, which is broken down to release stored energy.
Glucose
A 3-carbon molecule produced from the breakdown of glucose during glycolysis.
Pyruvate
A process that occurs when oxygen is not present, resulting in the conversion of pyruvate into lactic acid or ethanol.
Fermentation
A process that occurs when oxygen is present, converting pyruvate into acetyl-CoA, which enters the Krebs cycle.
Oxidative Decarboxylation
By-products of cellular respiration.
Water and Carbon Dioxide
A cycle of chemical reactions that occurs in the mitochondria and generates ATP, NADH, and FADH2 from the oxidation of acetyl-CoA.
Krebs Cycle
A series of molecules embedded in the inner mitochondrial membrane that enables the release of a large amount of chemical energy stored in NADH and FADH2, producing ATP.
Electron Transport Chain
The breakdown of glucose into two molecules of pyruvate, resulting in a net gain of 2 ATP molecules and 2 NADH molecules.
Glycolysis
The first step of cellular respiration that occurs in the cytoplasm and breaks down glucose into pyruvate, producing a small amount of ATP and NADH.
Glycolysis
Membrane-enclosed organelles found in most eukaryotic cells that convert the potential energy of food molecules into ATP.
Mitochondria
Compound that stores energy in the cell.
ATP
Organisms that can make their own food.
Autotrophs
Cycle of dark reactions in photosynthesis.
Calvin Cycle
Catabolic process pathways that break down organic molecules for the production of ATP.
Cellular Respiration
Green pigment in chloroplasts that captures light energy.
Chlorophyll
Organelle found in photosynthetic organisms that absorb sunlight and use it to synthesize carbon dioxide and water.
Chloroplast
Inner folded membrane of the mitochondrion.
Cristae
Specialized epidermal cell that controls the opening and closing of stomata.
Guard Cell
Organisms that cannot make their own food.
Heterotrophs
Cyclical series of reactions in cellular respiration that produces carbon dioxide, NADH, and FADH2.
Krebs Cycle
Stage of photosynthesis that requires light.
Light Reaction
Compartment of the mitochondrion enclosed by the inner membrane, containing enzymes and substrates for the citric acid cycle.
Mitochondrial Matrix
Organelle that serves as the site for cellular respiration.
Mitochondrion
Process by which autotrophs convert light energy into chemical energy stored in food.
Photosynthesis
Process by which a body of water becomes enriched in dissolved nutrients, leading to the growth of aquatic plant life and depletion of dissolved oxygen.
Eutrophication
Toxic wastes produced in the making of paints, inks, and electrical insulators.
PCB (Polychlorinated biphenyl)