Autotrophic
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Ability to synthesize food from inorganic material, e.g, Green plants
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Aerosol
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Minute particles and droplets suspended in the air.
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Allergens
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Substances causing allergy
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Anthropogenic
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Human generated; Caused by humans
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Benthos
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The organisms which live on or at the bottom of a body of water or the bottom of
sea or lake
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Biogas
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A mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons coming from degradation of organic matter by methanogenic
bacteria. Biogas is also known as Gobar gas
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Biota
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The flora and fauna of an area
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Biological Control
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The control of Pests with the help of natural predators, parasites or diseases.
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Biodiversity
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The sum total of all the living plants, animals and microbes is called bio-diversity
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Bio-degradation
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This is the process by living organisms breakdown matter into its simpler constituents
and thus recycle nutrients. All natural decay processes such as rotting of wood
are examples of biodegradation
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Biome
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Biome is an ecological region characterized by the predominant vegetation type,
such as Savanna. The biome is the largest Biogeographical unit
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Biosphere
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Biosphere is the region inhabited by living things. It forms a thin layer around
the earth, including the surface of the lithosphere, hydrosphere and the lower atmosphere.
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Biogeochemical cycles
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cycling of nutrients among living organisms, air, water and soil.
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Biogeographical area
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A region with characteristic climatic biological, water and land resources
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Biomagnification
|
increase in concentration of some stable compounds at successive trophic levels
in a food chain
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Beta-diversity
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Variations in species composition across different habitats.
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Biomass
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Organic matter produced by living organisms
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Biotic
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Living
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Bog
|
Water-logged soil usually containing peat
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Cancer
|
a disease producing tumors in which cells multiply uncontrollably and invade surrounding
tissue
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Carcinogen
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Any agent promoting cancer e.g chemicals, ionizing radiations etc
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Carnivore
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Organisms that feeds on other animals
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Carrying Capacity
|
Maximum population size that a given system can support over a given period of time.
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Cell:
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The smallest unit of living organisms
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Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
|
Chemical compounds with a carbon skeleton and one or more attached chlorine and
fluorine atoms; used as refrigement, solvent, fire retardant and blowing agent
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Chemosynthesis
|
Conversion of inorganic substances into organic compounds (by bacteria) in the absence
of light
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Chlorophyll
|
Green coloured pigment found in green plants
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Climate
|
Long term pattern of weather in a particular area
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Climax Community
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The ultimate stable community formed during ecological succession, usually a forest.
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Conservation
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The planning and management of resources so as to secure their wide use and continuity
of supply which maintaining and enhancing their quality, value and diversity
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Consumer
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an organism which meets its energy requirements by feeding on others.
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Contamination
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Rendering impure or unstable by adding something bad or impure
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Community
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Populations of various species living and interacting in a given area.
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Compost
|
a nutrient rich soil amended produced by biological degradation of organic material
under aerobic conditions
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Decomposer
|
Organisms which obtain their nutrient by breaking down dead organic matter into
simple molecules
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Deforestation
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The permanent removal of forest and undergrowth
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Desert
|
A vast area in which evaporation exceeds precipitation with consequent lack of vegetation.
Rain less than 25cm/year produces a desert in almost any temperature range
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Desertification
|
The formation of desert in arid and semi-arid regions from overgrazing, deforestation,
poor use of land, excessive withdrawl of ground water, overgrazing and climate change
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Deciduous
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Trees that shed their leaves at the end of the growing season
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Delta
|
Fan- shaped sediment deposit found at the mouth of a river
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Demography
|
Study of human populations
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Detritivore
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Organism that consumes organic litter, debris and dung
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DNA
|
Deoxyribonucleic acid, genetic material
|
Diversity
|
A community is said to have a high degree of diversity if it contains many species
in fairly equal abundance
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Dust
|
Solid particles, 1 to 100 micron in size, in the atmosphere
|
Ecology
|
The study of the inter-relations of animals and plants with their environment both
animate and inanimate
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Ecological Pyramid
|
A graphical representation of tropic level in a stable food chain. The decrease
(or increase) in energy or number of individuals at each level gives it an appearance
of a pyramid
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Ecosystem
|
Ecological system formed by the interaction of co-existing organisms and their environment
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Ecotone
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A fairly transition zone between two adjacent biomes or habitats
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Effluent
|
General term for a fluid emitted by a source (general the outflow of a sewer or
industrial liquid waste).
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Energy Flow
|
The passage of energy through the tropic level of a food chain
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Environment
|
Physical, chemical, biotic and cultural conditions, and their ramifications, collectively
comprise, the environment
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Earthquake
|
Shaking of ground due to fracturing and displacement of rocks on the earth's crust
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Eutrophication
|
Enrichment of water body by nitrate and phosphate containing organic material leading
to increase in the growth of aquatic plants and often to algal bloom
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Food Chain
|
A number of organisms forming a series through which energy is passed.
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Food web
|
A group of interconnected food chains
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Fossil fuels
|
Fuels produced due to fossilization of plants/animals like petroleum, coal, natural
gas
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Forest
|
A type of biome in which the dominant plants are trees
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Grassland
|
Herbaceous vegetation dominated by grasses
|
Gene
|
A unit of heredity, it is either DNA or RNA
|
Green House Effect
|
Heating of the air caused by permitting incoming solar radiation but inhibiting
outgoing radiation. The actual heating in a green house is caused mainly by physical
obstruction of the glass, which prevents warm air from leaving and cooled air from
entering
|
Ground Water
|
Water held in aquifers below the earth's surface
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Habitat
|
The area in which the organism is found.
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Hazardous waste
|
Any waste that is potentially dangerous to environmental health because of chemical
reactivity, flammability, explosiveness, and so on.
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Hydrosphere
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The part of the earth, which is composed of water , oceans, seas , the ice caps,
lakes, rivers etc
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Heterotroph
|
Organism that can't synthesis its own food and derives its nourishment by feeding
on others
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Homeostasis
|
An inherent property of living organisms or ecosystems to resist change and remain
stable
|
Humus
|
A dark amorphous substance that is partially degraded and serves as a major source
of nutrients to plants
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Hydrocarbon
|
Organic compounds of hydrogen and carbon
|
Inflitration
|
Percolation of water into the soil
|
Insolation
|
Incoming solar radiations
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Latitude
|
Distance from the equator
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Leaching
|
Process in which various chemicals in upper layers of soil are dissolved and carried
to lower layers
|
Landslides
|
Mass movement of rock or soil down hill.
|
Lithosphere
|
Outer shell of the earth composed of the crust and the rigid outermost part of the
mantle
|
Landscape
|
Scenery of an area of land
|
Littoral Zone
|
Region of shallow water near sea shore lying between high and low tide levels.
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Magma
|
Molten rock below the earth's surfaces
|
Marsh
|
A wetland without trees.
|
Mutualism
|
An association between two organisms so that both of them are benefited, also called
symbiosis
|
Metabolism
|
The sum total of all chemical reactions that occur in a living organism
|
Niche
|
The functional role and position of a specie in an ecosystem i.e what resources
it uses, how does it interact with other species etc.
|
Net Productivity
|
Rate at which plants produce biomass from sunlight
|
Nitrogen Fixation
|
Conversion of atmospheric nitrogen gas into ammonia by nitrogen fixing bacteria
/ cyanobacteria or by electrification
|
Nuclear Fission
|
Nuclei of certain isotopes with large mass number are split into lighter nuclei
when struck by a neutron releasing large amount of energy
|
Nutrients
|
Elements used by plants for their survival and growth occur in food, particularly,
leafy vegetables and drinking water
|
Oil Pollution
|
Pollution caused by oil spills at sea
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Oligotrophic:
|
Refers to lakes poorly productive in terms of organic material formed and which
are poor in plant nutrients.
|
Omnivore
|
An animal,which eats both plant and animalfood e.g, man
|
Over exploitation
|
Maximum use of any resource without replenishing it
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Particulate matter
|
Solid particles or liquid droplets suspended in air.
|
Parts per million (ppm):
|
number of parts of a chemical found in one million parts of a liquid/gas
e.g., mg/L
|
Pathogen
|
organisms that cause disease.
|
Peat
|
semi-decayed organic matter.
|
Perennial species
|
plants that grow for more than two years
|
Permafrost
|
A permanently frozen layer of soil in arctic tundra
|
Photosynthesis
|
synthesis of food by green plants in presence of sunlight using carbon dioxide and
water.
|
Phytoplanktons
|
small plants like algae, bacteria found floating on the surface of water
|
Pioneer species
|
the species which colonize the bare soil first of all
|
Point Source
|
a single identifiable source that discharges pollutants into the environment.
|
Radioactive Substance
|
The substance that spontaneously emits one or more types of radiations like alpha
particles, beta particles or gamma rays
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Run off
|
The excess of precipitation that does not evaporate or infiltrate.
|
Rangelands
|
Grasslands
|
Remediation
|
Cleaning up chemical contaminants from polluted area.
|
Rehabilitation:
|
reconstructing the ecological system that has been degraded
|
Residence Time
|
The length of time for which a chemical or molecule stays in the environment.
|
Sludge
|
Thick mud, often greasy, or the suspended solid matter in the sedimentation tank
or in industrial effluent left after partial drying
|
Species
|
All the organisms genetically similar, breeding freely but reproductively isolated
from other species
|
Sustainable Development
|
Increase in standard of life that can be maintained over a long - term without degrading
the environment or comprising the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs.
|
Soil
|
Weathered unconsolidated surface material
|
Thermodynamics
|
The branch that deals with the transfer of energy and its conversions
|
Toxins
|
Poisonous chemicals harmful even in small concentrations
|
Transpiration
|
loss of water from plant surfaces
|
Troposphere
|
The layer of air nearest to earth's surface; both temperature and pressure usually
decreases in this layer with increasing altitude
|
Topography
|
Description of the features of a place, especially the position of its rivers, mountains,
roads etc.
|
Trophic Level
|
The nutrient status / functional level of an organismin any food chain.
|
Tundra
|
Treeless arctic or alpine biome
|
Urbanization
|
Increasing concentration of population in cities.
|
Unconfined aquifer
|
Groundwater above a layer of earth material with low permeability.
|
Vertebrates
|
Animals with backbones
|
Volcano
|
Emission of magma from a fissure/vent in earth's surface releasing liquid lava
and gases
|
Water logging
|
Saturation of soil with irrigation water or excessive precipitation so
that water table rises close to surface.
|
Water table
|
the depth below which the ground is saturated with water
|
Watershed
|
Land area drained by a given stream or river
|
Weathering
|
The term used for wearing down of a land mass by wind, precipitation, living agents and
chemical action, an important feature of the process is that it affects landmass
in situ, and no transportation takes place. This factor distinguishes it clearly
from erosion.
|
Weed
|
Wild plant growing where it is not wanted especially among crops or garden plants.
|
Wetland
|
An area covered, permanently, occasionally or periodically by fresh or salt
water upto a depth of 6m.
|
Wild life
|
A collective term embracing thousands of species of mammals, birds and reptiles.
|
Wind erosion
|
The removal of material from the land or from buildings by the action of the wind.
|
Xerophyte
|
A plant that has certain adaptations which enable it to life in dry habitats. These
adaptations allow to cut down water loss by having small leaf area and recover
after wilting. Various cacti, Euphorbias are good example.
|
Zooplankton
|
Microscopic animals that feed on the phytoplankton in aquatic ecosystem.
|