Autotrophic

Ability to synthesize food from inorganic material, e.g, Green plants

Aerosol

Minute particles and droplets suspended in the air.

Allergens

Substances causing allergy

Anthropogenic

Human generated; Caused by humans

Benthos

The organisms which live on or at the bottom of a body of water or the bottom of sea or lake

Biogas

A mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons coming from degradation of organic matter by methanogenic bacteria. Biogas is also known as Gobar gas

Biota

The flora and fauna of an area

Biological Control

The control of Pests with the help of natural predators, parasites or diseases.

Biodiversity

The sum total of all the living plants, animals and microbes is called bio-diversity

Bio-degradation

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

Biome

Biome is an ecological region characterized by the predominant vegetation type, such as Savanna. The biome is the largest Biogeographical unit

Biosphere

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.

Biogeochemical cycles

cycling of nutrients among living organisms, air, water and soil.

Biogeographical area

A region with characteristic climatic biological, water and land resources

Biomagnification

increase in concentration of some stable compounds at successive trophic levels in a food chain

Beta-diversity

Variations in species composition across different habitats.

Biomass

Organic matter produced by living organisms

Biotic

Living

Bog

Water-logged soil usually containing peat

Cancer

a disease producing tumors in which cells multiply uncontrollably and invade surrounding tissue

Carcinogen

Any agent promoting cancer e.g chemicals, ionizing radiations etc

Carnivore

Organisms that feeds on other animals

Carrying Capacity

Maximum population size that a given system can support over a given period of time.

Cell:

The smallest unit of living organisms

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

Chemosynthesis

Conversion of inorganic substances into organic compounds (by bacteria) in the absence of light

Chlorophyll

Green coloured pigment found in green plants

Climate

Long term pattern of weather in a particular area

Climax Community

The ultimate stable community formed during ecological succession, usually a forest.

Conservation

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

Consumer

an organism which meets its energy requirements by feeding on others.

Contamination

Rendering impure or unstable by adding something bad or impure

Community

Populations of various species living and interacting in a given area.

Compost

a nutrient rich soil amended produced by biological degradation of organic material under aerobic conditions

Decomposer

Organisms which obtain their nutrient by breaking down dead organic matter into simple molecules

Deforestation

The permanent removal of forest and undergrowth

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

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

Deciduous

Trees that shed their leaves at the end of the growing season

Delta

Fan- shaped sediment deposit found at the mouth of a river

Demography

Study of human populations

Detritivore

Organism that consumes organic litter, debris and dung

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

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

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

Ecosystem

Ecological system formed by the interaction of co-existing organisms and their environment

Ecotone

A fairly transition zone between two adjacent biomes or habitats

Effluent

General term for a fluid emitted by a source (general the outflow of a sewer or industrial liquid waste).

Energy Flow

The passage of energy through the tropic level of a food chain

Environment

Physical, chemical, biotic and cultural conditions, and their ramifications, collectively comprise, the environment

Earthquake

Shaking of ground due to fracturing and displacement of rocks on the earth's crust

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

Food Chain

A number of organisms forming a series through which energy is passed.

Food web

A group of interconnected food chains

Fossil fuels

Fuels produced due to fossilization of plants/animals like petroleum, coal, natural gas

Forest

A type of biome in which the dominant plants are trees

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

Habitat

The area in which the organism is found.

Hazardous waste

Any waste that is potentially dangerous to environmental health because of chemical reactivity, flammability, explosiveness, and so on.

Hydrosphere

The part of the earth, which is composed of water , oceans, seas , the ice caps, lakes, rivers etc

Heterotroph

Organism that can't synthesis its own food and derives its nourishment by feeding on others

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

Hydrocarbon

Organic compounds of hydrogen and carbon

Inflitration

Percolation of water into the soil

Insolation

Incoming solar radiations

Latitude

Distance from the equator

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.

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

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

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

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.