Tropical Forests: Vocabulary

Click here for the updated InfoBook - Tropical Forests.

ADAPTATION: a behavior or body structure which makes an organism more successful in its habitat

BIODIVERSITY: the variety of life forms, their ecological roles and their genetic variations

COMMUNITIES: integrated groups of species inhabiting a given area that influence one another's distribution, abundance, and evolution

CONSERVATION: using habitats, resources, animals and plants wisely, so as to save them for future generations

DECIDUOUS: bushes and trees that shed their leaves at the end of a growing season

DECOMPOSITION: the act of breaking down or decaying into basic elements and compounds

ECOSYSTEM: a natural arrangement of living organisms interacting within their physical environment to create a stable system

ENDANGERED: in danger of extinction throughout (all or a significant portion of) its range if current trends affecting its population continue

FOLIAGE: the leaves of plants and trees

FOOD CHAINS: the transfer of food energy from producer (plant) to consumer (animal) to decomposer (insect, fungus, etc.)

FORESTS: any dense growth of trees and other plants that covers large areas

HABITATS: any arrangement of space, food, water and shelter suitable for the survival and reproduction of an organism

HUMUS: the organic part of soil formed from decaying plant and animal matter

NATURAL RESOURCE: a material source of wealth that occurs in a natural state

PHOTOSYNTHESIS: the production of sugars and starches from simple chemicals by using light energy

PRIMATE: the mammalian order that contains prosimians (lemurs), monkeys, apes, and humans

TRANSPIRATION: the elimination of excess water through pores in plant tissues

SeaWorld/Busch Gardens Animal Information Database
www.seaworld.org / www.buschgardens.org