Glossary
A
- abundant
- - plenty
- atmosphere
- - the gases surrounding our planet
B
- bark
- - the strong outer layer of the trunk of a tree
- breathe
- - the process that brings oxygen into our lungs and expels carbon dioxide
C
- camouflage
- - to hide by blending in with surroundings
- carbon dioxide
- - a poisonous gas in our atmosphere
- chemicals
- - a substance with a specific molecular structure - used in chemistry
- chlorophyll
- - the green chemical in plants which helps them create their own food
- complex
- - complicated
- condense
- - water that changes from vapor back to liquid
- coniferous
- - trees that grow pine cones
- consequences
- - results
- crucial
- - important
D
- deciduous
- - trees that grow leaves
- deforestation
- - the process where forests are destroyed
- droughts
- - a lack of rain water for a season
E
- endangered
- - Threatened or in danger of becoming extinct or non-existent
- erosion
- - the moving of soil by wind, rain, or other
- evaporate
- - a process of the water cycle where water turns to vapor
- evergreen
- - trees that stay green all year
- exhale
- - part of the breathing process - emits carbon dioxide
F
- factories
- - places where products are created
- filter
- - to separate out
- fungus
- - a group of organisms that includes yeast and mold
G
- gravity
- - the natural attraction of objects on each other - specifically the attraction that keeps matter on the earth
H
- high blood pressure
- - the pressure of blood being pushed against the body's blood vessels too strongly
I
- industries
- - businesses
M
- mature
- - grown to an age required for a specific purpose
- medicine
- - products that work to cure or improve health
- mining
- - the act of removing valuable resources from the ground, such as coal or gold
N
- needles
- - part of a tree similar to a leaf, but long and thin and grows in clumps
- nourish
- - feed
O
- oxygen
- - gas found in the atmosphere that most living organisms need to survive
P
- particles
- - small pieces
- photosynthesis
- - the process used by plants to convert sunlight into sugar
- pollutants
- - unhealthy particles in the air
- precipitation
- - rain, snow, hail, or sleet
- predators
- - animals that hunt other animals
- protection
- - keep safe
R
- resources
- - a source or supply of something needed
- rigid
- - unbending - strong
S
- species
- - a group of related life
- stress
- - physical, mental or emotional response to events
- surgery
- - an operation
T
- transpiration
- - the giving off of moisture by plants - similar to breathing
W
- water cycle
- - the process by which water changes to water vapor through evaporation, condenses, and then falls back to the earth as precipitation
- wildlife
- - plants and animals that are not tame
- windbreak
- - a growth of plants - often in a row - meant to slow the effects of wind
