The ratio of the amount of light reflected by a non-luminous body to the amount incident upon it. Some surfaces, for example clouds and snow, reflect back a lot of light and therefore have a high albedo. Forested areas absorb much more light and only reflect back a small amount. The overall albedo of the earth is about 0.3, or 30 percent, which means that 30 percent of the solar radiation is reflected back into space.
ALLUVIAL FLOODPLAIN:
Flat land on either side of a river that is periodically flooded. When the floodwaters recede, alluvial sediments are deposited that are rich in organic nutrients, creating fertile areas suitable for farming.
ALKALOIDS:
Nitrogen-based organic compounds found in plants, some of which are used as drugs e.g. morphine, quinine.
APPALACHIA:
The area of the Appalachian Highlands in the eastern United States consisting of the Appalachian Plateau, Ridge and Valley, Blue Ridge, and Piedmont.
BIODIVERSITY:
A variety of plant and animal species.
CANOPY:
The uppermost layers of leaves in a forest. In the rainforest the branches interlock forming a dense mass of vegetation in which many birds, animals and insects live.
CARNIVORE:
Animals and plants that eat flesh.
CASH CROP:
A crop produced by a farmer for sale, not for his own food.
CLOUD FOREST:
Also called montane rainforest. Vegetation of tropical mountainous areas that often receive heavy rainfall and constant condensation. Vegetation consists of short, crooked trees thickly covered with ferns, lichens, mosses and orchids.
CONVECTIONAL RAINFALL:
Precipitation resulting when moist air warmed from ground heat expands, rises and cools to form cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds that drop heavy rain.
ECOLOGY:
The study of the relationship of living creatures with their environment. An ecology is this relationship in action.
ECOSYSTEM:
A group of interdependent plants and animals living in response to a particular climate and geographical environment.
ENVIRONMENT:
The natural surroundings in which a plant or animal lives. Environment is determined by climate, geographical features and man.
EROSION:
The wearing down of the earth's surface by temperature, water, wind, etc. Erosion comes from a Latin verb meaning "to gnaw" - the same root from which we get our name for gnawing mammals, the rodents.
EVAPOTRANSPIRATION:
The combination of evaporation and transpiration. In this case, the conversion of water to water vapor from plants extracting water from the soil and then emitting it in vapor form through the leaves.
EVOLUTION:
The gradual development of organisms, especially from simple to complex forms. This process was first publicized in 1859 by Charles Darwin in his book, 'The Origin of Species.'
GEOMORPHOLOGICAL:
Concerned with the study of the physical features of the earth and their relation to its geological structure.
GERMOPLASM:
Vegetable matter containing the genes which determine the makeup of a plant.
HABITAT:
The natural living and feeding environment of an animal.
HARDWOOD:
Wood from a broad-leaved tree that is deciduous, except in tropical regions. Many rainforest trees are hardwood trees, for example mahogany and teak.
HERBIVORE:
An animal which eats only plants.
LIVERWORT:
A class of small, creeping plants most commonly found in the tropics. They provide food for animals, contribute to the decay of logs, and help with the disintegration of rock - part of the process of soil creation. The word liverwort comes from the species that look like a lobed liver, combined with the Old English word for plant, "wort."
MANGROVE:
Saltwater tolerant shrubs or trees of the genus 'Rhizophora' that grow densely at river mouths, in salt marshes, or on muddy coasts.
MONTANE FOREST:
Forest found in mountainous areas.
NORTH / NORTHERN:
Referring to the developed countries of the world (North America, Europe, Japan, Australia and parts of the Middle East), as opposed to the developing countries (southern).
PHOTOSYNTHESIS:
The process by which all green plants manufacture carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water using energy absorbed from sunlight. Photosynthesis supplies, in some form, all plants and animals with the energy they need for metabolism.
PISTIL:
The female reproductive organs of a flower that consist of a base containing ovaries from which a stalk protrudes and ends in a pollen-sensitive tip, the stigma.
PRECIPITATION:
The collective name for moisture, in either liquid or solid form, which falls to the earth from the atmosphere. It can, therefore, include not only rain, but dew, hail, sleet and snow.
PREHENSILE:
Able to grasp; hold.
SLASH AND BURN FARMING:
A small-scale farming method whereby forest is cut, allowed to dry and then burned to give the soil nutrients. After a few years the soil loses its fertility and the farmer moves to a new area.
SOFTWOOD:
Wood from evergreen coniferous trees, usually fir and pine.
SOUTH / SOUTHERN:
Referring to the developing countries of the world (much of Africa and Asia), as opposed to the developed countries (northern).
SUSTAINABLE:
Something which is able to continue for a long period.
TEMPERATE:
A climate or region characterized by mild temperatures and a moderate annual temperature range.
THREEPENCE:
A British coin equal to three pennies. The plural of penny is pence.
TRIBUTARY:
A river or stream that flows into a larger river or lake.
