PEEC VOCABULARY WORDS

1. Non-renewable resource - a natural resource that is not

replaced as it is used.
2. Renewable resource - a resource that is naturally

replaced in a relatively short period of time. ( A human life span

of 75 years)

3. Succession - the series of predictable changes like floods,

volcanoes, and hurricanes that occur in a community over
time.

4. Groundwater - water stored in underground layers of soil

and rock.
5. Abiotic - a non-living part of an ecosystem such as water,
light, heat, rock and energy.
6. Biotic - a living part of an ecosystem.
7. Decomposer - an organism that breaks down wastes and
dead organisms. Scavenger an organism that consumes dead
things

8. Erosion - the process by which water, wind, or ice moves

particles
of rock and soil.
9. Ecosystem - all the living and non-living things that interact
in an area.
10.Sustainable yield - a regular amount of a renewable
resource
that can be harvested without reducing the future supply.
11. Biodiversity - the number of different species in an area
12. Macro-invertebrates - invertebrate animals large
enough to be
 observed without the aid of a microscope.
13. Bedrock - a continuous mass of solid rock that is usually
covered
by dirt and stone which makes up the Earth's crust.
14. Igneous rock – means “formed from fire”, magma from
deep
inside the earth, breaks through the surface and is called
lava; when
lava cools it forms igneous rock. (extrusive above surface, cools
quickly,
intrusive is below surface) Examples: granite, obsidian, silica

15. Sedimentary rock - are formed by accumulating

sediments, such
as silt, sand or pieces of rocks or shells under great amount
of
pressure from overlaying deposition. Examples: shale,
sandstone,
limestone, coal
16. Metamorphic rock – starts from igneous or sedimentary
rocks
buried deep below the surface. A great amount of heat and
pressure
decrystallize or reform them into this rock. Examples are marble
and slate

17. Coniferous trees - trees that produce their seeds in

cones and
have needle shaped leaves. PA state tree is the
Hemlock!
18. Deciduous trees - trees that shed their leaves and grow
new
ones each year.
19. Biodegradable - capable of being broken down by
bacteria and
other natural decomposers.
20. Biome - a group of ecosystems with similar climates and
organisms.
21. Carnivore - a consumer that eats only animals.
22. Herbivore - a consumer that eats only plants White-
tailed deer
is state animal. (Omnivore eats both animals and plants Ex:
humans)

23. Communalism - a relationship between two species in

which one
species benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed.
24. Estuary - a habitat in which the fresh water of a river
meets the
salt water of the ocean. A river "mouth" empties into the
bay or lake.
An estuary is tidal which means the water level changes twice a day.

25. Omnivore - a consumer that eats both plants and

animals.
26. Tributary - a stream that contributes its water to another
of body
water. (Lehigh & Schuylkill Rivers are tributaries to the Delaware
River.)
27. Hydrology - the scientific study of the behavior of water
in the
atmosphere, on the surface of the earth and underground.
28. Aquifer - underground layer of rock of sand that contains
water
29. Water cycle - the continuous process by which water
moves from
the Earth's surface to the atmosphere and back.
30. Evaporation - the process by which molecules of a liquid
absorb
energy and change to the gas state.
31. Run-off - water that travels downward over the surface of
the
earth eventually returning to the ocean.
32. Lentic - relating to or living in still water. (Observe Lobby
Aquarium)

33. Lotic - related to or living in actively moving water (Lobby

Aquarium)

34. Mitigation - the policy of constructing or creating man-

made
habitats, such as wetlands, to replace those lost to
development.
35. Niche (ecological) - the role played by an organism in an
ecosystem; requirements for shelter, special behaviors, the
timing of
its activities, interaction with other organisms and its habitat
36. Non-point source pollution - contamination that
originates
 from many locations that discharge into a location (i.e. a lake,
stream,
land area)
37. Point Source Pollution - pollutants discharged from a
single
identifiable location (i.e. a lake, stream, land area).
38. pH - potential of hydrogen, the alkalinity or acidity of a
substance
39. Watershed - an area of land that is drained by a stream
or a river
and its branches. Its boundary is set by gravity because
water flows
downhill. ( Tookany Creek Watershed, Delaware River Basin)
40. Natural boundary – the Delaware River forms a natural
boundary
between the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and
Delaware
41. Pollutant - a harmful substance released into an
environment.
42. Pollution - the condition that results when pollutants
interact with
the environment.
43. Acid rain - rain that is contaminated by pollutants.
44. Headwater - the location of where a river begins or
forms.

45. Delaware River Mouth – opens into the Delaware Bay

46. Susquehanna River Mouth – opens into the
Chesapeake
 47. Potomac River - is a tributary to the Susquehanna River
Lehigh River, Schuylkill River, Tookany Creek – tributaries to
Delaware

48. Producers – water plants and algae provide food for

many animals. Because green plants and algae
produce their own food by photosynthesis they are called
producers.
49. Consumers – since animals cannot produce their own
food they
must eat or consume other organisms to get energy. This is
why
animals are called consumers.
50. Nocturnal – an organism that is active at night rather
than by day.
Diurnal (antonym) an organism that is active during
daytime
51. Top Soil – the thin layer of soil where all crops and plants
grow. It
is usually dark in color and made of rich in organic material,
humus,
and micro organisms. Easily erodes by wind and water.

Modified 2009