| A | B |
|---|
| abiotic | a nonliving factor or element (light, water, heat, rock, energy, mineral |
| acid deposition | precipitation with a pH less than 5.6 that forms in the atmosphere when certain pollutants mix with water vapor |
| allele | any of a set of possible forms of a gene |
| biochemical conversion | the changing of organic matter into other chemical forms |
| biological diversity | the variety and complexity of species present and interacting in an ecosystem and the relative abundance of each |
| biomass conversion | the changing of organic matter that has been produced by photosynthesis into useful liquid, gas or fuel |
| biomedical technology | the application of health care theories to develop methods, products and tools to maintain or improve homeostasis |
| biomes | a community of living organisms of a single major ecological region |
| biotechnology | the ways that humans apply biological concepts to produce products and provide services |
| biotic | an environmental factor related to or produced by living organisms |
| carbon chemistry | the science of the composition, structure, properties and reactions of carbon based matter, expecially of atomic and molecular systems; sometimes referred to as organic chemistry |
| closing the loop | a link in the circular chain of recycling events that promotes the use of products made with recycled materials |
| commodities | economic goods or products before they are processed and/or given a brand name, such as a product of agriculture |
| composting | the process of mixing decaying leaves, manure and other nutritive matter to improve and fertilize soil |
| construction technology | the ways that humans build structures on sites |
| consumer | 1)those organisms that obtain energy by feeding on other organisms and their remains. 2) a person buying goods or services for personal needs or to use in the production of other goods for resale |
| decomposer | an organism, often microscopic in size, that obtains nutrients by consuming dead organic matter, thereby making nutrients accessible to other organisms; examples of decomposers include fungi, scavengers, rodents and other animals |
| delineate | to trace the outline; to draw; to sketch; to depict or picture |
| desalinization | to remove salts and other chemicals from sea or saline water |
| dichotomous | divided or dividing into parts or classifications |
