Any hard external supporting body structure of an invertebrate.
Desert
A geographical area of land with low precipitation, poor soil, and adapted flora and fauna.
Brackish
A mixing of salt and fresh water. Having a salty taste and unpleasant to drink.
Ecosystem
A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.
Carrion
The body and flesh of a dead animal
A plant or animal is extinct when...
it has vanished permanently from the earth.
Colony
Individual organisms of the same species living or breeding closely together usually for the benefit of all.
What are the three types of deserts in California?
Mohave, Sonora, and high desert
Carrying capacity
Largest number of individuals (plants or animals) of a population that a environment can support
Domesticated animals depend...
on humans for survival.
Evergreen
A tree or plant that does not lose its leaves in the winter and stays green all year round.
Animals make energy from...
food and water.
Diurnal
A wildlife species active during the day.
Climate Change
Refers to any significant change or pattern of change in the measures of Earth's climate.
Deciduous
Trees and shrubs that shed their leaves at the end of the growing season and go dormant to survive winter.
Plants compete for...
sunlight, space, minerals and water.
Energy sources are either...
renewable or nonrenewable.
An example of a delta in California is...
where the Sacramento-San Joaquin rivers meet and join to drain into the Pacific.
Competition
The struggle between organisms to survive in a habitat with limited resources.
Camouflage
An adaptation that enhances chances of survival for both predators and prey
Extinction
The condition of having been removed from existence.
Carnivore
A meat eating wild animal
Carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere is caused mainly by...
the burning of fossil fuels, oil, coal, natural gas.
Endemic
A species confined to a particular country or area.
Erosion
The wearing away of soil or rock by water, wind, or other natural or unnatural forces or processes.
Decomposition
The breaking down of dead organisms and organic waste
Consumers
Organisms that eat living producers and/or other consumers for food.
Conserving lands
Allow a careful amount of managed public uses, like hunting, fishing, or hiking.
Animals compete for...
Food, mates and territory
Energy in the form of heat and electricity is created from...
power sources like solar, wind, biomass, hydro, geothermal and by burning fossil fuels like coal.
Endangered
A species whose numbers are so small that the species is at risk of extinction.
Coniferous
Evergreen trees that produce seed-bearing cones and have thin leaves shaped like needles.
Decomposers
Organisms that break down wastes and dead organisms and return raw materials to the environment.
In California, the estuary is...
more salty that fresh due to limited outflow.
Conservation
The responsible stewardship of lands to protect, preserve, and enhance natural ecosystems - while at the same time considering human needs and impacts...
Central Valley
A huge basin with the Sierras and Coast Ranges on either side. Also the major drainage for most of California's rivers.
Climate change can include...
temperature, precipitation, wind patterns, etc.
The main cause of climate change is...
the increased release of green house gasses and carbon dioxide.
Energy
The matter that drives all life processes, and the capacity of all life forms.
Developement
When wild natural land is permanently converted to urban or agricultural land.
Ecotone
The transition from one type of habitat or ecosystem to another, such as the transition from a forest to a grassland.
Environment
The air, water, minerals, organisms, and all other external factors surrounding and affecting a given organism at any time.
Delta
An area where rivers meet and join.
Chaparral
An unusual foothill habitat or biotic zone of the Sierra Nevada and Coastal Range. Mostly covered with scrub of entangled evergreen bushes and only a...
What are other 'at risk' classifications for species?
Threatened or Species of Concern
Estuary
A habitat in which the fresh water of a river meets the salt water of the ocean.
Consumption
The using up of a resource
Domestic
Wild animals or plants tamed and bred over time for human use.
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