Vocabulary

adaptation - Noun.  A change in a living thing's body or actions that helps it better survive in its environment. 

algae - Noun.  A water plant that does not have true stems or leaves. 

amphibian - Noun.  A group of cold-blooded animals that live in the water when they are young and live on land when they are an adult.  Frogs and salamanders are amphibians.

anchor - Verb.  To hold in place.

aquatic - Adjective.  Living in or near water.

bacteria - Noun.  An organism made of a single cell.

barrier island - Noun.  An island that forms in the shallow water along a coastline. 

bay - Noun.  A body of water partly surrounded by land and connected to the ocean or another large body of water.

blockade - Noun.  To close off a place such as a city or port and stop anyone from coming or going.  

brackish - Adjective.  A little salty.  Brackish water is found where freshwater and saltwater mix, like where a river empties into the ocean.

breed - Verb.  To produce offspring. 

burrow - Noun.  A hole or tunnel in the ground that is dug as shelter. 

camouflage - Noun.  A way of hiding from predators by changing color or pattern to blend in with the background.

canopy - Noun.  The top layer of a forest, where the branches meet.

carnivorous - Adjective.  Eats animals.

clay - Noun.  A sticky soil material made up of very small particles.  Clay is used to make bricks, tiles, and pottery. 

colonial - Adjective.  Lives in a large group of the same species.

colony - Noun.  A large group of the same species.

conserve - Verb.  To save or use wisely.

continental shelf - Noun.  The shallow ocean area near the shore. 

creekbank marsh - Noun.  The part of a salt marsh that grows on the banks of the tidal creeks. 

deposit - Verb.  To lay down sediment in layers, by a natural process. 

detritus - Noun.  Any partly broken down plant or animal matter.

diatom - Noun.  A microscopic algae made of a singe cell inside a glass-like shell.

dune - Noun.  A mound of sand that is formed by wind.

ecosystem - Noun.  A group of living things (plants and animals) and their non-living environment (air, water, soil). 

elevation - Noun.  How high land is above sea level.

endangered species - Noun.  A plant or animal that is close to becoming extinct and needs special protection. 

erosion – Noun.  The act of breaking down and wearing away rocks by water, wind, or ice; Verb form: to erode. 

estuarine - Adjective.  Having to do with a place where freshwater and saltwater mix.

estuary - Noun.  A body of water where freshwater mixes with saltwater from the ocean.

evergreen - Adjective.  Having leaves that remain green all year long. 

evaporation - Noun.  The act of turning liquid water into water vapor.

excrete - Verb.  To remove from the body. 

flux - Noun.  Constant change.  The act of flowing in and out. 

food web - Noun.  The movement of food energy through a natural community.  For example: Green plants use light to make food.  Insects eat the green plants.  Fish eat the insects.  Wading birds eat the fish.  

fringe - Noun.  The border or edge of a place. 

gland - Noun.  An organ that makes substances that are used by the body or removes substances from the body. 

growing season - Noun.  The period when plant growth takes place.  The time between the last frost in the spring and the first frost in the fall.

habitat - Noun.  The place where a plant or animal lives and grows in nature. 

hatchling - Noun.  A young animal that has just hatched from an egg.

high marsh - Noun.  The upper, part of a salt marsh that is only flooded from time to time.

hummock - Noun.  A rounded hill in a salt marsh where trees and shrubs grow.

hurricane - Noun.  A tropical storm with winds that blow faster than 74 miles per hour. 

lagoon - Noun.  A shallow body of saltwater that is separated from the ocean by a sandbar, coral reef, or barrier island. 

levee - Noun.  A ridge along a river, natural or man-made, that keeps it from flowing over the banks. 

low marsh - Noun.  The lowest part of a salt marsh, where the soil is flooded two times a day with salt water.

marine - Adjective.  Having to do with the sea. 

maritime - Adjective.  Having to do with the sea or the land next to the sea. 

mating season - Noun.  The time of year, usually in the Spring, when animals of a particular species reproduce.

microbe - Noun.  An organism that is too small to be seen by the human eye. 

microscopic - Adjective. Too small to be seen by the human eye. 

midden site - Noun.  A mound of shells, animal bones, and other trash that is evidence that early humans lived nearby. 

migratory - Adjective.  Passing from one place to another for feeding or breeding.  Birds often migrate south in the winter for the warmer weather.

mutualism - Noun.  An interaction between two or more different kinds of plants or animals that is good for all of them.  

Nor'Easter - Noun.  A northeast storm.  A counterclockwise spinning storm that moves northeast near the east coast of the U.S. and Canada.  These storms usually happen in fall and winter.  The strong winds can cause high seas and damage to the coast.

notorious - Adjective.  Well known for being bad or wicked. 

nutrient - Noun.  A chemical substance that living things need to live and grow.  Too many nutrients can pollute water.

organism - Noun.  A living being. 

peninsula - Noun.  Land that has water on all sides but one.  A part of the land that sticks out into water.

plume - Noun.  A large showy feather. 

population - Noun.  The number of plants or animals of the same species that live in the same place and interact.

predator - Noun.  An animal that kills and eats other animals. 

pristine - Adjective.  Very clean, not polluted. 

producer - Noun.  A living thing (a plant) that makes its own food and is food for other living things. 

regurgitate - Verb.  To spit up partly digested food.

salinity - Noun.  The amount of salt in water.

shoot - Noun.  A bud, young leaf, or other new growth on a plant. 

shoreline - Noun.  The edge of a body of water. 

shrub - Noun.  A short woody plant.

silica - Noun.  A white or clear crystal-like substance. 

silt - Noun.  Soil particles that are smaller than sand and larger than clay.

sound - Noun.  A long body of water between an island and the mainland. 

species - Noun.  A group of the same kind of living beings that can breed together.  Members of the same species can create offspring that are also able to reproduce.

subtropical - Adjective.  Having to do with the region next to the tropics. 

temperate - Adjective.  Having a mild climate.  Not very hot or very cold. 

tidal creek- Noun.  Winding creeks that form in large salt marshes.  Tidal creeks help water flow in and out of the marsh each day with the tides.

tide - Noun.  The rising and falling of the ocean or coastal waters each day.  Tides are caused by gravity and the pull of the sun and moon on the Earth's surface.

transpiration - Noun.  The loss of water vapor from a plant or animal through the outer surface or pores. 

tropical - Adjective.  Having a climate that never freezes and is warm enough for plants to grow all year long. 

understory - Noun.  The layer of small trees, shrubs, and vines under the tree tops and above the forest floor. 

wingspan - Noun.  The distance from the tip of one wing to the other.