average: (in science) A term for the arithmetic mean, which is the sum of a group of numbers that is then divided by the size of the group.
canopy: (in botany) The top layer of a tree — or forest — where the tallest branches overlap.
climate change: Long-term, significant change in the climate of Earth. It can happen naturally or in response to human activities, including the burning of fossil fuels and clearing of forests.
coauthor: One of a group (two or more people) who together had prepared a written work, such as a book, report or research paper. Not all coauthors may have contributed equally.
computer model: A program that runs on a computer that creates a model, or simulation, of a real-world feature, phenomenon or event.
deforestation: The intentional removal of all trees from notable pieces of forested land. Sometimes this has been done to make way for roads or towns. It may also be done to harvest trees for income from lumber.
dire: An adjective that means grave, or hard to survive.
ecologist: A scientist who works in a branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings.
gene: (adj. genetic) A segment of DNA that codes, or holds instructions, for a cell’s production of a protein. Offspring inherit genes from their parents. Genes influence how an organism looks and behaves.
insight: The ability to gain an accurate and deep understanding of a situation just by thinking about it, instead of working out a solution through experimentation.
International Space Station: An artificial satellite that orbits Earth. Run by the United States and Russia, this station provides a research laboratory from which scientists can conduct experiments in biology, physics and astronomy — and make observations of Earth.
photosynthesis: (verb: photosynthesize) The process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to produce foods from carbon dioxide and water.
pixel: Short for picture element. A tiny area of illumination on a computer screen, or a dot on a printed page, usually placed in an array to form a digital image. Photographs are made of thousands of pixels, each of different brightness and color, and each too small to be seen unless the image is magnified.
pollutant: A substance that taints something — such as the air, water, our bodies or products. Some pollutants are chemicals, such as pesticides. Others may be radiation, including excess heat or light. Even weeds and other invasive species can be considered a type of biological pollution.
projection: Some feature that extends out (or projects) or a trend that extends out into the future.
protein: A compound made from one or more long chains of amino acids. Proteins are an essential part of all living organisms. They form the basis of living cells, muscle and tissues; they also do the work inside of cells. Antibodies, hemoglobin and enzymes are all examples of proteins. Medicines frequently work by latching onto proteins.
satellite: A moon orbiting a planet or a vehicle or other manufactured object that orbits some celestial body in space.
sensor: A device that picks up information on physical or chemical conditions — such as temperature, barometric pressure, salinity, humidity, pH, light intensity or radiation — and stores or broadcasts that information. Scientists and engineers often rely on sensors to inform them of conditions that may change over time or that exist far from where a researcher can measure them directly. (in biology) The structure that an organism uses to sense attributes of its environment, such as heat, winds, chemicals, moisture, trauma or an attack by predators.
species: A group of similar organisms capable of producing offspring that can survive and reproduce.
stressor: Something that induces stress in an individual or system.
threshold: A lower limit; or the lowest level at which something occurs.
tipping point: A point at which some action leads to a disproportionately large or irreversible change in a process, impact or attitude.
uncertainty: (in statistics) A range of how much measurements of something will vary around an already-measured value.
understory: Plants that grow beneath the canopy, or uppermost level, of the forest.
Wales: One of the three components of Great Britain (the other two being England and Scotland. It’s also part of the United Kingdom (whose other members include England, Scotland and Northern Ireland).