Glossary

(kət slōp): Uphill soil bank along a hillside road.

(sī ə nō bak tir ē ə): A major group of photosynthetic bacteria that are single-celled but often form colonies in the form of filaments, sheets, or spheres and are found in diverse environments (such as salt and fresh water, soils, and on rocks).

(si kli kǝl): Characterized by a series of events or actions that repeat themselves regularly and in the same order.

(dā tǝ or da tǝ): Factual information (such as measurements or statistics) used as a basis for reasoning, discussion, or calculation.

(dā tǝ or da tǝ): Facts and numbers about something.

(dā tə bās): A usually large collection of data organized especially for rapid search and retrieval (as by a computer).

(ded wud): A branch or part of a tree that is dead.

(də brē): The remains of something broken down or destroyed.

(di kā): To break down, rot, or undergo decomposition.

(di si jǝ wǝs): Having parts, like leaves, that fall off or shed seasonally or at a certain stage of development in the life cycle.

(di si jǝ wǝs): A plant with leaves that fall off at certain times in its life.

(dē kǝm pōz): To rot or decay.

(dē kǝm pō zǝr): An organism (like a bacterium or a fungus) that feeds on and breaks down dead plant or animal matter.

(dē käm pə zi shən): The act or process of breaking up, such as by decaying or rotting.

(de kә rā shәn): An item people use because it’s pretty.

(dēp spās): Space well outside the Earth’s atmosphere and especially that part lying beyond the Earth-Moon system.

(de fi cāt): To expel feces from the bowels.

(dē fȯr əst): To clear (an area) of forests; to remove trees from (an area).

(dē for ə stā shən): The action or process of clearing of forests; also, the state of having been cleared of forests.

(de grə dā shən): Deterioration or a lowering of power, vitality, or essential quality to a feebler and poorer kind or state.

(di grād): To make the quality of something worse.

(di grā dəd or dē grā dəd): Being in a worse condition than before.