angiosperms
Angiosperms are flowering plants. They reproduce via flowers. Most Finnish plants are angiosperms

archaea
Primitive, prokaryotic, unicellular organisms. Archaea are small organisms that can live in extree conditions, such as inside hot springs or in the human digestive system.

asexual reproduction
Reproduction that takes place without sex cells.

bacteria
Primitive, prokaryotic, unicellular organisms. For example, cyanobacteria and many pathogens are bacteria.

biosphere
The part of planet Earth that is capable of supporting life.

bog
An ecosystem that produces peat.

brackish water
Low-salt seawater, for example in the Baltic Sea.

catchment area
The area from which water flows into a river, lake, or a sea.

community
An organism community is comprised of all the living organisms that inhabit the same area.

consumer
An organism that gains energy by eating other organisms

cyanobacteria
Photosynthetic, water-dwelling bacteria.

decomposer
An organism that gains energy by dismantling parts of dead organisms.

ecological niche
An ecological niche is comprised of the resources used by a certain species. These resources include e.g. the food that the species eats and the area the species inhabits.

ecosystem
An ecosystem comprises of the abiotic (non-living) environment and the living organisms that inhabit this environment.

endangered species
A species that is in danger of becoming extinct.

endemic
A species that occurs only in a small geographic area. For example, the Saimaa ringed seal.

environmental toxin
A toxic (poisonous) substance that is harmful to the environment. For example mercury and DDT.

eukaryotes
Protozoans, animals, plants, and fungi. Eukaryote cells have nuclei and organelles.

eutrophication
A phenomenon where the plant life of a lake increases drastically as a result of increased nutrient concentration.

evolution
The gradual development of species as a result of mutations and natural selection.

extinction
A phenomenon in which a species disappears completely or becomes extinct

fertiliziation
A reproductive process in which the male sperm cells fertilize the female egg cell. Part of sexual reproduction.

food chain
A chain that comprises of the species of an organism community. Begins at the level of the producer (plant) and ends at the level of the high-degree consumer.

food web
A food web is comprised by the interconnected food chains of a certain community.

fossil
The sedimented remains of an ancient organism.

homeothermic
A species that has retains a stable body temperature. E.g. birds and mammals.

hypothesis
A presumption that can be tested with scientific means. For example, the statement "increased nitrogen results in more plants in a lake" is a hypothesis.

imprinting
The process through which a young waterfowl grows attached to the first moving thing it sees.

lake
A still body of fresh water. 

metamorphosis
A process through which an organism develops into an adult through various different stages.

mutation
A change in an individual's genome (DNA molecule).

natural selection
A phenomenon where the fittest individuals reproduce most effectively.

nucleus (plural nuclei)
The part of a eukaryotic cell that contains the cell's genome (in DNA molecules).

nutrient
A substance needed by an organism to grow. For example nitrogen and phosphorous.

photosynthesis
A chemical reaction that occurs in the chloroplasts of plant cells. In photosynthesis, solar light energy is used to create oxygen and sugar from carbon dioxide and water.

plankton
Small organisms that float freely in water.

pollination
The transportation of a plant's pollen to another plant's pistil via birds, insects, water, or wind.

pond
A small body of water.

population
A group of individuals of the same species that inhabits the same area.

predator-prey relationship
A relationship between two species where the predator species benefits at the expense of the prey species.

producer
A plant or bacteria that produces energy via photosynthesis.

river
A body of water that flows into a lake or a sea. Brooks and ditches are smaller than rivers.

sea
A large, salty body of water.

seed plant
A plant that produces seeds.

sexual reproduction
Reproduction that takes place with the help of sex cells or gametes (sperm cells and egg cells).

soil
The loose ground above bedrock.

spawning
The reproductive method of fish.

symbiosis
A mutually beneficial relationship between two species.

till
Unsorted soil that includes both large rocks and clay.

Contents