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About the Project
Glossary
- Adaptation
- Physical features or behaviours that allow organisms to survive in their habitat.
- Archipelago
- A group of islands.
- Biodiversity
- The number of different species in an area.
- Buoyancy
- The ability to float.
- Carapace
- A hard outer covering as seen in crustaceans. Covers the head and thorax.
- Cartilaginous
- Skeleton made of cartilage, similar to the material that makes up the outer part of human ears.
- Cilia
- a hair-like structure.
- Conservation
- The preservation and management of resources, including flora and fauna.
- Cryptic
- Hidden or concealed.
- Dredging
- The removal of a layer of sediment from the bottom of a waterway or ocean.
- Indo-West Pacific Region
- An area of ocean that extends from the eastern coast of Africa to Hawaii, and from the northern parts of Australia to Japan and India. It includes the waters around the South-East Asian islands.
- Intertidal
- An area which during low tide becomes exposed, but is flooded during high tide.
- Invertebrate
- Lacking a backbone.
- Islet
- A very small island.
- Motile
- Has the ability to move by itself.
- Mottling
- Spots or blotches of colour.
- Photosynthesis
- Process by which plants convert carbon dioxide and water into sugars using sunlight as an energy source.
- Polyp
- The body form observed in stages of corals and related animals. Consists of a cylindrical body topped by a ring of tentacles.
- Secretion
- The release of a substance formed by an animal or plant.
- Sessile
- Not able to move freely, fixed in position.
- Silica Dioxide
- A glass-like substance.
- Subtidal
- An area which remains underwater during low tide.
- Substrate
- The underlying base i.e. sediment or rock
- Terrestrial
- Lives on land.
- Turbid
- Water that has lots of particles stirred up in it.
- Water Vascular System
- A network of reservoirs and ducts which contains fluid.
Pronunciation Guide
- Cnidaria
- Ni-dare-ia
- Zooxanthellae
- Zoo-zan-thell-ay
- Cnidocytes
- Ni-doe-sites
- Crustacean
- Crust-ay-shan
- Echinoderms
- E-kino-derms
- Chondrichthyes
- Con-drik-thees
- Osteichthyes
- Ost-ick-thees
- Angiosperms
- An-gee-o-sperms
- Pneumatophores
- New-mat-o-fours
- Nudibranchs
- Nudi-branks
- Chiton
- kite-on
- Spongin
- sponge-in
