vocabulary - growing up (continued)
an·ces·tor A person from whom one is descended; a forebearer or predecessor from an earlier generation
au·to·mat·ic acting or working by itself; reflexive
car·bon di·ox·ide a heavy odorless colorless gas formed during respiration and by the decomposition of organic substances; absorbed from the air by plants in photosynthesis
Ca·ste·ne·a den·ta·ta - the scientific name for American Chestnut Tree, named for the chestnuts and the tooth-edged leaves.
cli·mate (noun) the overall weather conditions of a particular region
col·lec·tive (verb) Assembled or accumulated into a whole, the total; col·lective·ly (adverb) all put together, all combined
com·pound (noun) having two or more parts. e.g. (for example) - a compound word is made up of two words. - com·pound leaves have more than one leaf per stem
con·i·fer (noun) A tree or shrub with cones, mostly evergreens that have needles or are scale-leaved; In the eastern deciduous forests nearly all evergreens are conifers.
con·serve (verb) to save or to protect from loss or harm; preserve; to use carefully to avoid wasting
de·cid·u·ous (noun) Shedding or losing foliage at the end of the growing season; trees that loose their leaves annually
de·com·pose (verb) To become broken down into smaller parts or components; To disintegrate, rot or decay.
fade (verb) To disappear gradually; vanish, To gradually lose brightness, energy, strength or to grow dim
hy·dro·gen (noun) The simplest, lightest and most abundant element in the universe which is a colorless, highly flammable gaseous element.
i·den·ti·fy - (verb) to name or to label, to describe the origin, nature, or definitive characteristics of; To determine the classification or scientific group of an organism
in·ter·pre·ta·tion (noun) explanation; a translation
mar·gin (noun) outside edge or border
mere·ly (adverb) only or simply
ox·y·gen A gaseous element required by plants and animals for respiration or to breathe. Oxygen is colorless, tasteless and odorless. It forms about 23 percent of the air, and about 8/9ths of water by weight.
pet·i·ole - the leaf stem The stalk connecting the leaf is attached to a stem. Also called a leafstalk.
pho·to·syn·the·sis (noun) The food-making process in certain organisms and in green plants when sunlight is absorbed to help make carbohydrates (a type of sugar which is their food) from carbon dioxide and water. Most forms of photosynthesis release oxygen.
pig·ment (noun) A substance that produces a characteristic color in plant or animal tissue like the green pigment chlorophyll is responsible for the green color in leaves; Any material from which a dye or a paint is produced
pri·mates (noun, plural) the order (which is a subcategory in the animal kingdom) that includes lemurs, tarsiers, monkeys, apes and human beings
proc·ess (noun) A series of steps necessary for a result. For example or e.g. the process of photosynthesis
sim·ple leaves - having only one leaf on a leaf stem or petiole
spe·cies (noun, plural) a scientifically classified group whose members can interbreed
trans·port (verb) to carry or bring from one place to another
triv·i·a (noun plural) singular: trivium a matter of small importance, something insignificant or inessential; trifle.
u·nique (adjective) one of a kind, different from the others, not having an equal
vi·tal necessary for life, essential for continued existence, life-sustaining.
waste an organism's useless or worthless byproduct to be eliminated, such as undigested food; excrement; waste products