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- Species
- distinctive group of organisms that can successfully interbreed and produce viable offspring
- Species diversity
- numbers of different species and their relative abundance in a given area
- Spermatophore
- capsule enclosing a packet of sperm produced by males of some animals that is directly transferred to the reproductive part of a famale's body
- Spiracle
- dorsal openings in the head region of some cartilaginous fishes through which water is drawn and passed over the gills
- Spiracles
- openings that allow entrance, passage, or exit of a gas or vapor, esp. of air
- Statocyst
- specialized sacs or organs on the rim of the bell and tentacle bases of jellies that assist animal in maintaining balance in the water column by sensing the pull of gravity; balance organ
- Stipe
- stem-like part of a kelp plant that connects the holdfast to the blades
- Stipe
- stem-like part of a kelp plant that connects the holdfast to the blades
- Stock
- a biologically discrete population
- Strobilia
- multi-organism columnar pancake-like of very small jellies produced by a polyp; as jellies break off, the polyp is said to be 'strobilating'
- Strobilization
- budding: asexual transformation into reproductive process
- Sublittoral (subtidal) zone
- benthic zone from the low tide mark to the outer edge of the continental shelf
- Subsistence
- barest means needed to sustain life
- Subspecies
- a genetically distinct geographical subunit of a species. Also called race.
- Substrate
- any surface on which a plant or animal lives or on which a material sticks
- Subtidal
- below the intertidal, or below the level of the lowest tide. Also called sublittorial.
- Supralittoral zone
- narrow benthic zone on shores above high water mark that only becomes wet when there are storms or spray
- Surfline
- area near shore where the waves break
- Surge
- movement of a mass of water
- Surge channel
- channel along the edge of rocks or reefs in which the water level fluctuates with wave or tidal action
- Suspension-feeder
- an animal that filters out debris, detritus, or other particles suspended in the surrounding water
- Suspension-feeder
- an animal that filters out debris, detritus, or other particles suspended in the surrounding water
- Sustenance
- nourishment; that which sustains life
- Swell
- a large ocean wave that moves steadily without breaking
- Swim bladder
- gas-filled bladder of a fish that helps it maintain its position in the water column
- Symbiosis
- close relationship between two organisms of different species that is often of mutual benefit
- Tactile
- pertaining to the sense of touch
- Taxonomy
- science of classifying organisms in established categories according to their biological and evolutionary characteristics; nomenclature is usually Greek or Latin in derivation
- Temperate zone
- moderate temperature area located between the polar and tropical zones
- Tentacles
- long, cylindrical projections from an organism, specialized as sensory, grasping and food collecting structure
- Terrestrial
- pertaining to plant or animal life on land rather than in water
- Territory
- area with defined boundaries established and defended by an animal, usually for breeding and/or foraging
- Test
- shell or casing of an organism. Skeleton of a sea urchin.
- Tetrapod
- animals that are four-limbed (two pairs): includes amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals
- Tetrodotoxin
- neurotoxin that acts specifically on nerve cells, commonly causing paralysis, especially tetrodotoxin, bactrachotoxin, and compounds found in the toxins of some bees, scorpions, and spiders
- Thermocline
- water layer in which temperature changes rapidly with increasing depth
- Thorax
- portion of the body between the head and abdomen; the chest region
- Tide
- periodic rise and fall of oceanic water levels (usually twice daily) along a shore caused by the unequal gravitational pull of the sun and moon on different parts of the rotating earth
- Tide pool
- pool of water left along the shore as the tide level falls
- Tidemark
- high water mark left by tidal water
- Toxin
- any substance harmful to living cells
- Trophic
- pertaining to growth or nutrition
- Tube feet
- extension of the water vascular system of echinoderms (sea stars, sea urchins, etc.) that aids in locomotion, grasping and feeding
- Turbid
- stirred up sediment; cloudy
- Turf
- thick mat of plants and animals on a substrate
- Undulate
- to move back and forth in a wave-like motion
- Unicellular
- single-celled
- Upwelling
- deep, cold, nutrient-rich waters that rise to the surface from deeper areas of the ocean
- Urticating hair
- barbed hairs that cover the dorsal and posterior surface of a tarantula's abdomen
- Vascular plants
- plants that have vessels to conduct and circulate fluids around their parts
