biodiversity: (short for biological diversity) The number and variety of species found within a localized geographic region.
biologist: A scientist involved in the study of living things.
bug: The slang term for an insect. Sometimes it’s even used to refer to a germ. (in computing) Slang term for a glitch in computer code, the instructions that direct the operations of a computer.
canopy: (in botany) The top layer of a tree — or forest — where the tallest branches overlap.
coauthor: One of a group (two or more people) who together had prepared a written work, such as a book, report or research paper. Not all coauthors may have contributed equally.
compass: An instrument that uses magnetized substances to show the direction of magnetic north.
Costa Rica: A Central American nation with coastlines along both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. This country of nearly 5 million people is sandwiched between Nicaragua to the north and Panama to its south. Almost one-fourth of its land consists of protected rainforests, which are home to such animals as spider monkeys and the quetzal birds.
diffuse: adj.) To be spread out thinly over a great area; not concise or concentrated. (v) To spread light or to broadly release some substance through a liquid (such as water or air) or through some surface (such as a membrane).
ecologist: A scientist who works in a branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings.
entomologist: A biologist who specializes in the study of insects. A paleoentomologist studies ancient insects, mainly through their fossils.
evolutionary biologist: Someone who studies the adaptive processes that have led to the diversity of life on Earth. These scientists can study many different subjects, including the microbiology and genetics of living organisms, how species change to adapt, and the fossil record (to assess how various ancient species are related to each other and to modern-day relatives).
field: An area of study, as in: Her field of research is biology. Also a term to describe a real-world environment in which some research is conducted, such as at sea, in a forest, on a mountaintop or on a city street. It is the opposite of an artificial setting, such as a research laboratory.
fruit flies: Tiny flies belonging to the species Drosophila melanogaster. Scientists often use these short-lived animals as a “guinea pig” for lab studies because they are easy to grow, can mature into adults in a short time and their bodies share many of the same traits and responses as more complex animals — including mammals.
infrared: A type of electromagnetic radiation invisible to the human eye. The name incorporates a Latin term and means “below red.” Infrared light has wavelengths longer than those visible to humans. Other invisible wavelengths include X-rays, radio waves and microwaves. Infrared light tends to record the heat signature of an object or environment.
insect: A type of arthropod that as an adult will have six segmented legs and three body parts: a head, thorax and abdomen. There are hundreds of thousands of insects, which include bees, beetles, flies and moths.
latitude: The distance from the equator measured in degrees (up to 90). Low latitudes are closer to the equator; high latitudes are closer to the poles.
LED: (short for light emitting diode) Electronic components that, as their name suggests, emit light when electricity flows through them. LEDs are very energy-efficient and often can be very bright. They have lately been replacing conventional lights for home and commercial lamps.
lepidoptera: (adj: lepitdopteran) A large order of insects that includes butterflies, moths and skippers. Adults have four broad, scale-covered wings for flight. Juveniles crawl around as caterpillars.
light pollution: The intrusion of unwanted light into areas that would naturally remain dark. Light pollution interferes with our ability to view the night sky. It also alters the circadian rhythms of plants, animals and people.
moon: The natural satellite of any planet.
navigate: To find one’s way through a landscape using visual cues, sensory information (like scents), magnetic information (like an internal compass) or other techniques.
nocturnal: An adjective for something that is done, occurring or active at night.
species: A group of similar organisms capable of producing offspring that can survive and reproduce.
ultraviolet: A portion of the light spectrum that is close to violet but invisible to the human eye.
