Lesson glossary
Agar – A gelatin-like material obtained from seaweed and used to prepare culture media on which microorganisms are grown and studied.
Bacterium – Prokaryotic microorganisms or unicellular organism in the domain Bacteria. Most bacteria are beneficial; however, some are harmful.
Citizen Science – The practice of public participation and collaboration in scientific research to increase scientific knowledge.
Culture Medium – Material (e.g., agar) used to artificially grow microorganisms.
Disease – A condition of a plant or animal that impairs normal body structure or function.
Epidemic – A disease increase in a population; usually a widespread and severe outbreak of a disease.
Fungus – A eukaryotic organism that includes unicellular microorganisms such as yeast, mold,and mushrooms. They are classified in the Kingdom Fungi.
Geographic Location – A position on Earth defined by two coordinates, longitude and latitude.
Geographic Positioning System (GPS) – A navigational system using satellite signals to fix the location of a receiver on or above the earth’s surface.
Host – An organism that supplies food, resources, and acts as a substrate for a disease.
Hypha (plural hyphae) – Branching filaments that make up the mycelium of a fungus.
Hypothesis – A tentative assumption made in order to draw out and test its logical or empirical consequences.
Microbiology – The study of microscopic organisms.
Mycelium (plural mycelia) – A network of branching hyphae.
Nematode – Roundworms that are classified in the phylum Nematoda.
Observation – An act of recognizing and noting a fact or occurrence often involving measurement with instruments.
Pathogen – Infectious agent that causes disease.
Pathology – The study of diseases.
Random Sampling – A sampling method in which samples are selected in such a way that each observation has an equal chance of selection.
Red Mangrove – A true mangrove having red wood and numerous prop roots like those in the genus Rhizophora.
Spore – Reproductive unit of fungi consisting of one or more cells.
Virus – A small infectious agent that replicates inside a living organism.
All definitions are from:
- Merriam Webster Dictionary
- NOAA
- Agrios, G.N. Plant Pathology. 5th edition.
