long-day plant

The clovers are an example of a long-day plant. A long-day plant is a plant that flowers only after being exposed to light in periods longer than a certain critical length, like in summer. 

Redox Reaction

Redox reactions are reactions in which there's a simultaneous transfer of electrons from one chemical species to another. It is really composed of two different reactions: oxidation (a loss of electrons) and reduction (a gain of electrons). These two things have to happen together in order for a redox reaction to occur. One common example of a redox reaction is rust, as shown on this iron crate near the high school. Rust is the flaky brown substance that forms on iron objects left exposed to the elements too long, especially if the object gets wet. The iron actually turns into rust, which is actually a form of oxidized iron. The chemical reaction of rusting is iron + water + air = rust. When iron is in the presence of moisture, it will lose electrons, becoming a positively charged ion in water (oxidation reaction). Those electrons are then used to reduce the oxygen dissolved in the water (reduction reaction). Those ions react with ions in the water to produce iron hydroxide which will dry in several steps to produce rust.

Detritovore

A detritovore is an organism that feeds on and breaks down dead plant or animal matter, returning essential nutrients to the ecosystem. This worm I found in my garden is an example of a detritovore. They live in soil and decompose organic matter to survive.

introduced species

A species that does not occur naturally in a given area is an introduced species. These are non-native species that were somehow introduced to this new area. This tree in my backyard (we think it's an Austrian blue spruce) is an introduced species. It is not native to Montana.

Glycogen

Glycogen is a substance deposited in body tissues. It's the main form of carbohydrate storage in animals, and is converted to glucose as needed. Glycogen is found in human muscles, like the ones demonstrated by my sister. 

Predation

Predation is the capturing of prey as a means of maintaining life. A spider (the predator) living in this spiderweb captures flies and other insects (the prey) in its web and then consumes them in order to survive.

homologous structures

Homologous structures are body parts that are alike because the species share a common ancestor.  Unlike analogous structures, meaning that it preforms the same function, homologous structures don't necessarily preform the same function; they just share a common ancestral origin. As an example, I have a bird's wing, which is homologous to the human arm. They have the same basic skeletal structure, and are derived from the same origin, but they are used differently.