Fault A fracture in rock caused by stress. The plane that represents the fracture surface of a fault . Feedlot Enclosed outdoor or indoor space used to feed and raise large numbers of livestock. Fermentation Decomposition and breakdown of organic matter by anaerobic means. Fern A group of about 11,000 species of vascular seedless plants that belong to the division Pterophyta.
Some ferns grow on the branches of trees as epiphytes .
Ferrel Cell Three-dimensional atmospheric circulation cell located at roughly 30 to 60 degrees north and south of the equator. Fertilizer Substance that adds inorganic or organic nutrients to soil for the purpose of increasing the growth of crops, trees, or other vegetation. The water remaining in a soil after the complete draining of the soil's gravitational water . First Law of Thermodynamics See Law of Conservation of Energy . The region occupied by an aquatic species that is used for commercial harvesting.