Glossary
(****Under Construction****)

Abatement - reducing the degree or intensity of, or eliminating, pollution

Abotia - those non-living factors which are present in and affect the characteristics of a given ecosystem

Abiotic - pertaining to any non- biological factor or influence, such as geological or meteorological characteristics

Accretion - the slow addition to land by deposition of water-borne sediment. An increase in land along the shores of a body of water, as by Alluvial deposit. Accretion and alluvion are often used synonymously.

Acidic – a condition with a pH lower than 7

Adaptation - changes in an organism's structure or habits that allow it to adjust to its surroundings, which usually makes them more likely to survive and reproduce

Aerobe - an organism which requires oxygen

Aerobic - organism or process requiring oxygen

Aestival - existing only in summer

Aestivation – a version of summer hibernation that entails dormancy and lower metabolic activity during droughts or hot seasons

Affluent - tributary or feeder stream

Agate - a fine-grained variegated chalcedony having its colors arranged in stripes, blended in clouds, or showing mosslike forms

AGP - Algae Growth Potential; the maximum algal dry weight biomass produced in a natural water sample under laboratory conditions

Agroforestry – land management involving the growing of trees in association with food crops or pastures

Algae - simple aquatic plants, containing chlorophyll and lacking roots, stems and leaves, Algae adds oxygen to water and is either suspended in the water or attached to rocks and other substrates. Their abundance, or lack of, in an open water sample, is commonly used to classify the trophic status of a lake.

Alkaline – a water or soil condition with a pH greater than 7

Alluvial – of or relating to alluvium

Alluvium – sediments such as mud, silt, and/or sand that is deposited by flowing waters

Anaerobic - living, active, occurring, or existing in the absence of free oxygen

Anoxic - the absence of oxygen

Anthropogenic – caused by human activity

Aquifier - a geological formation or structure that stores or transmits water, or both, such as to wells and springs

Arboreal – of, relating to, or resembling a tree or  inhabiting or frequenting trees

Attenuation -

Backbar channel - channel formed behind a bar connected to the main channel but usually at a higher elevation. It may contain flowing or standing water.

Bayou - a a large stream or creek, or small river, characterized by a slow or imperceptible current through alluvial lowlands or swamps

Benthic – of, relating to, or occurring at the bottom of a body of water

Best Management Practices (BMP) - accepted methods for controlling Non-Point Source (NPS) Pollution as defined by the 1977 Clean Water Act (CWA); may include one or more conservation practices. Also refers to water conservation techniques of proven value. Techniques and procedures used in an operation such as farming or waste disposal in order to minimize pollution or waste

Bog - a wet, overwhelmingly vegetative substratum which lacks drainage and where humic and other acids give rise to modifications of plant structure and function

Calcareous – a condition relating to soils in which they contain large amounts of calcium carbonate (CaCO3), usually due to the presence of limestone sediment

Canopy - overhanging cover formed by leaves, needles, and branches of vegetation

Canopy closure - the degree of canopy cover relative to openings (ranked 1-9, with 9 being complete cover, no gaps)

Carex – a genus of plants called sedges, which typically grow in moist, nutrient-poor soils

Chalcedony - a translucent variety of quartz of various colors and waxy luster

Chert – a fine-grained sedimentary rock composed of microscopic silica crystals, similar to flint or agate, with a semi-glassy finish

Circumneutral – water with a pH of 5.5 (acidic) to 7.4 (alkaline)

Cladonia – a “cup lichen”; a genus of moss-like lichens, several of which grow on sand dunes

Closed canopy - canopy dense enough that tree crowns fill or nearly fill the layer

Cobble bar – an elongated landform generated by waves and currents, usually running parallel to the shore, composed predominantly of unconsolidated rock fragments 7.6 cm (3 inches) to 25.4 cm (10 inches) in diameter, with water on two sides

Colluvial material - consisting of Alluvium in part and also contains fragments of the original rocks, found at the bottom or on the lower slopes of a hill

Colluvium - loose deposits of rock moved downslope by gravitational force in the form of soil Creep, slides, and local wash

Compensation level/point - point under water at which plant photosynthesis just equals plant respiration, usually occurring at the depth of 1 percent light penetration

Comprehensive plan - plan for water and related land resources development, that considers economic and social factors to provide the greatest overall benefits to the region as a whole

Confluence - the place of and the junction of two or more streams or rivers

Conservation tillage – a system of crop production that utilizes minimal tillage so that the residue that remains in the field from the crop after harvest is increased which can lead to recycled crop nutrients, reduced erosion, better wildlife habitats, and better water quality.

CWCS – Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy

Detritus – a mass of dead, dissolved plant and animal material that may be partially consumed by bacteria and is often noticeable in water as a layer of oily residue

Dissolution - the process of dissolving a solid substance into a solvent (water) click here for detailed discussion of the process

Dolomite – a semitransparent, crystalline variety of limestone composed largely of calcium magnesium carbonate (CaMg (CO3)2)

Early seral conditions – synonymous with poor ecological conditions

Early successional species – species of plants or animals are well adapted to change which occupy an area after a major disturbance, such as fire, but are generally temporary inhabitants until late successional species move in

Ecoregion – geographic areas with distinctive or relatively homogenous climate, ecological features, and relationships between organisms and their environment

Ecosystems - a collection of natural communities, that can be as small as a rotting log or a puddle of water, but current management efforts typically focus on larger landscape units, such as a mountain range, a river basin, or a watershed

Edaphic – resulting from or influenced by the soil rather than the climate

Endoreic - areas with terminal lakes and an interior drainage basin

Eolian – geologic features formed by wind, such as sandbars

Ephemeral – lasting for a short time period; seasonal

Epicormic sprouting -

Erosion – to wear away land or soil through the action of wind, water, or ice

Escarpment – long cliffs or steep slopes resulting from erosion or faulting that separate two more gently sloping or level surfaces

Evapotranspiration – soil water loss through the combined effects of evaporation from ground surfaces and the release of water vapor by vegetation undergoing gas exchange with the environment

Fens - wetlands fed primarily by groundwater

Ferns – a vascular plant that tends to live in wet, moist areas, possesses true roots called rhizomes and flatted leaf-like fronds that are photosynthetic, and reproduces with spores as opposed to using flowers and seeds

Forb - a flowering plant with a non-woody stem that is not a grass

Fragipans - subsoil layers that are brittle when moist and very hard when dry

Geomorphic – relating to the way land is formed or the structure of the Earth’s physical surface configuration

Hardpans – hardened layers of soil that are not easily infiltrated by water and form as a result of accumulated soil deposits

Hawthorns – shrubs and trees belong to the genus Crataegus

Hectare – a unit of area equal to 10,000 square meters; equal to about 2.5 acres

Herbaceous – of or relating to non-woody plants

Hydric – characterized by an abundance of moisture; wet

Hydric soil - soil that, in its undrained condition, is saturated, flooded, or ponded long enough during the growing season to develop Anaerobic conditions that favor the growth and regeneration of hydrophytic vegetation

Hydrogeomorphic – a land form characterized by a specific origin, geomorphic setting, water source, and hydrodynamic

Hydrophyte –(1) A perennial vascular aquatic plant having its overwintering buds under water (2) A plant growing in water or in soil too waterlogged for most plants to survive
(3) A plant adapted to grow in water (4) Any plant growing only in water or very wet earth, requiring large quantities of water for growth.

Hydrophytic (Vegetation) - Plants that grow in water or in saturated soils that are periodically deficient in oxygen as a result of high water content

Hydroxeric – an organism that requires a lot of moisture or a habitat containing a lot of moisture; very wet environmental conditions

Holocene – a geologic epoch containing the present warm period and extending back about 10,000 years to the end of the Pleistocene epoch or the last “Ice Age.”

IBI (Index of Biotic Integrity) – indices of biotic integrity are measures of the health of streams and have been developed as an alternative to physical and chemical measures of water quality click here for a more detailed introduction

Igneous – a type of rock formed by the solidification of molten magma which often arises due to volcanic activity

IPM (Integrated Pest Management) – agricultural practices that ideally combines natural, biological, and cultural controls with minimal pesticide use to keep pests below economically damaging levels while minimizing the negative effects pesticides have on the environment

Invertivore – an organism that feeds on invertebrate animals

Karst topography – a three-dimensional landscape shaped by the dissolution of a soluble bedrock layers, usually limestone or dolomite

Levee – a natural or artificial embankment, usually made of earth, which parallels or confines the course of a water body, usually a river; constructed by humans as protection against flooding or constructed naturally by periodic flooding

Lichen – a plant-like structure consisting of a mutualistic relationship between a fungus and a photosynthetic algae

Limestone – a common sedimentary rock consisting mainly of calcium or calcium carbonate that is formed as a result of the remains of marine organisms

Loam – soil composed of sand, silt, clay, and organic matter that is best for the growth of most plants

Loess – an accumulation of soil made up of fine-grained particles transported by wind

Meander scrolls – an arc or spiral-shaped feature on the landscape of a river or stream channel once occupied which yields evidence of historical meander patterns

Mesic – characterized by moderate amounts of moisture; neither hydric nor xeric; land that is moist, but well-drained; adequate soil moisture retention year-round

Monoculture – planting the same crop in the same field, year after year

Muck – wet, muddy plant and/or animal residue which composes the dark, usually black earth which is the bottom soil in a watercourse; it is capable of absorbing much water

Nepheline syenite – a coarse, crystalline igneous rock composed primarily of orthoclase alkali-feldspars, nepheline and mafic minerals such as the sodium rich pyroxenes and amphiboles which is found in Canada, Norway, Greenland, Sweden, the Ural Mountains, the Pyrenees, Italy, Brazil, China, the Transvaal region, and Magnet Cove area of Arkansas.

Novaculite – a weakly metamorphosed rock of sedimentary origin that is primarily composed of microcrystalline quartz and chalcedony. 

Opuntia – genus of the cactus family which includes Prickly Pears and Chollas

Organic – belonging to a class of compounds having a carbon basis; derived from living organisms

Orographic – pertaining to the physical geography associated with mountains or sloping terrain

Osmunda – a genus of ferns that contains five to ten species which primarily inhabit temperate areas

Outcrop – a portion of bedrock or other type of mineral formation that protrudes out from the soil surface

Overstory – the canopy of a forested or woodland area

Oxbow – a crescent shaped bend in a river or stream that may form an oxbow lake if enough silt is deposited to cut the area off from the main water source

Peat – a type of soil that often forms in wetlands and is composed of partially decayed vegetable matter that is saturated with water; can be used to soften water, decrease pH, and burned as fuel when dried

Perched – a condition in which something is held above a water table by a confined layer or structure

Perennial – a plant that produces flowers annually and lives for two or more growing seasons

Pleistocene – the latest major geological epoch of the Quaternary period which began about 1.6 million years ago and is commonly known as the "Ice Age" due to the multiple expansion and retreat of glaciers

Point bar – a deposit of sediments that forms along the convex bank of a meandering stream

Rainshadow – the area on the leeward side of a mountain that receives little or no precipitation

Riparian – pertaining to anything connected with or directly adjacent to the banks of a stream, river, or pond

Saline – a solution comprised largely by salt

Sandstone – a sedimentary rock that may vary in color and is composed primarily of sand-sized quartz and feldspar particles cemented together with something such as iron oxide or calcium carbonate

Sedges – monocot flowering plants of the family Cyperaceae and the genus Carex that resemble grasses or rushes and tend to grow in moist, nutrient-poor soils

Shale – a sedimentary rock composed of detrital particles which usually originates in still waters and is formed by the compaction of clay, silt, or mud over millions of years; tends to be red, brown, black, or gray and is easily split into thin, soft layers

Silt – rock worn into tiny pieces smaller than sand and larger than clay that are deposited by moving water

Silviculture - the process of controlling the establishment, growth, composition, health, and quality of forests to meet diverse needs and values of landowners

Sinkhole – a depression that is usually formed by the collapse in the roof of a limestone cave or cavern

Slash – branches and other woody debris left in a site that has been altered by forestry practices

Slough – a swamp, marsh, or muddy back-water; an expanse of grasses, sedges, and rushes that acts as a drainage-way for water during the rainy season.

Sphagnum – any of an order of atypical mosses that grow only in wet acid areas where their remains become compacted with other plant debris to form peat or a mass of sphagnum plants

Stabilized bars – an elongated landform generated by waves and currents, usually running parallel to the shore, composed predominantly of sand, gravel, stones, cobbles, or rubble and with water on two sides that persists, relatively unchanged through time

Stagnation - a lack of motion in a mass of water that tends to hold pollutants in place

Stagnation point - A place in a ground-water flow field at which the ground water is not moving

Subxeric – moist to dry, seasonally moist, periodically dry

                                         
Swale – a gentle depression in the land that is often marshy

Terrace – a flat section of land with hilly or sloping surfaces around it

Toeslope - the slightly sloping region between the area at the base of a slope where it starts to flatten and the area where it completely flattens out; area below a foot-slope

Topographic – referring to the physical configuration of a land surface, especially relative to changes in elevation

Understory – the vegetation layer between the overstory or canopy and the groundcover of a forest community that is formed by the leaves and branches of the smaller trees

Vaccinium – a genus of shrubs in the family Ericaceae which includes many species of berried plants (such as blueberry, cranberry, cowberry, and huckleberry) that prefer heath landscapes and open forests

Water table – the surface separating the upper layer of non-saturated soil and the lower layer of saturated soil
 
Xeric –an organism that requires little moisture or a habitat containing little moisture; dry environmental conditions; dry and drought resistant, little moisture retention, excessively drained