|
|||
 |
Glossary of Wetland Terms |
||
|
parameter: a characteristic, or descriptive feature, such as odor, color, or temperature. parasite: an organism that lives in or on another organism, causing it harm. pathogen: a disease-producing agent, usually applied to a living organism. Generally, any virus, bacterium, or fungus that causes disease. penetrate: to enter or force a way into; to spread or flow throughout an area. periwinkle: trailing evergreen plants of the genus Vinca. permeability: the ability of a material to allow a liquid to pass through it. Permeable materials, such as gravel and sand, allow water to move quickly through them. pesticide: a chemical used to kill pests, especially insects and rodents. pH: a scale from 0 to 14 used to measure relative acidity or alkalinity. A pH measurement less than 7 is acidic, 7 is neutral, and greater than 7 is basic or alkaline. phosphate: a form of phosphorous; an essential nutrient for plants and animals; usually present in natural waters as phosphate. Phosphate is an ion composed of one phosphorus atom and four oxygen atoms. phosphorous: a non-metallic element designated with the chemical symbol P; an essential nutrient for plants and animals; usually present in natural waters as phosphate. photosynthesis: a series of chemical reactions in producers, usually plants, in which light energy is used to make chemical energy in the form of food. phytoplankton: microscopic photosynthetic protists (e.g., bacteria and algae). They form the basis of freshwater and marine food webs and are the main producers in the open ocean. plankton: microscopic organisms that drift freely with water currents; phytoplankton are producers (plants); zooplankton are animals. pod: a seed vessel or fruit of a plant. pollination: sexual reproduction in plants in which pollen is transferred from anther to stigma of either the same plant or another plant. pollution: contamination of air, water, or soil by toxic organic or inorganic substances (e.g., industrial or agricultural waste by-products, engine exhausts, factory emissions, or human waste). Pollution can come from a single source (point source) or be discharged over a wide area from many sources (non-point source). point source pollution: pollution coming from a single point (e.g., sewage-outflow pipe). pond lily: water lily of the genus Nymphaea; an emergent vegetation with floating leaves. pond snails: aquatic macroinvertebrate; phylum Mollusca, order Gastropoda; organism is enclosed within one shell; tolerant of pollution. pool: a deeper area of water in a stream; usually quiet and often with no visible flow. population: a group of organisms of the same species living in the same area. porcelain-berry: Ampelopsis brevipedunculata; an exotic invasive plant that grows in swamp forest (intermittently flooded lowland forest). porosity: the percent of space or pores between sediment particles; it indicates the amount of water the sediment can hold. pouch snail: aquatic macroinvertebrate; phylum Mollusca, order Gastropoda; organism is enclosed within one shell; tolerant of pollution. precipitation: condensed water vapor that falls to or forms on the surface as rain, snow, hail, sleet, dew, and frost. predator: an organism that kills and eats other organisms. prey: a creature hunted or caught for food. primary consumer: an organism that feeds on producers; an herbivore. primary productivity: the amount of energy trapped by photosynthesis. This quantity determines how much life a region will support. pristine environment: an environment remaining in a pure or uncorrupted state. producer: an organism that makes its own food; a photosynthetic organism; an autotroph. propagation: increased or spread by natural reproduction. protist: a unicellular organism of the kingdom Proctista (e.g., protozoans, slime molds, certain algae). Protists formerly belonged to a kingdom called Protista. purple dead nettle: Lamium purpureum; an exotic invasive plant that grows in a clearing (meadow or field). |
|