Wetland Terms – E
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E [E. coli–extinct]
- E. coli: Escherichia coli of the family Enterobacteriaceae; fecal coliform bacteria. E. coli is present in the lower intestine of humans and warm-blooded animals, but rarely present in unpolluted waters.
- ecology: the study of the interrelationships of organisms with each other and their nonliving environment.
- ecosystem: all organisms and their nonliving environment within a defined area.
- eel grass: submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) of the genus Zostera; found in coastal areas; has narrow, grass-like leaves and grows in dense masses.
- emergent vegetation: benthic plants that grow partly in water and partly emerging from water (e.g., cattails, arrow arum, pond lily, phragmites).
- encroach: to intrude gradually upon the area of another; to advance beyond proper limits.
- endangered species: organisms so rare or few in number that they are threatened with extinction.
- english ivy: Hedera helix; an exotic invasive plant, originally from Europe, that grows at the wood's edge.
- english plantain: Plantago lanceoalata; an exotic invasive plant, originally from Europe, that grows in a clearing (meadow or field).
- environs: surroundings; environment.
- eradicate: to remove all traces of; to erase.
- erosion: process by which earth material is transported from one area to another by an agent such as water or wind.
- estuary: a place where fresh and salt water mix (e.g., a bay, salt marsh); a place where a river enters an ocean.
- eutrophication: a natural process in which there is an enrichment of water by nutrients, causing accelerated growth of algae and higher forms of plant life.
- evolution: any change in the overall genetic composition of a population of organisms from one generation to the next.
- exoskeleton: a hard, external body covering that provides support for tissues and organs and protects the organism from predators. Arthropods have exoskeletons.
- exotic species: non-native plants and animals living in the wild in areas outside their native boundaries.
- extinct: a species with no living members. All members of a species are dead; the end of a species.
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