Wetland Terms – W-X-Y-Z
Print version of "Glossary of Wetland Terms": PDF • Word
W-X-Y-Z [water column–zooplankton]
- water column: a section of water extending from the surface of a body of water to its bottom.
- water penny: aquatic macroinvertebrate of the family Psepheridae; larvae are very flat oval or round shapes and are tan, brown, or black in color; have six small legs and cling to the undersides of rocks; sensitive to pollution.
- water quality index (WQI): a method for measuring water quality in rivers. Nine parameters are measured and weighted to develop the index: dissolved oxygen, fecal coliform, pH, biochemical oxygen demand, temperature change, total phosphates, nitrates, turbidity, and total solids.
- water snipe: aquatic macroinvertebrate; family Athericidae; pale green tapered body with many caterpillar-like legs, conical head, feathery "horns" and back end; somewhat sensitive to pollution.
- waterfowl: a swimming bird, usually frequenting freshwater areas.
- watershed: a land area that drains water to a particular stream, river, or lake. Its boundary can be identified by locating the highest points of land around the waterway.
- weed: a plant considered unattractive, undesirable, or troublesome.
- wetland: a lowland habitat, such as a marsh, swamp, or bog that has periodically waterlogged soils or is covered with a shallow layer of water resulting in reduced soil conditions, yet it still permits standing vegetation.
- wild celery: Vallisneria americana; native SAV; found in freshwater rivers and tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay. It has linear ribbon-like leaves, 1.5 m long and 1 cm wide, emerging from the base of the plant.
- zooplankton: a diverse group of small protists and animals, such as tiny crustaceans, that serve as food for larger freshwater and marine invertebrates.
View VDOE's Expenses