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Coastal Prairie Region Glossary of Terms This glossary contains definitions for botanical, ecological and environmental terms used on this site.
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z Aassemblages: a collection of "things", in this case a collection of native prairie plants.Bbiota: living plant and animal species. Ccharacterization: the description of a specific mark or character.
Ddiversity: an abundance of different species in a given location; species richness.
Eendemic: restricted to a given region. Ffire regimes: how often an area is burned; i.e., annually, every 2 years, every three years...
Ggap: an opening made in the canopy by some disturbance, such as a death of trees or grasses, that influences the development of vegetation beneath the gap. H herb: a flowering, vascular seed plant that lacks a woody stem aboveground and whose aboveground parts die at the end of a season. I indicator species: a species that has a sufficiently consistent association with some environmental condition (ecosystem) or other species that its presence can be used to indicate or predict that environmental condition or the potential for that other species being present. JKLleaf: a flattened, usually photosynthetic structure arranged in various ways on a stem. Mmonocotyledon: a class of angiosperms whose seeds have a single cotyledon; the term is commonly abgbreviated to monocot. Most grasses are monocots. Nnatural selection: differential reproduction and survival of individuals that results in elimination of maladaptive traits from a population. Oobligate: refers to a response to particular condition or way of life for which there is no alternative; ie. a plant or animal that only lives in a prairie ecosystem.
Pprescribed burns: controlled burns that are used as management and restoration tools for prairie, forest, and wetland ecosystems. Qquiescence: a state in which a seed or other plant part will not germinate or grow unless environmental conditions normally required for growth are present. Rrecruitment: the movement of plants into an area by (1) the transport of seeds by wind or animal dispersal or (2) vegetative colonization through the growth of underground stem and root systems. Sseed dormancy: the lack of germination of a seed caused by (1) characteristics of the embryo that prevents germination (endogenous dormancy) or (2) charisteristic of structures, including endosperm, seed coats, or fruit walls, covering the embryo that prevents germination (exogenous dormancy). Ttop-down regulation: regulation of population and community structure through consumers. UVvegetation dynamics:germination, growth and reproduction of species and interaction of these species with each other. Wwetland: areas characterized by presence of water at or near the surface, hydric soils, and vegetation adapted to wet conditions. Xxeric: describes dry conditions, especially relating to soil. YZzonation: characteristic distribution of vegetation along an environmental gradient; i.e., salinity gradients where salt tolerant plants thrive without competition from nonsalt tolerant plants. |