Glossary
AQUIFER - an underground layer of rock and sand that contains water
BARRIER ISLAND - long, narrow strips of sand forming islands that protect inland areas from ocean waves and storms
BOTTOMLAND HARDWOOD FORESTS - forested, periodically flooded wetlands found along rivers
BRACKISH MARSH - marshes occurring where salinity ranges from 3-15 parts per thousand (ppt); dominated by Spartina patens (wiregrass)
CARNIVORE - any organism that eats other consumers (sometimes referred to as "meat eaters")
CHENIER - a ridge formed by the lateral transport and reworking of deltaic sediments, usually containing large amounts of shell deposits; named for the oak trees (chene -French for oak) found growing on the ridges
COMPOUND LEAF - a leaf composed of multiple leaflets; note that leaflets do NOT have an axillary bud at their base (view leaf pattern diagram)
CONSUMER - any organism that cannot produce its own food and must, therefore, get its energy by eating, or consuming, other organisms
DECOMPOSER - organisms such as fungi and bacteria that feed on dead material causing the chemical breakdown of the material
DELTA - an area formed from the deposition of sediments at the mouth of a river
DETRITIVORE - any organism that consumes detritus
DETRITUS - dead, decaying plant material
DREDGING - the removal of sediment from a channel to produce sufficient depths for navigation
DUNE - a low hill of drifted sand in coastal areas that can be bare or covered with vegetation
ESTUARY - an environment where terrestrial, freshwater, and seawater (saline) habitats overlap
FOOD CHAIN - transfer of food energy from plants to one or more animals; a series of plants and animals linked by their food relationships
FOOD WEB - a series of linked food chains
FRESHWATER MARSH - grassy wetlands that occur along rivers and lakes; dominated by grasses, reeds, rushes, and sedges
GLOBAL WARMING - an increase of the earth's temperature by a few degrees resulting in an increase in the volume of water which contributes to sea-level rise
HERBIVORE - any organism that eats only producers (plants)
INTERMEDIATE MARSH - a marsh occurring where the salinity is about 3 parts per thousand (ppt) - a transitional area between fresh and brackish marshes; common plants are bull tongue, roseau cane, and wiregrass
MARSH - an environment where terrestrial and aquatic habitats overlap; a wetland dominated by grasses
MUDFLAT - a muddy, low-lying strip of ground usually submerged, more or less completely, by the rise of the tide; found in association with barrier islands and cheniers along the gulf coast
NONPOINT SOURCE POLLUTION - indirect or scattered sources of pollution that enter a water system such as drainage or runoff from agricultural fields, airborne pollution from cropdusting, runoff from urban areas (construction sites, etc.)
OMNIVORE - any organism that eats both plants and animals
PALMATE VENATION - vein arrangement with veins radiating outward from the base of the leaf like fingers spread out from the palm of the hand (view leaf venation diagram)
PARALLEL VENATION - vein arrangement with veins parallel from the base to the tip of the leaf (view leaf venation diagram)
PINNATE VENATION - vein arrangement with one main vein extending from the base to the tip of the leaf and smaller veins branching off the main vein (view leaf venation diagram)
POINT SOURCE POLLUTION - pollution originating from a single point such as pipes, ditches, wells, vessels, and containers
ppt - parts per thousand - a unit used to indicate salinity
PREDATOR - an animal that lives by capturing other animals for food
PREY - an animal that is killed and eaten by another animal
PRODUCER - any organism that is capable of producing its own food, usually through photosynthesis
SALTWATER INTRUSION - the invasion of freshwater bodies by denser salt water
SALTWATER MARSH - saltwater (15-18 parts per thousand or greater) wetlands occurring along the coast; dominated by saltwater grasses such as Spartina alterniflora (oyster grass)
SCAVENGER - an animal that eats the dead remains and wastes of other animals and plants
SEA-LEVEL RISE - a rise in the surface of the sea due to increased water volume of the ocean and/or sinking of the land
SIMPLE LEAF - a leaf composed of a single blade (view leaf pattern diagram)
SPOIL - the material removed from channels and canals by dredging
SUBSIDENCE - a gradual sinking of land with respect to its previous level
SWAMP - forested low, spongy land generally saturated with water and covered with trees and aquatic vegetation; may be a deepwater swamp, such as the cypress tupelo, which has standing water all or part of the growing season or bottomland hardwood forests which are only flooded periodically
TOPOGRAPHIC MAP - a line and symbol representation of natural and artificially created features in an area
WATERSHED - an area drained by a river
WETLANDS - land areas that are wet due to a close relationship to a body of water or groundwater, or land areas that are flooded regularly; they support vegetation adapted for life in saturated soil conditions
Information from M.A. Townson, The Fragile Fringe: A Guide for Teaching About Coastal Wetlands. National Wetlands Research Center. http://www.nwrc.usgs.gov/fringe/ff_index.html