Download GLOSSARY OF TERMS anadromous: species that migrate from

MISSISSIPPI’S STATE WILDLIFE ACTION PLAN
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
anadromous: species that migrate from estuarine or marine areas into freshwater to spawn.
anthropogenic: relating to, or resulting from the influences of human beings on nature.
barrier island: an island located in close proximity to the mainland, but between it and the open ocean or sea;
often composed of shifting sands and forming a barrier to tidal surges from storms and reducing damage the
mainland.
benthic: relating to, or of the bottom surfaces of water.
biodiversity: the variability among living organisms on the earth, including the variability within and between
species and within and between ecosystems.
bog: wetland ecosystem characterized by acidic conditions, the accumulation of peat and dominance of sphagnum moss.
bottomland: low-lying alluvial land near a river.
by-catch: the portion of fishing catch that is discarded as unwanted or commercially unusable.
canopy: a forest’s upper-most stratum; consists of a network of branches and leaves and forms a covering that
blocks sunlight from understory plants.
channelization: the modification of a channel by clearing, excavation, realignment, lining, or other means to
increase its capacity for water flow.
clearcutting: the removal of all the trees on a site.
community: collectively, all of the organisms inhabiting a common environment and interacting with each other
and their environment.
cuesta: a hill or ridge with a steep face on one side and a gentle slope on the other.
ecoregion: relatively large unit of land delineated by large-scale abiotic and biotic factors that broadly shape the
structure and function of biological communities within them.
endangered species: a species or subspecies in danger of extinction throughout all or a significantportion of its
range, as rated and listed by the USFWS (federally endangered) or MDWFP (state endangered).
endemic (endemism): species restricted to a particular geographic area; usually a single drainage, or an ecological section.
estuarine: of or relating to an estuary, which is an inlet or arm of the sea, especially the lower portion or wide
mouth of a river where salty tide meets freshwater current.
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exotic species: (also commonly called alien, non-indigenous, or non-native): a species occurring outside of its
native range.
extant: still living or present.
extirpation: elimination of a species in part of its range.
floodplain: low, relatively flat land adjoining inland and/or coastal waters, which is subject to periodicflooding.
forb: non-grassy, herbaceous plants, other than grass, sedge or rush.
forest: an assemblage of woody vegetation typically attaining positions in a plant community at the tallest level;
attains height and diameter growth of canopy-layer trees within established averages for the species.
fragmentation: the process by which a landscape is broken into small islands of natural habitat within a mosaic
of other forms of land use.
fresh-water: water that contains less than 1,000 milligrams per liter (mg/L) of dissolved solids.
geomorphology: a science that deals with the land and submarine relief features of the earth’s surface and seeks
a genetic interpretation of them; physiography.
graminoids: grasses and grass-like plants such as sedges and rushes.
habitat: the specific place(s) where a particular plant or animal lives.
hydric soil: a soil that is saturated, flooded, or ponded long enough during the growing season todevelop anaerobic (oxygen-lacking) conditions that favor the growth and regeneration of hydrophytic vegetation.
hydrology: the science dealing with the study of water on the surface of the land, in soil and underlying rocks
and in the atmosphere.
impoundments: human-engineered and dammed lakes, ponds and reservoirs.
introduced species: a species whose existence in a given area is due to human action or activity; thisactivity has
led to its dispersal across natural geographic barriers and/or has produced conditions favorable to its growth and
spread.
invasive species: a species occurring outside of its native range and whose introduction does or is likely to
cause harm or threaten the survival of native species.
karst: an area of irregular limestone in which erosion has produced fissures, sinkholes, underground streams,
and caverns.
lentic: pertaining to standing water, as in lakes and ponds.
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loess: soil material transported and deposited by wind and consisting of predominantly silt-sized particles.
lotic: pertaining to flowing water, as in rivers and streams.
mast: the fruit of flowering trees used by wildlife for food.
mesic: sites with a moderate amount of moisture, which support plant communities that require a moderate
amount of moisture.
mesophyte: plant that grows under medium conditions of moisture.
mussel: a group of aquatic bivalve mollusks. All native freshwater mussels belong to the family Unionidae.
neotropical migratory birds: birds which migrate to the neotropics (South and Central America and theCaribbean) during the winter, but breed and nest in North America.
pelagic: referring to species that spend the majority of their lives on or in the open ocean, beyond the near-shore
coastal zone (less than three miles offshore).
pine plantation: pine stands that have been artificially regenerated by planting or direct seeding.
point source pollution: contamination or impairment from a known specific point of origination, such as sewer
outfalls or pipes
pyric: resulting from, induced by, or associated with burning.
rare: a classification reflecting a species’ scarcity in a given area. Rare plants, animals, and eventuallycommunities are assigned rarity ranks according to The Nature Conservancy’s global ranking system.
reforestation: Area of land previously classified as forest that is regenerated by seeding, planting trees, or natural regeneration.
relict: an organism or species of an earlier time surviving in an environment that has undergone considerable
change.
riparian zone/riparian area: the area of land on either side of streams, channels, rivers, or other water bodies.
These areas are normally distinctly different from the surrounding lands because of unique soil and vegetation
characteristics (e.g., wetter soil than adjacent soil conditions where aquatic vegetative communities thrive).
senescent: the process of becoming old.
species richness: the cumulative number of species.
substrate: bottom material in lakes, streams and rivers.
succession: the slow orderly progression of change in community composition during development of vegetation in any area, from initial colonization to the attainment of the climax typical of a particular geographic area.
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successional: replacement of populations in a habitat through a regular progression to a stable state.
tributary: a stream feeding a larger stream, river, or lake.
watershed: the area of land above a given point on a stream that contributes water to the volume of a body of
surface water; also referred to as a drainage basin.
wetlands: those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or ground water at a frequency and duration
sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically
adapted for life in saturated soil conditions.
wildlife: any species of wild, free-ranging fauna including fish, and also fauna in captive breeding programs the
objective of which is to reintroduce individuals of a depleted indigenous species in a previously occupied range.
References Used to Support the Glossary
Many definitions used in the glossary were derived entirely, or partially, from the following sources. Some definitions were formed by combining definitions from various sources.
Giles, Robert H. Wildlife Management. W.H. Freeman and Company, San Francisco, California, USA, 416 pp.
Groves, Craig R. Drafting a Conservation Blueprint: A Practitioner’s Guide to Planning forBiodiversity. The
Nature Conservancy: Arlington, Virginia, USA, 445 pp.
Miriachi, R.E., ed. 2004. Alabama Wildlife. Volume 1. A checklist of vertebrates and selected invertebrates:
Aquatic mollusks, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. The University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa. 209 pp.
Pennak, Robert W. 1964. Collegiate Dictionary of Zoology. The Ronald Press Company. New York. 567 pp.
Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary. 1983. Merriam-Webster Inc. Springfield, Massachusetts. www.
biology-online.org
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GLOSSARY