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Adaptation Process of adjusting to the environment in order to survive anatomical structure, physiological process or behavioral trait of an organism that has evolved over a period of time by the process of natural selection The process of change to better conform with environmental conditions or other external stimuli. adjustments made by animals in respect of their environments The structures or behaviors of an organism that are suited to a particular environment. Tendency of an organism to suit its environment modification of an organism or its parts that makes it more fit for existence under the conditions of its environment. a change over time in an organism’s structure or function that helps it better survive in its environment a genetically-based body feature or behavior that allows an organism to be better suited to its environment. Anadromous those fish which spend the greater part of their lives in salt water, but migrate into fresh streams for reproduction Fish that hatch rear in fresh water, migrate to the ocean (salt water) to grow and mature, and migrate back to fresh water to spawn and reproduce. fish that return from oceans to fresh water to spawn Used to describe fish that spawn in fresh water after spending most of their lives in the sea. Aquatic Growing, living in, or frequenting water relating to or consisting of or being in water; Plant which grows partially or completely in water. having to do with water. Lives predominantly in the water of or concerning water. forage & live extensively in freshwater. Biologist a person who studies living organisms A person who studies living organisms and their relationship to one another. One who studies any living thing. Browse To eat or nibble tender shoots, twigs and leaves shrubs, trees and herbs that provide food for wildlife. vegetation that animals use for food, especially buds, twigs, sprouts, leaves, fruit and flowers of woody plants. parts of woody plants, including twigs, shoots, and leaves, eaten by forest animals. small bushes, twigs, sprouts, herbaceous plants, small trees, and other vegetation fed on by wildlife Camouflage colors, tones, patterns that enable an organism to blend in with its surroundings protective coloring that helps hide an animal markings or coloration that help disguise an animal so it is less visible to predators or prey. Colours or patterns that make something hard to see. To conceal, to cover up. an animal's technique of concealing itself by seeming to be part of the natural background. Carrion the bodies of dead animals the dead and rotting body of an animal; unfit for human food carcass of a dead animal that becomes food for other scavenging animals the dead, decomposing flesh of an animal dead and putrefying animal flesh carrying capacity the balance between any life form and its environment the maximum number of individuals of a given species that a site can support during the most unfavorable time of year, without causing deterioration of the site. the maximum number of organisms that can use a given area of habitat without degrading the habitat and without causing social stresses that result in the population being reduced. The number of animals an area of land can support. The population that an area will support without undergoing environmental deterioration. The average number of livestock and/or wildlife that can be sustained on a management unit the maximum biomass, or quantity of animals, that can be grown in an area without impairing growth and survival. Chaparral dense growth of shrubs or small trees A dense, impenetrable thicket of shrubs or dwarf trees. A vegetation type dominated by shrubs and small trees, especially evergreen trees with thick, small leaves. refers to areas with broad-leaved evergreen shrubs found in climates with hot dry summers and mild wet winters. A plant community of shrubs adapted to annual drought and often extreme summer heat, and also highly adapted to fires recurring every five to twenty years or so. Brushy areas where plants such as manzanita, cliff rose, and scrub oak are the dominant plants. Riparian Located or living along or near a stream, river, or body of water; usually a type of woodland habitat Relating to or living or located on the bank of a natural watercourse (as a river) or sometimes of a lake or a tidewater. pertaining to, living or situated on, the banks of rivers and streams located alongside a watercourse, typically a river. relating to the bank or shoreline of a body of water. The strip of habitat along streams or lakes, and presumably influenced by those bodies of water. a riverbank ecosystem surrounding a water drainage system (such as a river or stream) that flows toward the sea. Competition when two or more organisms have the potential for using the same resource. One of the biological interactions that can limit population growth the process in which organisms with similar requirements contend for resources The struggle between trees to obtain sunlight, nutrients, water, and growing space The result of a common demand by two or more organisms or types of organisms for limited resources. occurs between organisms using a finite resource, whether they are of the same or different species. Commensalism a relationship in which organisms live with on, or in another without injury to either a situation in which two organisms are associated in a relationship in which one benefits from the relationship and the other is not affected much. When two organisms coexist, one organism benefits, the other is not affected. symbiosis (qv) in which one population (or individual) gains from the association and the other is neither harmed nor benefited. The interaction of two or more dissimilar organisms where the association is advantageous to one without affecting the other(s). Living with another animal, but not deriving nourishment directly from the host. Community An association of organisms each occupying a certain niche in a common environment an assemblage of populations of different species within a specified location in space and time. an association of interacting populations. All the groups of organisms living together in the same area, usually interacting or depending on each other for existence. an assemblage of species, dependent on each other, and constituting an organized system through which energy, nutrients, and water are cycled. All organisms inhabiting a common environment and interacting with one another. Coniferous Cone bearing trees such as pine, fir, and redwood Cone-bearing trees having needle or scale-like leaves, usually evergreen and producing wood known commercially as "softwoods." plants that are mostly evergreen, with narrow needle-like leaves; produce cones for reproduction. Larch is the only conifer that sheds all of its needles annually. trees with cones, usually an evergreen tree, though, as an exception, the Tamarack looses all its leaves each year. Conservation the use of natural resources in a way that assures their continuing availability to future generations the wise and intelligent use or protection of natural resources management of the human use of the biosphere so that it may yield the greatest sustainable benefit to present generations while maintaining its potential to meet the needs and aspirations of future generations. Preserving and renewing natural resources to assure their highest economic or social benefit over the longest period of time. the protection, restoration or sustainability of natural resources. e planned management of a natural resource to prevent exploitation, destruction, or neglect consumer an organism that utilizes a producer for food An organism that feeds on other living organisms, An organism requiring complex organic compounds for food which it obtains by preying on other organisms or by eating particles of organic matter. an organism that obtains energy by eating other organisms The term used to describe an organism which ingests other organisms or food particles. Deciduous Trees that annually shed their leaves Having leaves that fall off or are shed seasonally to avoid adverse weather conditions such as cold or drought. Not persistent or evergreen. perennial plants which are normally leafless for some time during the year. Dropping off; shedding of leaves at the end of the growing season Term applied to trees that lose the leaves and have a dormancy period at least once per year. Trees such as cottonwood, willow, walnut, redbud and valley oak. Evergreen A plant that does not lose all of its leaves at one time Plant that retains its leaves for more than one growing season. never entirely without green foilage, leaves persisting until a new set has appeared. Plants whose leaf cover remains alive year-round, though individual leaves may die and fall. Trees such as live oak, pines, spruces, firs, and hemlocks. Decomposer Organisms which convert dead organic material into inorganic materials organisms such as fungi and bacteria that feed on dead material causing the chemical breakdown of the material A fungus, sprophytic bacterium, or any other type of animal that obtains nourishment by breaking down dead organic matter. An organism that obtains energy from decaying organic material. A name for organisms (often a bacteria or fungus) that feeds on and get their energy from the break down of dead plant or animal matter.