A alluvium - A silty deposit transported by water. amphibian - Class of vertebrates containing frogs, newts, salamanders, toads, caecilians. annelid - Worms with bodies divided into cylindrical rings (earthworms, leeches). aquatic - Living in or near water. backwater - Stagnant water in a small stream or inlet; water moved backwards or held back by a dam, tide, etc. barrier beach - A stretch of beach near or parallel a coastline often serving as a breakwater. bask - To warm or thermoregulate in the sunlight. benthic - Pertaining to the sea bed, river bed, or lake floor. bog - An area of wet peaty substrate rich in organic debris but low in mineral nutrients, with a vegetation of shrubs, sedges, and mosses. brackish - Pertaining to water of salinity intermediate between fresh water and sea water. bryozoan - Diverse group of small sessile moss animals that typically form colonies containing from a few to a million individuals. burrow - A hole or tunnel dug in the ground by an animal for shelter or refuge. carnivorous - Flesh-eating carrion - Dead and rotting flesh channelization - To create or provide a straighter and/or deeper part of a river. cistern - A large receptacle for storing water usually underground. clutch - The number of eggs laid at any one time. copulation - The act of mating for reproduction. Corps - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Corps-wide - Throughout the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers organization. cove - A small bay or inlet. crepuscular - Active during twilight hours; of the dusk and dawn. crustacean - Arthropod animals found in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial habitats including shrimps, lobsters, crabs, barnacles, water fleas, etc. decapod - Group of crustaceans that includes crabs, lobsters, and shrimp. disjunct population - Populations that are distinctly separate. diurnal - Active during daylight hours. ecology - The study of the interrelationships between living organisms and their environment. endangered species - A species threatened with extinction. estivation - A physiological state characterized by slow metabolism and inactivity, which permits survival during long periods of elevated temperature and diminished water supply eutrophic - Having high primary productivity; pertaining to waters rich in the mineral nutrients required by green plants. extinct species - No longer in existence; no longer living. extirpated - To remove or to destroy totally. fall line - The geographical line east of the Appalachian Mountains, marking the end of the coastal plains and the beginning of the Piedmont Plateau. flotant - dense floating vegetation mat. flotsam - The wreckage of a ship or its cargo found floating on the sea or washed ashore. frost line - The limit of penetration of soil by frost. gastropods - One of the group of mollusks; snails. habitat - The local environment occupied by an organism. hatchling - A recently hatched turtle. hectare - A metric unit of land measure equal to 10,000 square meters or 2.47 acres. herbaceous - A plant having stems that are not secondarily thickened and that die down annually. herbivorous - Feeding on plants. hibernaculum - The place in which an animal hibernates or overwinters. hibernation - The act or condition of passing the winter in a torpid or resting state. home range - the area, usually around the residence, over which an animal normally travels in search of food. homing - The behavioral act of returning to an original location. hyoid apparatus - The bony and cartilaginous structure in the floor of the mouth that supports the tongue. impoundment - An artificially enclosed body of water; typically with fluctuating water levels and high turbidity. inhabit - To dwell or live in; occupy. invertebrate - Those animals that lack a vertebral column. isopod - One group of small to medium-sized crustaceans found in marine, freshwater and terrestrial habitats and as parasites. juvenile - A newly hatched, newly born, or very young individual. leech - A group of blood-sucking annelid worms. loam - A friable soil comprised of a mixture of clay, silt, sand, and organic matter. melanistic - Pertaining to an increase in the amount of black or dark pigment in an organism, population, or group. mollusks - A large group of unsegmented invertebrates that are widespread in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial habitats. Includes clams, squids, octopus, cuttlefish. mussel - Group of both marine or freshwater bivalves (includes clams). nematode - Group of worms with an unsegmented body. Abundant in marine and freshwater habitats, in soil, and as parasites of plants and animals. nesting - The process by which a turtle constructs a nest in the ground and deposits eggs. nocturnal - Active during the hours of darkness. nuisance species - Species causing environmental trouble. Frequently associated with non-native introduced species. oligochaetes - Group of segmented worms that includes earthworms. omnivorous - Feeding on a mixed diet of plant and animal material. organic - Pertaining to or derived from living organisms, or to compounds containing carbon as an essential component. osmotic - Diffusion of a solvent through a differentially permeable membrane from a region of low solute concentration to one of high solute concentration overwintering - To pass the winter. pelagic - Pertaining to the open sea or ocean. planarian - A small, soft-bodied, free-living, flatworm that moves by cilia. population - All individuals of one species occupying a defined area and usually isolated to some degree from other similar groups. population density - The number of individuals of the same species in a given area or volume of a habitat. prairie - A large area of level or slightly rolling grasslands. prey- An animal or animals killed or consumed by a predator. races - A subgroup of a species characterized by conspicuous physiological, biological, geographical, or ecological properties. radiotelemetry - Technique for tracking animals that utilizes mobile transmitters emitting radio signals. reptile - Group of vertebrate animals that includes turtles, lizards, snakes, and crocodiles. reservoir - A natural or artificial lake or pond in which water is collected and stored for use. riparian - Pertaining to, living or situated on, the banks of rivers and streams. riverine - Pertaining to a river, formed by the action of a river. rivulets - Pertaining to a little stream or brook. ruderal - Pertaining to or living amongst rubbish or debris, or inhabiting disturbed sites. sandbar - A submerged ridge of alluvial sand in shallow water. sedges - Widespread group of plants (usually herbs) with elongate parallel-veined leaf blades. semiaquatic - In or near water; spending some time in water. sessile - Non-motile; permanently attached at the base. sex ratio- The relative number of males and females in a population; expressed as a simple ratio. siltation - The process by which sediment is carried by moving water and accumulates on the bottom of rivers, bays, etc. sinkhole - A saucer-shaped surface depression produced when underlying material such as limestone or salt dissolves or when caves, mines, etc., collapse. site fidelity - Returning repeatedly to the same location. slough - A swamp, bog, or marsh, especially one that is part of an inlet or backwater. sphagnum bogs - Wet, spongy ground characterized by decaying mosses that form peat. succession - Ecological succession; the chronological distribution of organisms within an area. tamarack - An American larch tree usually found in swamps. terrapins - Group of turtles associated with coastal marshes and that rarely strays from salt or brackish water (diamondback terrapin). terrestrial - Pertaining to, or living habitually on, the land or ground surface. thermoregulation - The process of regulating the body temperature. threatened species - Federal or state protection status for certain species whose population is in jeopardy of becoming endangered. tidal - The periodic rise and fall of the ocean water masses, produced by gravitational effects of the moon and sun on the Earth. torpid - Dormant, lacking vigor. tortoise - Belonging to any of several species of turtles that live strictly on land. turtle - Any of a large and widely distributed order (Testudines) of terrestrial or aquatic reptiles having a toothless beak and a soft body encased in a tough shell. tussocks - A thick tuft or clump of grass, sedge, twigs, etc. vertebrate - Group of animals possessing a spinal column. watershed - The sum total area of tributaries that supply water for a river. water-control project - Any type of man-made structure or system that controls the flow of water at specified points in a river, stream, lake, etc. Includes reservoirs with flood control gates, locks, dams, etc. wetland - An area of low-lying land, submerged or inundated periodically by fresh or saline water. wrack - Seaweed, etc. cast up on shore. |