Shared Flashcard Set

Details

Coastal Plant Ecology Test II VOCAB
Midterm II Vocabulary-Habitat Types, Nutrient Cycles, and Climate Change
44
Science
Undergraduate 4
10/01/2012

Additional Science Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
Nutrient
Definition
Chemicals or substances an organism needs to live and grow; must be taken in from the environment.
Term
Limiting Nutrient
Definition
Nutrient in shortest supply, relative to others
Term
Anthropogenic
Definition
Human sources (e.g. of nutrients to an environment, such as runoff or a factor influencing climate change, such as the combustion of fossil fuels).
Term
Fluxes
Definition
Movement of nutrient(s) in or out of pools
Term
Blue Carbon
Definition
Carbon sequestered in vegetated coastal habitats like mangroves, seagrasses, and salt marshes (rate of sequestration my be greater than that of terrestrial forests, because coastal habitats do not become saturated with carbon, they slough off the carbon in dead material which decays).
Term
Nitrogenase
Definition
Enzyme for N fixation (only functional in anoxic environments of in a bacteria heterocyst)
Term
Heterocyst
Definition
Specialized bacteria compartment without the presence of oxygen.
Term
Marsh
Definition
Dominated by herbaceous vegetation.
Term
Swamp
Definition
Dominated by trees.
Term
Halophytic
Definition
Salt Tolerant
Term
Zonation
Definition
The positioning of different (e.g. mangrove) species in monospecific stands from seaward to landward.
Term
Vivipary vs. Cryptovivpary
Definition

Vivipary-Hypocotyl (embryonic stem) breaks through seed coat and fruit wall while still attached to parent plant (Rhizophora mangle).

 

Cryptovivipary-Hypocotyl breaks through seed coat while attached to parent plant (Avicennia germinas and Laguncularia racemosa), but through the fruit wall after it drops off.

Term
Mangroves are dwarfed by...
Definition
  1. High Salinity
  2. Severely Nutrient Poor Environments
  3. Colder Climates
Term
Pneumatophores
Definition
Adaptation for anoxic sediment where vertical roots connected to a cable root emerge from the soil. Often covered with lenticels and contain aerenchyma.
Term
Nectaries 
Definition
Glands that secrete sugar to attract ants (herbivore defense).  Located at base of petiole of Laguncularia racemosa and Conocarpus erectus.
Term
Edaphic
Definition
Pertaining to soil (e.g. Benthic, edaphic microalgae of mudflats).
Term
"Secret Garden"
Definition
Benthic, edaphic microalgae that are primary producers in estuaries also serve as a food source for deposit feeders and other benthic fauna.
Term
Angiosperms
Definition
Vascular Flowering plants
Term
Lignification
Definition
Production of woody material
Term
Hydrophily
Definition
Pollen dispersal by water.  Pollen is embedded in mucus strands that help it float and move through the water column.
Term
Lacustrine
Definition
Along edges of lakes; can be limnetic (deep water) or littoral (edge of water)
Term
Limnetic
Definition
Deep Water lacustrine marsh
Term
Littoral
Definition
Edge water lacustrine marsh
Term
Palustrine
Definition
FW marshes with little water movement; similar to Lacustrine marshes (but no express connection with a lake).
Term
Riverine
Definition
FW marsh occuring along rivers and streams.  This type of marsh has high water flow, but are not widespread (swamps usually dominate this area).
Term
Depressional Marsh
Definition
Isolated FW marsh.  Two types PERENIAL & EPHEMERAL
Term
Perenial (marsh)
Definition
Type of depressional marsh that retains some level of water all year.
Term
Ephemeral
Definition
Type of depressional marsh that does not necessarily retain water year-round.  Can be vernal (small) pools or playas (>1 acre).  These marshes have a high degree of endemism.
Term
Endemism
Definition
Species is endemic to only one location.
Term
Stillwater Swamps
Definition
  • Little water flow
  • Rain-fed
  • Low O2
  • Low plant species diversity
Term
Spring-fed Swamps
Definition
Water quality varies according to the quality of groundwater.
Term
River-fed Swamps
Definition
  • Higher water-flow
  • Higher O2 levels
  • Higher plant species diversity
  • Constant water level
Term
EMERGENT Marsh Vegetation
Definition
Basal portions underwater, leaves and reproductive organs above water.
Term
SUBMERGED Marsh Vegetation
Definition
Entire plant is underwater, except flowers in most cases.
Term
FLOATING Marsh Vegetation
Definition
Floating leaves and attached roots (unanchored)
Term
SWAMP Vegetation in SE US.
Definition

Cypress-tupelo swamps

  • Taxodium spp. (Cypress)
  • Nyssa spp. (Tupelo)
Term
Weather
Definition
Specific condition of atmosphere at a particular place and time. Reported in hours or days.
Term
Climate
Definition
Behavior of the atmosphere over a longer period, ranging from months to millions of years (30 years is a common interval).
Term
Climate Change
Definition
Long-term changes in weather statistics over a period of time ranging from decades to millions of years; can be a specific location or whole planet.
Term
Global Warming
Definition
Tendency for the globe to warm over a given period of time.
Term
Greenhouse Gas Effect
Definition
Proposed by John Tyndall (1859)-atmosphere admits heat from the sun but checks its exit, causing earth's surface to stay warm.
Term
Stomatal Index
Definition
Number of stomata relative to epidermal cells.
Term
Fractionation
Definition
Heavier isotope is discriminated against during biogeochemical reactions.  Leads to an isotopically distinct signals, which can be used as a tracer.
Term
Relative Sea Level Rise (RSLR)
Definition
Regional and eustatic (global) increases in sea level.
Supporting users have an ad free experience!