A Glossary of Ecological Terms

8/11/2019 A Glossary of Ecological Terms

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A Glossary of Ecological Terms

transpired by Craig Chalquist, PhD, ecopsychologist andauthor of Terrapsychology: Re-engaging the Soul of Place(2007)

- See also!ind and "n#iron$ent% & Psychological Sur#ey of Perspecti#es 'iteral, ide, andDeep-

Never, no never, did Nature say one thing and Wisdom another. Edmund Burke

The glossary that follows assumes a definition of ecology--the study ofinteractions between organisms and their environment--much wider thanwhat fits under the field's habitual statistical mask. Ecofeminism andecopsychology are mentioned, for example, as are terms from organicgardening and permaculture. Because the life sciences messily overlapthat's life!, terms from botany, biology, geology, chemistry, meteorology,and agriculture are included as well.

"lthough designed for technical correctness and clarity, this glossaryfollows the practice in the #ungand $reudglossaries at this site of lettingin a bit of humor here and there% for levity, for anecdote, and for anoccasional thumb in the puritanical eye that closes itself to anyinformation not dressed up in stiff, &atinied nomenclature see the entryfor English, &atinied!.
http://www.chalquist.com/http://www.terrapsych.com/http://www.terrapsych.com/mindandenvironment.htmlhttp://www.terrapsych.com/mindandenvironment.htmlhttp://www.terrapsych.com/mindandenvironment.htmlhttp://www.terrapsych.com/jungdefs.htmlhttp://www.terrapsych.com/freud.htmlhttp://www.terrapsych.com/freud.htmlhttp://www.terrapsych.com/earthpoem.htmlhttp://www.terrapsych.com/http://www.terrapsych.com/mindandenvironment.htmlhttp://www.terrapsych.com/mindandenvironment.htmlhttp://www.terrapsych.com/jungdefs.htmlhttp://www.terrapsych.com/freud.htmlhttp://www.chalquist.com/


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Abandoned Wells a ha!ard because "ells left on vacated lands can channel "atercontaminated by #esticides and fertili!er straight do"n into the "ater table. $omestates in the %.$. offer incentives for sealing off these unused "ells.

Abiotic non&living. 'o"ever, see Animism.

Ablation (Wastage) surface sno" and ice loss from a glacier or covering of ice orsno".

Abrasion the "earing a"ay of rock surfaces by small #articles moved by air or "ater.Abrasiveness also seems to be the one *uality currently shared by most #oliticala##ointees and #rominent heads of state. $ee +ntogenetic ri##ling.

Absor#tion the #assage of "ater and nutrients through cell membranes instead of bydirect ingestion. Also refers to ho" ob-ects convert the solar radiation they receiveinto heat.

Abundance the number of organisms in a given #o#ulation.

Abyssal lain the ocean floor beyond the continental shelf.

Ace*uia an irrigation ditch or canal.

Acclimation a reversible #hysical change in an ada#ting organism in res#onse toenvironmental #ressures.

Acclimati!ation ada#tation to a different climate.

Acid a substance "ith a #' less than / due to #revalent hydrogen ions. Acids tend tobe sour and corrosive. The human stomach contains hydrochloric acid "ith a #' of 01battery acid is stronger, but not by much. ontrast "ith Basic.

Acid 2ain #reci#itation heavy "ith nitric and sulfuric acid. 3ost of it is generated bysulfur dio4ide and nitrogen dio4ide (air #ollution). 5ts #' is less than 6.7. 2esultsinclude fish and #lant deaths, corrosion, ground"ater #ollution, and soil erosion. 5tslong&term effects are unkno"n.

Accretion the accumulation of marine sediments at the edges of a continent,building u# in some cases into entire coastal mountain ranges. $ee late Tectonicsfor more about "hat causes accretion.

Acre 0 acre 8 9:,67; s*are feet, oot the amount of "ater it "ould take to cover an acre of land to a de#th ofone foot :


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Adiabatic ooling "hen air masses e4#and and cool as they #ush u# the side of amountain.

Ada#tation ho" living things change "hat they do or "hat they are to survive in a#articular environment. 5n this the organism is not a #assive reci#ient of e4ternal

circumstances1 the relationshi# is interactive. $ee Evolution.

Ada#tive 2adiation the evolution of many ne" s#ecies from a relative handful ofancestor s#ecies. 5t often ha##ens after some kind of catastro#he em#ties a range ofecological niches simultaneously.

Advection the hori!ontal movement of heat energy. A "arm bree!e through arelatively cool orchard, for instance.

Adventitious 2oot one that gro"s from something other than the main root.

Aeolian ?andform scul#ted by "ind through de#osition or erosion. E4am#lesinclude dunes, deflation hollo"s, and sand&blasted outcro##ings.

Aerobic chemical reactions involving o4ygen.

Aero#lankton tiny organisms living in the atmos#here. ertain small seeds, bacteria,and s#ores are e4am#les.

Aggradation a do"n"ard accumulation of stream&carried inorganic matter. +ftenhas the effect of making the bed of a stream or flood #lain rise. Also, a #hase of forest

biomass accumulation in the years that follo" a harvest.

Agriculture large&scale cultivation of the land, "ith resulting s#eciali!ation of labor,domestication of #lants and animals, identification "ith one@s sedentery social grou#,and a radical se#aration from the natural "orld. The Agricultural (Neolithic)2evolution began ten thousand years ago in the >ertile rescent, "here e4tensiveirrigation turned once&fertile cro#lands into barren salt #ans. (By some accounts, theno"&denuded agros 3ountains in "estern 5ran hosted this revolution. agros isthought to derive from agreus, the Greek son of eus "ho "as dismembered andeaten and later merged "ith Cionysus.) 3odern agriculture largely relies on kee#ingecosystems in #er#etually immature states of succession in "hich chemicallystimulated #roductivity remains high until the soils are too de#leted to gro"anything.

Agribusiness one that markets farm #roducts and e*ui#ment, including"arehousing, seed mono#oli!ation, and fertili!er. The cor#orati!ation of farming,resulting in a handful of very large non&local com#anies o"ning and managing&&andin some cases ruining&&millions of high&yield acres.

Agricultural ollution #esticides, fertili!ers, "astes, erosion dust, runoff from fields,and animal infections are a fe" of the varieties. According to the Environmentalrotection Agency, half the "ater #ollution in the %.$. is agricultural. (3ost of the

other half is industrial.)


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Agroforestry #lanting cro#s among trees.

Air ollution sulfur o4ides and #articulates from industrial #lants burning fossilfuels are the current "orst forms of air #ollution. Auto emissions run a close second.3ost air #ollution derives in one form or another from the use of #etroleum

#roducts, oil in #articular. $ee +il belo".

Airshed an area characteri!ed by air "ith common *ualities. om#are Watershed.

Albedo the luminosity shining from a reflective surface. Earthshine is one ty#e.About 0D: of the sun@s radiation is reflected back into s#ace, "ith the remaining 9


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Al#ha Civersity (?ocal Civersity) the variety of organisms in a given habitat orlocation.

Al#ine above the timberline. 2oughly synonymous "ith mountainous.

Al#ine Glacier (3ountain Glacier) a small glacier sitting in a %&sha#ed mountainvalley.

Alternative >uels fuels from sources cleaner than coal or #etroleum #roductsethanol, methanol, natural gas, solar, "ind, geothermal, biodiesel from vegetable oil,etc.

Alterne #lant communities that alternately occu#y a territory.

Ambient #revailing natural conditions studied and recorded outside rather thanindoors under microsco#es or other controlled conditions.

Amendment something added to fi4 chemically troubled soil. otash added to soil#oor in #otassium, for e4am#le.

Amensalism a one&sidedly harmful relationshi# bet"een dissimilar organisms.

Ammonia a gaseous com#ound of nitrogen and hydrogen (N':) formed as aby#roduct "hen bacteria decom#ose substances high in nitrogen. om#ost #ilesthick "ith manure often emit ammonia "hen hot. $ynthetic ammonia is a keycom#onent of artificial fertili!ers.

Amino Acids ammonia&carbon acids that "hen strung together in long double&bonded chains (#e#tides) build #roteins. The genetic code inscribed in CNA em#loyst"enty of them.

Amnion a fluid&filled sac that safely enfolds a gro"ing mammal, re#tile, or birdembryo. The amnion is thought to have allo"ed animals to come out of the sea ontoland.

Am#hibians ne"ts, frogs, salamanders backboned animals that can live in "aterand on land.

Anabolic metabolic #rocesses that build tissues and organs. The o##osite ofatabolic.

Anaerobic chemical reactions in the absence of o4ygen and often initiated bybacteria or archaeans (bacterialike organisms that live in e4treme conditions).

Anagensis evolutionary change, but "ithout s#illing over into s#eciation.

Analogue >orestry a method for restoring ecosystems, develo#ed from local $ri?ankan home gardens by the Neo&$ynthesis 2esearch entre (N$2), that seeks to

bring back "hat gre" there originally. $ome key assum#tions


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The clima4 ecosystem is the stablest and most #roductive. onvergent evolution has #rovided #atterns useful for ecosystems

every"here.

Ieystone s#ecies can su##ort these ecosystems.

'umans are integral to the biologically diverse landsca#es designed.

Ana#sid a vertebrate "hose skull contains no side o#enings behind the eyes. Theonly living e4am#les are turtles.

Anemo#hilous seed #lants #ollinated by the "ind.

Angios#erms flo"ering #lants that #lace their seeds in fruits. The monocots have anembryo "ith a single cotyledon (seed leaf), threeart flo"ers, #arallel leaf veins, andadventitious root gro"th. Cicots have t"o cotyledons, four& or fiveart flo"ers, and

net leaf vein #atterns. 3onocots include grasses, orchids, #alms, and cattails, anddicots include oaks, sycamores, and ma#les. om#are gymnos#erms.

Angle of 5ncidence angle at "hich the sunHs rays hit the Earth.

Angle of 2e#ose the stee#est angle that slo#e, rock, or detritus material settles into"ithout to##ling. Builders of floodrone roads and sliding hillside homes inalifornia ignore the angle of re#ose so often that it could be renamed the angle ofde#ose.

Animals the animal kingdom branches into the deuterostomes (mouth and anus

develo# se#arately) and the #rotostomes. Animals are multicellular and #ossessmitochondria, a com#le4 nervous system, and cells #rotected by a membrane andfilled "ith com#le4 organelles. /6 of all the animal s#ecies are insects.

Last summer I saw a timber wolf trotting sedately across an open duneabove the water, and time without number rabbits, squirrels and birds,not feeding but seeming to enjoy the peculiar delight that beachesprovide. I cannot speak for them, but is it wrong to believe that theymay know something akin to the lift of spirit that is mine whenstanding on the sands? Is there any reason they too should not havesomewhat the feeling I do there of coming suddenly out of the

mountains into an alpine meadow, or a clearing in dense woods, or aplain after traversing rugged broken country?-- Sigurd F. Olson

Animism a derogatory anthro#ological term for "hat most human cultures havebelieved throughout #rehistory that the Earth is alive and reactive, as are its many#laces. Greeks and 2omans once thought a genius loci or s#irit of #lace inhabitedevery hill, grove, and stream. $uch beings still live in all human mythologies. Themodern counter#art is #an#sychism, the idea that all things #ossess *ualities ofmindfulness or #syche. With the coming of heavy industry, such ideas gave "ay tothe financially convenient reduction of the Earth to the status of a lifeless resource.

Anion a negatively charged ion. $ee ation.


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Anore4ia from an eco#sychological #ers#ective, a horror of carnality so #rofoundthat it seeks to ethereali!e the body itself. Tends to be overre#resented in highlyindustriali!ed nations.

Annuals #ioneer #lants "hich gro", flourish, and die in one season. Their seeds

often germinate during the follo"ing "et season. $ee erennials.

Antemortem before slaughter. The animal e4amination %$CA meat ins#ectorsconduct shortly before they are butchered (the animals, that is).

Anther the #ollenroducing ti# of a flo"erHs stamen.

Antheridium the organ that #roduces anthero!oids&&male gametes (s#erm cells)&&inalgae, bryo#hytes (mosses, liver"orts), and #terido#hytes (club mosses, ferns,horsetails). $ee Archegonium.

Antho#hyte a flo"ering #lant or its closest relatives.

Anthro#ocentric Cetour dee# ecologist George $essions@ term for the ideologicalturn of mind Western civili!ation has taken, accom#anied by occasionalo##ortunities to return to a less human&centered "ay of vie"ing the "orld (e.g.,3aimonides@ belief that the "orld "as good before humans "ere created, and$#ino!a@s thought that mind is found throughout nature). >or many dee# ecologists,regarding the natural "orld only for "hat it does for us e4hibits a regrettableimmaturity.

Anthro#ocentrism human chauvinism, according to John $eed. An e4am#le is thebelief that the Earth is merely a stage for human salvation or self&develo#ment"ithout any intrinsic im#ortance of its o"n.

Anticline an arch&sha#ed fold in layers of rock.

Anticyclone a highressure system that s#irals out"ard clock"ise in the Northern'emis#here and counterclock"ise in the $outhern.

A#helion the annual #oint "here the Earth is farthest from the sun (06


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A*uaculture gro"ing and harvesting fish and shellfish in land&based #onds. 2elative#rotein yields often e4ceed those of land cro##ing by 9&


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3esos#here 6;&=6 kilometers u# to the meso#ause. 3eteorites breaku# here.

Thermos#here to 79; kilometers u#. Auroras a##ear here. The layer ofmolecules broken u#&&ioni!ed&&by #articles from the sun is the

ionos#here that makes radio "ork by bouncing radio "aves back to theEarth.

E4os#here merges "ith s#ace.

For the first time in my life I saw the horion as a curved line. It wasaccentuated by a thin seam of dark blue light!!our atmosphere."bviously this was not the ocean of air I had been told it was so manytimes in my life. I was terrified by its fragile appearance.-- Ulf Merbold,German astronaut

Atoll a ring&sha#ed reef made mostly of coral.

Atomic 3ass the "eight of an atom as e4#ressed in atomic mass units (amus).

Atomic Number number of #rotons in the nucleus of an atom.

Atomic Weight the "eighted average of the masses of naturally occurring isoto#es ofa given element.

AT (adenosine tri#hos#hate) the energy molecule that #o"ers organisms by fueling

the cellHs chemical reactions. 5t does this by surrendering one of its three #hos#hategrou#s "hile breaking do"n chemically in the #resence of "ater (hydrolysis) into
http://www.physics.unlv.edu/~jeffery/astro/earth/earth.html


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AC. The molecular bonds that hold a #hos#horus atom together "ith four o4ygenatoms carry tremendous energy "hich the cell dra"s on for its biological "ork.$ynthesi!ed from glucose and fatty acids, AT #erforms other functions, such ashel#ing to build the nucleid acids that store genetic information.

Attenuation reduction in light intensity due to a filtering medium (e.g., #articles in"ater, a forest cano#y).

Autecology the ecology of an organism or ta4onomic grou#1 also, the study of ho"organisms affects #lants.

Autochthonous indigenous. om#are Allochthonous.

Autogenic originating from "ithin a system.

Autotro#h an organism that #roduces its o"n food. Autotro#hs may be

#hotoautotro#hic (fed by using light) or chemoautotro#hic (by using chemicalenergy). $ee 'eterotro#h.

Avulsion sudden erosion by storm "aves or ra#id currents of "ater.

A4il the angle that lies bet"een a leaf stalk and its stem. $ite of bud formation inflo"ering #lants.

A!imuth the angular distance clock"ise along the hori!on bet"een north and the#osition of a celestial ob-ect. A star hanging e4actly over the northern #oint on thehori!on has an a!imuth of ;M, for e4am#le, and one located e4actly east an a!imuth ofK;M. A!imuth is combined "ith altitude (the distance of an ob-ect above the hori!on)to calculate the direction of an ob-ect as seen from a s#ecific earthly location.

Background E4tinction 2ate the natural rate of e4tinction for a s#ecies. ontrastsshar#ly "ith 3ass E4tinction.

Backscattering solar radiation reflected back into s#ace by #articles in theatmos#here.

Backshore the stri# of beach above the daily tides but "ithin reach of storm "aves.

Bacteria single&celled #rokaryotic organisms (#rokaryotic means CNA not enclosedin a cell nucleus), many microsco#ic. Early in EarthHs history, bacteria graduallyaltered the environment to su##ort more com#le4 forms of life (#roducing o4ygen,for instance, in the atmos#here) even "hile moving into cells as organelles anddecom#osing organic matter into soil nutrients. 'ydrothermo#hile bacteriadiscovered in sam#les drilled from dee# in the earth give ne" su##ort to ThomasGoldHs idea that life originated in hot, highressure crevices underground.

Bacterio#hage a virus that infects and eventually kills its bacterial host. Geneticengineers study #hages to learn more about ho" some im#lant their CNA into the

host, an invasion some"hat akin to the contamination of research laboratories bymilitary&industrial s#onsorshi#.


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Badlands rough land eroded into arid barrenness. Also, a #art of $outh Cakota.

Ba-adas lo"er mountain slo#es covered "ith loose sediment, #ossibly from runoffs.E4am#le overla##ing alluvial fans rolling along the base of arid #eaks.

Bald"in Effect the hy#othesi!ed #assing on of something learned, but not throughthe discredited ?amarckian theory of evolution (the inheritance of "hat #reviousgenerations e4#erienced). Walking u#right could be an e4am#le, as a band of ourancestors imitated some forgotten hominid "ho #referred that style of locomotionand then gave rise to descendants "hose genes favored the behavior. The Bald"inEffect fills in a ga# in ho" natural selection is thought to "ork by e4#laining ho"learnings normally invisible to it become innate.

Barchan a crescent&sha#ed dune "hose ti#s #oint to lee"ard. Cifferent from a $eif.

Barrier Beach a long stri# formed by sand de#osited across the mouth of a harbor or

inlet. They are often duned, and many se#arate an area of marshland from the sea.

Barrier 5sland a narro" sand island that #arallels a shoreline.

Basal Area a forestHs tree density e4#ressed in s*uare feet.

Basal $liding the do"nhill sliding of a glacier #ro#elled by its "eight.

Basalt a dark, e4trusive, igneous rock made of #articles so fine they canHt be seenunaided. >ormed from mafic (high in heavy elements) magma. $ee >elsic.

Base >lo" a stream or riverHs normal flo" volume.

Base ?evel the altitude belo" "hich a stream cannot #erform vertical erosion.%sually, sea level.

Basement 2ock the ancient granitic and metamor#hic rock that constitutescontinental crust and the continental shield.

Basic alkaline.

Basi#hile a #lant that favors basic soils (those lo" in acid).

Batholith a huge mass of igneous rock, usually granitic, that formed dee#underground and only surfaced through erosion of the overlying mountainousmaterial. +ften found near #late edges (see late Tectonics). The $ierra Nevadas area "ell&kno"n batholithic formation.

Bathymetric scientific&sounding term for measuring something in dee# "ater.

Bayou an inlet or outlet, often marshy. A slough.

Beach Crift the side"ays movement of beach sediment.


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Beaufort Wind $cale "ind s#eed scale develo#ed in 0=;7 by Admiral $ir >rancisBeaufort of the 2oyal Navy. 2eaches from ; (calm) to 0< (hurricane).

Bedding lane a layer that indicates a change in the ty#e of sediment (e.g., "heresand gives "ay to shale).

Bed ?oad stream load material carried along the stream bed "ithout falling intosus#ension.

Bedrock more or less un"eathered rock near the surface.

Benthic organisms living on the sea floor. ?ittoral benthos occu#y the s#ace from thehigh&"ater s#ring tide mark to


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ladybugs and lace"ing moths. Goldfish #laced in "ater storage containers eatincoming mos*uitos.

Bioculture aul Taylor@s term for ho" humans e4#loit other living thingsdomesticating animals, force&feeding livestock, etc.

Biodegradable reducible by bacteria as o##osed to something that remains in theenvironment (#lastic, certain inustrial "astes).

Biodiversity biological variety of the kind that #reserves s#ecies and their CNA. 2.'. Whittaker categori!ed it (0K/rench 5ntensive#rocedures in the late 0K7;s and founded an e4#erimental farm and garden at %$anta ru!. (Word has it that he "as a gifted horticulturalist but highly com#etitive.)

Biogas a methane and carbon dio4ide emission due to the breakdo"n of organicmatter by anaerobic bacteria. $ome tra# it for use as an alternative fuel source.

Biogeochemical ycles the great loo#ings and returns of life&giving substancesthrough the environment. The three most im#ortant are the gaseous (e.g., thecarbon, o4ygen, and nitrogen cycles), the sedimentary (including the #hos#horus,sulfur, calcium, magnesium, and #otassium cycles), and the hydrologic ("ater va#orto rain to streams to oceans to va#or). %ninterfered "ith, these cycles tend to be self&organi!ing and self&rene"ing.

Biological Weathering "eathering hel#ed along by living things, like #lants thatbreak u# layers of rock.

Bioluminescence light emitted by chemical reactions "ithin living things (fireflies,glo" "orms, -ellyfish, etc.). %ses to communicate, esca#e #redators, attract #rey.

Biomass the total *uantity of living matter in a given area or ecosystem.

Biome the largest ecological regions distinguishable by characteristic #lants andanimals. There are si4 tundra, conifer, deciduous forest, grassland, tro#ical, anddesert. Biomes are subdivided into associations made u# of societies.

Biointensive 3ethod an alternative high&yield farming method devised by JohnJeavons. Cra"ing on traditional hinese #ractices, $teinerHs biodynamic farming,

and >rench 5ntensive, the biointensive a##roach aims to gro" soil ra#idly, cut "aterconsum#tion, and maintain o#timal food #roduction (the claim is that 0;; s*uare
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feet can feed one #erson for a year). The keystone double&dug raised conve4 beds ameter or t"o "ide oriented in a north&south a4is for ade*uate sunlight. $mall #aths

bet"een ro"s minimi!e soil com#action and ma4imi!e #lant microclimates. ?eavesof mature #lants -ust touch (living mulch). $te#s for initial bed #re#aration include

0. $oak area for t"o hours, let dry for t"o days.


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Those "ho actually live in a bioregion kno" best ho" to manage it.To#&do"n solutions from far a"ay are to be sus#ected.

C"ellers begin to understand a #lace by reinhabiting it, "hich meanslearning all about its ecosystems and animals, "ater sources, "eather,soil ty#es, "aste management, ecological strengths and traumas, and

resources for ecologically gentle living. The mood that matches this islearning to feel at home there.

>ood is best gro"n and bought locally.

?ocal democracy is based on direct #artici#ation and small&grou#discussion. (As ?eo#old Iohr #ut it, 5f something is "rong, thensomething is too big.)

Cevelo#ments that "ould damage the local environment&&sho##ingmalls, tract housing, factories, etc.&&should be firmly and consistentlyo##osed. ?ocally made #roducts are #referred over those shi##ed froma distance or made locally through mass #roduction both of "hichtransfer ca#ital to outside sources.

2es#ect for the rights, needs, customs, #rivacy, and kno"ledge ofindigenous #eo#le living in the area.

?iving sustainably means ecologically sensible #ractices such as reuseand recycling, "ater and #o"er conservation, and reduction of trashand other "astes.

Bios#here taken together, the tro#os#here, oceans, and land surfaces "here things

live. Also called the Ecos#here.

Bioremediation using animal microorganisms or #lants (#hytoremediation) to heal#olluted soil or "ater.

Biotic living.

Biotic ommunity a self&sustaining community of living things. An ecosystem.

Biotic >actor the environmental influence e4erted naturally by living organisms"orms that aerate soil, animals that enrich it "ith manure, trees that thro" shade,

etc.

Biotic otential a #o#ulationHs ma4imum #roduction rate given ideal surroundingsand resources.

Bioto#e an environmentally uniform area. The #hysical as#ect of an ecosystem.

Bioturbation "hen organisms disturb sediments, as "ith "orms on the ocean floorthat eat food stuck bet"een sand #articles.

Bird according to one source, a vertebrate "hose body is covered "ith feathers. >ormore on this, see edanticism.


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Bis#orangiate a flo"erHs ca#acity for #roducing both megas#ores (female s#ores)and micros#ores (male s#ores). 3ost flo"ers are bis#orangiate.

Bitumen as#halt.

Black Body in theory, a body that absorbs and emits 0;; of the electromagneticradiation that strikes it and therefore a##ears black. Gra#hite comes close, "ith all

but : absor#tion.

Black Bo4DWhite Bo4 a research #rotocol that distinguishes bet"een black bo4a##roaches "here the researcher mani#ulates an unkno"n, and "hite bo4a##roaches "here kno"ledge of ho" something "orks determines the methods usedto study it. By and large, ecology confines itself to black bo4 methods by looking atnatural events from the outside, ob-ectively, "hereas dee# ecology, eco#sychology,and other more interactive #ers#ectives strive to be in touch "ith the inner "orkingsof nature.

Blo"out a de#ression caused by erosive "ind.

Blue&Green Algae the old term for ynobacteria.

Board >oot (3B>) a measure for lumber e*uivalent to a one&inch thick board onefoot long and one foot "ide. +ften used to determine the amount of "ood cut from aforest.

Bog ('eath, 3uskeg) marshy land covered by shrugs and mosses. Their acidic soilsaccumulate #eat, the thick, carboni!ed vegetable tissue decom#osed in "ater. The

"ords bogeyman and heathen derive from outcasts "ho inhabited these #oorlydrained areas.

Bolson a mountain&ringed desert basin lacking any outlet for drainage.

Bolt the e4#losion of seeds from cool&season #lants suddenly e4#osed to "armth.

Bonemeal an amendment that adds #hos#horus to soils that need it. $ee3acronutrients.

Boreal of the northern latitudes.

Boreal >orest (Taiga) the high to mid&latitude biome characteri!ed by coniferousforests inhabited by fir, #ine, s#ruce, larch, and cedar standing on #reviouslyglaciated land. $tretches across North America, Euro#e, and Asia.

Botanical (or lant&Cerived) esticide one derived from #lant chemicals (e.g.,strychnine).

Bottomset Bed a fine, hori!ontal delta de#osit of alluvial clay and silt.

Bo"en 2eaction $eries N. ?. Bo"enHs generally acce#ted hy#othesis that ho" rocks


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Bycatch accidental harvest of one organism instead of another, like the crustaceanscaught in shrim# tra"ls and the dol#hins tra##ed instead of tuna.

alcareous $oil soil rich in calcium carbonate (calcite) de#osited by "eathering ofcalcareous rocks and shells. halk, limestone, marl, magnesium, and #hos#hates are

often found in it, making it fertile, if dry or thin. +ften seen in deserts.

alcicole a #lant that likes high&calcium soil.

alcification accumulation of calcium carbonate in u##er soil layers. >re*uent insemi&arid areas and in grasslands.

alcifuge a #lant that avoids calcareous soils.

alci#hile a #lant confined to calcareous soils.

aldera a circular volcanic crater larger than the vent.

aliche surface soil #articles cemented together by lime (calcium carbonate). ?um#sof it can block "ater, curtail root gro"th, and cause iron deficiency in nearby #lants.

alorie a *uantity of energy e*ual to the amount of heat re*uired to raise one gramof #ure "ater from 09.6 to 06.6M elsius under standard atmos#heric #ressure.

alving breaking off of sheaths of ice from icebergs1 a form of Ablation.

aly4 the se#als (outer leaves covering the bud) of a flo"er.

ambrian E4#losion su##osed huge diversification of multicellular life forms in theEarthHs oceans during the ambrian eriod 6/; million years ago. All that@s certain isthat organisms living before the Fe4#losion did not leave behind many fossils.

ambium the cell&generating tissue bet"een the bark and the stem. %sually absentin monocotyledonous (see 3onocot) #lants.

andle ne" shoots on needled evergreens.

ane a gra#evine shoot one year old.

ano#y a treeHs u##ermost layer branches and leaves.

a#illary Action "ater movement through tiny absorbent channels, often against theforce of gravity, made #ossible by "aterHs firm hydrogen&o4ygen bondings. a#illaryaction #lays a ma-or role in "ater diffusion through soils and organisms.

arbohydrates com#ounds of o4ygen, hydrogen, and carbon formed into the sugars,starches, and cellulose formed by #lant #hotosynthesis of "ater and carbon dio4ide.They #rovide energy and facilitate fat #roduction. Three #rimary ty#es

monosaccharides (sim#le sugars like fructose and glucose), disaccharides (lactose,maltose, and sucrose), and #olysaccharides (cellulose, glycogen, de4trin, starch).


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>oods that #rovide carbohydrates include breads, beans, dairy #roducts, #otatoes,corn, many s"eet deserts.

arbohydrate atabolism a three&ste# breakdo"n of glucose into energy (AT)inside the mitochondrion, the cellHs #o"er #lant glycolysis, the Irebs cycle, and

o4idative #hos#horylation.

arbon an element "hose atoms have si4 #rotons and si4 electrons. Because itsouter electron shell holds only four of the eight electrons it could su##ort, carbon

bonds easily "ith other elements and "ith itself to fashion the com#le4 molecules on"hich life as "e kno" it de#ends. 5t makes u# almost half of the human bodyHs drymass.

arbonation a ty#e of chemical "eathering in "hich carbonic acid (carbon dio4idedissolved in rain"ater) reacts "ith the magnesium, #otassium, sodium, or calcium inrocks like limestone and felds#ar and thereby dissolves them, sometimes forming

caves.

arbon ycle the #assage and recycling of carbon through the #lantary bios#here,lithos#here, hydros#here, and atmos#here.

arbon Cio4ide a colorless atmos#heric "asteroduct gas (one carbon atom -oinedto t"o carbon atoms) #roduced by combustion, fermentation, and res#iration. >ossilfuel consum#tion and deforestation have almost doubled the *uantity of it in theatmos#here. $ee Greenhouse Effect and hotosynthesis.

arbon >lu4 carbon movement1 movement of organic com#ounds through an

ecosystem. $#ecifically, the relationshi# bet"een carbon dio4ide absorbed by green#lants and carbon dio4ide res#irated by various organisms.

arbon $inks sites that soak u# carbon (forests).

arcinogen a substance that fosters cancer, an illness characteri!ed by cells thatcannot *uit dividing in a kind of biological nation&statism.

arr a "et area of deciduous scrub or "oods gro"n from s"am#y soil.

arrying a#acity the ma4imum #o#lation an ecosystem can su##ort of a givens#ecies. An ongoing debate focuses on "hether the EarthHs carrying ca#acity forhumans has already been e4ceeded or shortly "ill be.

asein a tasteless "hite #rotein distilled from milk and used in dessert to##ings,coffee "hiteners, adhesives and binders, #aint, and #lastics. $ensitivity to it #lays arole in milk allergies, As#ergerHs $yndrome, and Autism.

atabolic metabolic #rocesses that break do"n tissues and organs&&turning #roteininto energy during a fast, for e4am#le. The o##osite of Anabolic.

atchment a natural or artificial basement for tra##ing "ater. +ne natural versioncatches rainfall and feeds it into a stream that drains the catchment area.


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ation an ion carrying a #ositive atomic charge. 3any key soil nutrients em#loycations.

ation E4change a#acity ho" "ell a soil hosts e4changes of cations bet"een itsminerals and its #lant roots. 5n general, soils high in clay and organic matter carry a

negative charge that retains #lant nutrient cations against leaching a"ay. 'igh Eusually correlates "ith high fertility.

avitation fast or even e4#losive erosion forced by air bubbles carried by a ra#idlyflo"ing li*uid. 2uins its share of "ater #um#s.

ell makers and maintainers of #roto#lasm1 the basic living unit of all organismse4ce#t viruses. The cells of organisms other than bacteria are eukaryotes thosecontaining a defined nucleus in "hich chromosomes contain the CNA reci#es from

"hich cells synthesi!e #rotein. ells kno" "hat to do and "hich genes to turn onbecause of "hat surrounding cells do in reference to a chemical&directional gradient.

5n organisms of greater com#le4ity cells s#eciali!e into a variety of tissues.

Animal cell diagram. >rom the te4tbookHuman Biology(Caniel hiras, #ublished Jones and Bartlett,


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entrifugal >orce the force that #ushes an orbiting ob-ect out of its circular #ath.>orce is a misnomer, ho"ever, because "ithout the centri#etal force, the ob-ect

"ould naturally straighten its course in accordance "ith Ne"tonHs >irst ?a" of3otion, "hich states that ob-ects tend to move in a straight line through s#ace unlessacted u#on by an outside force.

entri#etal >orce force re*uired to hold a moving ob-ect in a circular #ath against itstendency to fly out"ard. $#inning storms like hurricanes and dust devils e4hibit it.The force is #ro#ortional to the s*uare of the velocity, "hich means that doubling theob-ectHs s#eed increases the centri#etal force four times.

ereals grasses cultivated for their edible seeds (grains). They include "heat, rice,mai!e, barley, oats, and rye. Around the "orld, they are gro"n more often and moreabundantly than any other cro#.

etaceans the order that includes dol#hins and "hales. (losest living relative to the

"hale the hi##o.) ?ike the +rder $irenia (manatees and dugongs), the etaceans"ere never land animals.

halk a ty#e of limestone sedimented together from the skeletons and shells ofmarine microorganisms1 it resists erosion but is #orous, often gathering a lot of "ater

beneath its formations.

hanneli!ation altering a stream by straightening, diverting, or dredging, usually tomake it run faster.

ha#arral an evergreen shrub community ada#ted to dry seasons. Although it

secrets a resin that burns like gasoline, homes continue to be built in its #otentiallye4#losive thickets.

haracter Cis#lacement given t"o s#ecies that might need to com#ete for aresource, the members least like each other in "hat they re*uire tend to survive andre#roduce long enough to evolve into s#ecies "hose niches do not involvecom#etition. $o far, this #rinci#le has not "orked its "ay u# the food chain into thedealings of nation&states "ith each other.

hela the cla" of an arthro#od.

helate a ring&sha#ed com#ound consisting of metals chemically bonded to organicresidues. 3etallo#roteins, for e4am#le, that "ork in the body "ith en!ymes and ironstorage.

helation chemical "eathering in "hich chelates dra" metallic cations (#ositivelycharged ions) out of rocks and rocky minerals. %ltimately, all forms of "eatheringhave a hand in forming soils. Also a controversial medical #rocedure in "hich theorganic chemical ECTA is in-ected into the body to chelate heavy metals from the

blood. The list of claimed benefits includes hel# for atherosclerosis and various kindsof vascular disease, decreased angina, nicer skin color, healing of gangrene, better

blood viscosity and circulation, fe"er free radicals, smoother cell and organellefunctioning, heightened sensuality, healed ulcers, diminished arthritis, 3$,


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arkinonHs, and Al!heimerHs, and of course slo"er aging. ro#onents "hose #raisesfor chelation are ignored claim to be victims of the medical establishment, theirclinking heavy metals chelated by a disbelief freely #layed if not al"ays radical.

hemical Autotro#h (hemolithoautotro#h) a guitarless organism that feeds itself

chemically (chemosynthesis), as some bacteria do.

hemical Weathering chemical decom#osition of minerals and rocks. Ty#eso4idation (substances dissolved in o4ygen&&iron o4idation, for instance), hydrolysis(in acidic "ater), carbonation (limestone dissolved in "ater), hydration ("eatheringthrough "ater absor#tion), chelation.

hemigation dis#ensing a #esticide through an irrigation system. $#rinklers areoften used for this.

hemosterilant a chemical that sto#s #ests from re#roducing.

hemosynthesis the chemical conversion of inorganic com#ounds found in anautotro#hic organismHs surroundings into food for it. om#are hotosynthesis.

herno!em $oils soils rich in humus and calcium, like the soils often seen inmeado"s and #rairies.

hert hard and dense sedimentary rock, light gray to dark gray (flint), com#osed of*uart! crystals and silica derived from marine fossils. %sually found in limestonenodules.

himera an artificially created animal com#osed of mi4ed CNA. A human "ith amouseHs brain "ould be an e4am#le, as "ould >rankensteinHs angry monster. 5nGreek mythology the himera&&a fire&breather "ho "as #art lion, #art goat, and #artdragon&&devastated the land until finally slain by a hero. Nevertheless, certainenthusiastic biologists are more eager to create chimeras than to read hints and

"arnings from ancient mythology.

hinam#a a ma!e of raised cro# beds (camellones) on lo", canal&fed islands of mud,clay, manure, and decom#osing #lants built u# in lakes and #onds. A!tecs and3ayans used this farming method.

hinook a "arm, dry "ind that blo"s on the lee sides of mountains in NorthAmerica.

hitin an aminosugar and #olysaccharide (an insoluble carbohydrate s#un frominter"oven sim#le sugars) found in some fungi cell "alls and in insect e4oskeletons.

Although abundantly #roduced&&almost as much so as cellulose&&some insecticides#revent it from cycling.

loche a trans#arent #lant cover that shields #lants from the cold.

hlorofluorocarbons (>s) nonburning chemicals made of carbon, chlorine, andfluorine and used in aerosol s#rays, solvents, foams, refrigerants, and #acking


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materials. When released into the air and e4#osed to ultraviolet radiation in theu##er atmos#here, they form a gas that o#ens holes in the o!one layer.

hloro#hyll a green, sunlight&ca#turing #igment in #lants and some bacteria. $eehotosynthesis.

hloro#last a cell organelle, once a free bacterium, that holds chloro#hyll. $ymbiotic"ith mitochondria, as sho"n by biologist ?ynn 3argulis.

holinesterase 5nhibitors chemicals that inhibit the en!yme that manages neuralactivity. >ound in many insecticides (carbamates, arathion, 3estinon). %sed insmall doses to relieve the sym#toms of Al!heimerHs disease and other dementias.

hordates (hylum hordata) animals "ith a notochord&&a long, cartilaginoussu##ort column running most of the bodyHs length&&located bet"een the stomach anda fluid&filled dorsal nerve cord.

hromatin the combination of CNA and the structural #roteins (histones) it "ra#saround in the cell nucleus. hromosomes are made out of chromatin.

hromosome a long, threadlike structure that carries the bearerHs genetic code(CNA), among other things. 'umans have ire) a !one of volcanoes and volcanic islands circlingan edge of the acific Basin "here one continental #late grinds under another(subduction). $ee late Tectonics.

ir*ue a large, glacially eroded bo"l on rocky mountains. Al#ine glaciers generallystart out from a cir*ue.

ities urban systems "hose dominant members occu#y various niches, some of"hich com#ete. 2ather #arasitic, the large ones, in that they take from all over"ithout giving, bereft as they are of natural #roducers. Because of their e4clusiveem#hasis on gro"th and #roductivity, they are locked into an ecological immaturitythat "astes resources and "idely and indiscriminately #ollutes. >or all these reasonsthey are as unsustainable as the civili!ations that s#a"n them.

#s %omo sapiens&s entry in any intergalactic design competition,industrial civiliation would be tossed out at the qualifying round.--David Orr

itric Acid ycle see Irebs ycle.


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lade a grou# of organisms that includes their most recent common ancestor and allof their descendants.

last a single constituent of a rock (e.g., a grain).

lastic com#osed mostly of former rocks (like shale and sandstone) "hosefragments have been carried a long distance from "here they originated.

lear&utting removing all the trees from a given area1 a destruction of entire forestsat a time.

leavage natural #lane of breakage along "hich consecutive breaks #roduce smooth,#arallel s#lits.

le#tobiosis "hen one s#ecies steals food from another.

limate average atmos#heric conditions over a long time interval. Energy from thesun drives climate, "hich sets limits on a biomeHs #lant life and therefore on theanimals that live there. The Io##en&Geiger classification sorts ma-or climates intofive ty#es humid tro#ical, dry, humid "arm, humid cold, and cold #olar.

lima4 the culminating stage of #lant succession in a given ecosystem. lima4communities tend to"ard maturity because of having attained harmony "ith theirsurroundings through years of e4#erimentation and ada#tation. $ee $uccession.

line a gradient of variations in a s#ecies that stretches across a geogra#hicallocation. E4am#le different ty#es of eucaly#tus trees running across a series ofslo#es.

losed $ystem one that e4changes energy, but not matter, bet"een itself and itsenvironment. The Earth is a closed system of finite room and resource.

loud Ty#esP


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umulonimbus (thunderheads) near ground level to above 6;,;;;feet.

irrostratus above 0=,;;; feet.

irrus above 0=,;;; feet.

irrocumulus above 0=,;;; feet.

Altostratus 7,;;;&+3 (>ine articulate +rganic3atter).
http://nsdl.org/


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obble #ebbles rounded by being bounced around in "ater.

odominant t"o tree s#ecies (hickory and oak) "ith roughly e*ual #o#ulations andecological im#act in the forest they gro" in. Also, the blended e4#ression of t"oalleles (genetic variations), as "hen "hite carnations crossed "ith red carnations

#roduce #ink ones. $ee Allele.

oevolution interactions bet"een s#ecies that im#act ho" both evolve. E4am#lesbees and #lants needing #ollination1 the cleaner fish and the "hale shark.

ol saddle&sha#ed de#ression bet"een mountain #eaks. >ormed by o##osing cir*ueglaciers.

old >rame a glass&covered frame (often of "ood) that houses seedlings and delicate#lants. ontrast "ith 'ot >rame.

ollagen long #roteins stretched into a tri#le heli4 to make strong structural fibers.They are found in hair, tendons, and about a fourth of the human bodyHs #rotein.

olonial Nesting the habit of certain birds&&egrets, s"allo"s, herons&&to buildconcentrated colonies. ('istorical note +ne year a radio micro#hone "as set u# at3ission $an Juan a#istrano to convey the fla##ings of de#arting s"allo"s tolisteners all over heavily coloni!ed +range ounty, but the inconsiderate avians fle"off ahead of schedule. The missionaries had done something similar in 0=:9 "henthe mission "as seculari!ed.)

olony >orming %nits (>%) bacterial colonies cultured from a "ater sam#le. >%sindicate the "aterHs level of bacterial concentration.

ombine a grain harvester that combines cutting, threshing, se#arating, cleaning,and stra" dis#ersing as it moves across cro#land. Australian farmer 'ugh Qictor3cIay invented the first #ractical combine in 0==oyn, inventor of the har#oon gun, he fought against the establishment of basic

"ages for agricultural laborers but lost that battle. James 3orro" invented a similarthreshing and stri##ing device around the same time that 3cIay did.

ommensalism a coevolutionary relationshi# bet"een s#ecies (usually animals#ecies) that benefits one "ithout significantly im#acting the other.

ommoner@s ?a"s of Ecology 0. Everything is connected to everything else.


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As#aragus and #arsley.

Beans "ith #otatoes, carrots, cucumbers, kohlrabi, s#inach,stra"berries.

Basil near tomatoes, egg#lant, and #e##ers.

arrots near beats, radishes.

$lo" thistle "ith lettuce.

orn to shade cucumbers.

3ustard near cabbage and cauliflo"er.

+ne s#inach #lant #er four Bibb lettuce #lants.

$ome combinations to avoid (o##onents)

Cill "ith carrots. A##le trees "ith #otato seedlings.

Beans or #eas near garlic, onions or shallots.

Worm"ood "ith anything1 eucaly#tus "ith anything.

om#etition for food and resources. Ty#es interference (by direct attack),e4#loitation (forced to share a resource), scramble (everyone gets something),contest (one com#etitor gets it all), and restrictive (#reventing someone else from

getting it)1 also, inter& and intras#ecific modes (bet"een or "ithin s#ecies).om#etition tends to characteri!e less mature ecosystems. Note there is somedebate about ho" much of the com#etition and dominance "e see in the natural

"orld is #ro-ected there by observers "ho take such behaviors in overmanagedhuman societies for granted.

om#etitive E4clusion "here one s#ecies com#etes another into e4tinction.

om#osting enriching a soilHs nutrition and E (cation e4change ca#acity) byadding decom#osed organic matter to it. Grass cli##ings, kitchen scra#s, coffeegrounds, and even certain kinds of "eeds "ill serve "hen mi4ed "ith bro"n matter

(dry t"igs, ne"s#a#er), but not animal fat, meat, oil, or cat or dog feces. A #ro#erlybuilt, moistened, and aerated #ile "ill gradually heat u# as microorganisms break itdo"n into humus1 for faster results, shred the materials before com#osting, kee#s#onge&moist, and turn the #ile every three days, shoveling undigested matter at itsedges into its baking heart. 5t is ready to s#read on soil "hen flaky bro"n and nolonger hot. A thin layer of soil on the #ile gets it off to a start. A #ile of less than threecubic feet may not heat u# #ro#erly.

om#ound a substance com#osed of various elements.

ondensation the transformation of ("ater) va#or into li*uid. >alling tem#eraturestrigger it.


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ondensation Nuclei microsco#ic #article of dust, ash, etc. around "hich a raindro#forms. Cro#s also form around silver iodide #articles seeded into clouds to increaselocal rainfall.

one of Ce#ression the dro# in the "ater table near an overused "ell, resulting in a

cone&sha#ed dry !one called an area of influence.

onnectance the actual food "eb interactions bet"een s#ecies com#ared "ith thetotal #ossible number1 usually e4#ressed as a fraction.

onglomerate coarse sedimentary rock com#osed of "eather&rounded rockfragments cemented "ith silt and clay. $ee Breccia.

onifer a cone&bearing tree. oniferous vegetation occu#ies the middle and highlatitudes.

on-unctive $ymbiosis a mutually beneficial relationshi# in "hich the t"o#artici#ants -oin into a single organ or body. E4am#le lichens.

onservation Tillage any #lanting a##roach that leaves :; or more of the soilcovered by #lant residue or cover cro# "hile tilling as little as #ossible to avoiddestroying the soil structure.

onstancy the dis#ersion of of a s#ecies throughout a community. A constant is as#ecies that sho"s u# in almost every sam#le taken (indicating an occu#ation ofroughly =;).

onsumer an organism that consumes other organisms, "hether living or dead.om#are roducer.

onsumerism the mass delusion, su##lemented by e4#ensive advertising, that usingu# as many #roducts as #ossible as *uickly as #ossible "ill someho" not cave in the

bios#here. $ee Cieback.

ontact 3etamor#hism alteration of rock by locali!ed high tem#eratures and fluidscirculating near a cooling mass of e4trusive igneous rock (a #luton).

ontinental rust the #redominantly granitic rock that com#rises the stonyfoundations of the continents. (+cean floors are com#osed #rimarily of basalt.) ThecrustHs thickness varies from


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ontinental 3argin the interval bet"een the shore and the ocean floor1 includes thecontinental shelf, rise, and slo#e.Activemargins mark sites of heavy geologicalactivity, including continental collision and subduction. Earth*uakes, volcanism,mountain formation, and a narro" continental shelf characteri!e the tumultousactive margins. assive margins are the o##osite, calmer and steadier, "ith flat land

and "ide shelves. 5n North America, the "est coast is active and the east coast#assive.

ontinental late a rigid, #rimarily granitic slab floating on the asthenos#here, alayer of semi&molten u##er mantle. The #lates average 0


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child trying to "alk a straight line from the center of a carrousel to the edge as its#ins.

orm a short, thick stem that stores nutrients underground. %sually a monocot, itdoes this through hot summers or cold "inters.

ormel a corm that gro"s around the #arent corm. lanting it can gro" a ne" #lant.

otyledon embryo or seed leaves. They store nutrients for the seed until it gro"s itso"n #hotosynthetic leaves.

oulee a dee#, dry ravine or streambed. Also, stee# flo" of hardened lava.

ounter&2adiation greenhouse deflection of incoming long"ave radiation back tothe #lanet surface.

over ro# a cro# gro"n to #rotect the soil from erosion and nearby food cro#s from"eeds. an be dug under to #ut nutrients back into the ground. ommon cover cro#sinclude buck"heat, hairy vetch, Austrian "inter #ea, and various clovers.

rash a sudden #o#ulation dro#off caused by resource de#letion. $ee Cieback.

raton the stable foundation of the continental #lates1 com#osed of the shield and#latform.

ree# slo" do"nslo#e soil movement.

ross&Bedding sedimentary beds tilted "hen de#osited in the direction the "ater or"ind that built them "as moving.

ro"n "here the #lant root -oins the stem.

ro"n over the #ercentage of forest floor overgro"n "ith tree cro"n. A ma-orcom#onent of forest #roductivity. ?ack of light and room to gro" limits it (calledcrown shyness).

rash sudden de#o#ulation as a result of resource de#letion. A crash can often beseen a long "ay off in communities on a direct course to disaster through overuse offood and other vital su##lies.

reationism (renamed 5ntelligent Cesign) the use of scientific&sounding argumentsto F#rove an un*uestioned belief that a God created the "orld, usually in a short#eriod of time. reationism is a "orking against nature rather than a "orking "ithnature enter#rise in its insistence that the divine stands a#art from the natural in arelationshi# of domination (su#ernaturalism). >e" scientists take reationist claimsof "orld"ide Biblical floods and ine4#licable ga#s in the fossil record seriously. 5n0K70 'enry 3. 3orris (0K0=&) and John . Whitcomb, Jr. #ublished a #oorlyresearched book called The Genesis Flood that added nothing scientific to the

argument but did ins#ire the formation of a reation 2esearch $ociety in 0K7:. $eeEvolution.


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ryos#here the #art of the Earth that remains belo" the free!ing #oint (e.g., the#oles).

ryostatic ressure ice #ressure of the kind often seen inside glaciers.

ryoturbation frost churning of soils.

ry#to#hyte a #lant "hose re#roductive organs (e.g., bulbs, corms) are undergroundor under"ater.

ultivar an organism "ith desirable breeding *ualities.

ultivate to break u# soil in #re#aration for #lanting. >iring, clearing, #lo"ing, andcultivating destroy the colloids that hold soil together and tra# nutrients.

us#ate >oreland (Ness) a triangular shingle of #articles at #oints located bet"een

-oined ridge de#osits along a coastline. $imilar to sand s#its, but "ider.

uticle a "a4y layer of cutin that #rotects the surfaces of leaves.

uttings segments cut from #arent #lants for gro"ing else"here. uttings gro" bestfrom sunside shoots or branches "ith t"o nodes each. They are #lanted "ith the to#

bud -ust clear of the soil.

yanobacteria bacteria that #hotosynthesi!e. They "ere among the first living thingson Earth. The food&making chloro#last of #lants is actually a cynobacteriumim#orted long ago.

yclone a lo"ressure center "ra##ed in rotating movements of air.

yst a ca#sule&like sac that encloses a s#ore, #arasite, or abnormal gro"th.

ytokinesis cell division.

yto#lasm the #ortion of a cellHs #roto#lasm (living matter) outside the nucleus.

Cam#ing +ff a common fungal disease that "ilts seedlings and rots stems. 5t can

often be avoided by holding off on mulching until the seeds have s#routed.

Car"in A"ards The Car"in A"ards salute the im#rovement of the human genomeby honoring those "ho accidentally kill themselves in really stu#id "ays. >airenough, but the biologically #ertinent *uestion is do they do so before, or after, they#ass on their genesR

Cays to 3aturity the number of days bet"een #lanting the seed and first harvest. 5n#olitics, the end of the current geological age.

Ceadhead to remove s#ent blossoms in order to encourage ne" flo"ers. Also, avid if

heavy&lidded collectors of Jerry Garcia T&shirts, skeleton costumes, handmade-e"elry, and hem#.
http://www.darwinawards.com/http://www.darwinawards.com/http://www.darwinawards.com/http://www.darwinawards.com/


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Ceclination and 2ight Ascension declination, the angular distance north or southfrom the celestial e*uator (the imaginary sky curve #ro-ected u#"ard from theEarthHs e*uator), combines "ith right ascension (measurement along hour circlescircling like meridians bet"een the celestial #oles) to #lot sky ob-ects in a grid similarto that of longitude and latitude. Because the Earth s#ins in s#ace, right ascension is

measured in time intervals rather than degrees of arc.

Ceciduous annual or seasonal shedding of foliage from trees and shrubs. onserves"ater by cutting do"n on trans#iration and nutrients by reducing "hat the leavesre*uired. Ceciduous trees are useful in gardens because they give shade in summer,let in light in "inter, and dro# leaves that enrich the soil "hen decom#osed. They are

best trans#lanted "hen dormant (late autumn to early s#ring).

Cecom#oser an organism that eats dead organic matter. 3ost are bacteria, algae,and fungi. They fuel the nitrogen and o4ygen cycles that su##ort all life on Earth.

Cee# Ecology a term coined by Arne Naess in his 0K/: article FThe $hallo" and theCee#, ?ong&2ange Ecology 3ovements to challenge the e4clusively human&centered

vie" of the natural "orld by looking more dee#ly into *uestions of our #lace in it (aso##osed to surface environmental reform that addresses #roblems but not their#sychological or #hiloso#hical under#innings). 5ts t"o fundamental norms,irreducible to any others self&reali!ation (as o##osed to ego&reali!ation) and

biocentric e*uality that o##oses anthro#ocentrism as the heart of our #roblem "ithnature. Naess@s motto F$im#le in means, rich in ends. After "orking out a#hiloso#hical #latform "ith George $essions "hile cam#ing in Ceath Qalley in 0K=9,Naess later defined Fdee# in terms of a #ersistent *uestioning (#roblemati!ing) anda #ursuit of dee# (significant) change. Cee# ecologists see identification&&"ith #lantsand animals, #laces, the "orld&&as the basis of em#athy and relationshi#. (CavidIidner #refers Fresonance bet"een self and other to identification.) War"ick >o4

believes that unlike social ecology and ecofeminism, dee# ecology moves the sourceof our "ar against nature from intras#ecies (human) to inters#ecies, a move thattranscends blaming #oliticians or industrialists by focusing on their -ustificationanthro#ocentrism, "hich lovelessly regards the "orld as a thing for human use.

Ceflation the removal of soil by "ind erosion in hollo"s and de#ressions.

Cefoliant an herbicide that kills leaves.
http://students.ee.sun.ac.za/~riaanvdd/coordinate_systems.htm


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Cegrading %se "ater contaminated before it can reenter the hydrological cycle.

Ceme an interbreeding sub#o#ulation.

Cemersal a bottom&feeding animal.

Cemogra#hic Transition the hy#othesis that industriali!ing nations e4hibit deathrate declines follo"ed by birth rate declines.

Cendrochronology dating a tree by counting its rings.

Cenitrification chemical conversion of dissolved nitrogen (nitrite) into gaseousnitrogen. >ires on #articular soils do this.

Censity urrent "hen a denser current sinks do"n under a less dense current andflo"s along the bottom.

Censity Ce#endence the tendency of a #o#ulationHs gro"th rate to de#end on itssi!e, "ith an increase in #o#ulation density corres#onding to a decrease in gro"th.This self&regulating dynamic hel#s #revent e4tinction.

Ce#endent o&Arising (aticca $amu##ada) Buddhist theory of mutual causality,"hich in #ractice means the interde#endency of #ersonal and social activity. Joanna3acy links this to a sense of environmental res#onsibility consciousness (not ego)and "orld rise and fall together.

Ce#osit >eeder a bottom&feeder that eats sedimentary material and by doing so stirsu# the mud.

Ce#osition the dro##ing of trans#orted #articles out of moving "ater onto a resting#lace. Also, a transformation from gas to solid as a result of cooling.

Ce#ression a lo" #ressure system.

Cesalini!ation lant a site "here sea"ater is boiled to se#arate steam from salt1 thesteam condenses into fresh "ater. Because this re*uires a large amount of energy&&normally #rovided by burning coal or oil&&desalini!ation is normally used only in

very dry areas.

Cesertification the degradation of moist land into a desert. $ome desertification isnatural, but most is from erosion, climate change (global "arming), or overgra!ing.

Cetritus decom#osing organic matter (leaves, bugs, etc.).

Cetritivore an organism that eats detritus.

Ce" oint the tem#erature at "hich "ater va#or from a saturated air mass turnsinto li*uid. Belo" free!ing, called a frost #oint.


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Ciagenesis changes to sediment or fossils after burial. $imilar to metamor#hosis,but "ith less de#th and less heat.

Cia#sid a vertebrate "hose skull has t"o #airs of side o#enings behind the eyes, e.g.,li!ards, crocodiles, snakes, dinosaurs.

Ciatomite (Ciatomaceous Earth) a sediment formed from diatoms (unicellular algae"ith yello" chloro#lasts).

Cicot (Cicotyledon) flo"ering #lants "hose embryos have t"o cotyledons (seedleaves).

Cieback the dee# #o#ulation crash "hen an environment can no longer su##ort a#o#ulationHs demands. %sually leads to dieoff (e4tinction).

$he facts of nature cannot in the long run be violated. 'enetrating and

seeping through everything like water, they will undermine any systemthat fails to take account of them, and sooner or later they will bringabout its downfall.-- C. G. Jung

Cioecious #lants "ith either male or female flo"ers, but not both (s#inach, holly,date #alm, etc.).

Cio4in a highly to4ic chlorinated hydrocarbon used in herbicides and #roduced byindustrial #ollution.

Ci#loid a cell containing t"o sets of chromosomes. $ee 'a#loid.

Cisaccharides sugars com#osed of monosaccharides (sim#le sugars). E4am#lessucrose and lactose.

Cis-unct the distribution of a s#ecies "hose #o#ulations have been geogra#hicallydivided.

Cissolved +rganic 3atter (C+3)(Cissolved +rganic arbon) decom#osing carboncom#ounds in "ater. an be natural or artificial.

Cistributary a branching stream channel that flo"s a"ay from a main streamchannel. $ee Tributary.

Ciurnal active by day.

Ciurnal Tide a tide that comes in once a day.

Civergent Evolution "hen t"o #o#ulations become more and more dissimilar,usually as a result of different environmental #ressures. The o##osite of onvergentEvolution.

CNA (Ceo4yribonucleic Acid) a form of nucleic acid organi!ed into #airs of double&heli4 molecules #ackaged into chromosomes carrying the genetic code. The


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molecules are made of linked nucleotides units "ith a sugar, a #hos#hate, and one offour base chemicals adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine. These bases -oin likeladder rungs&&al"ays an A to a T and a to a G&&"ith the sugarhos#hate formingthe outside backbone of the strand. The se*uence of these nucleotides, "ith eachgrou# of three s#elling one anino acid codon, determines the kind of #rotein

manufactured "hen translated by strands of 2NA. (James Watson and >rancis rickdiscovered this structure in 0K6:.) 2NA also aids in CNAHs re#lication. Everythingliving carries the same gene code, one reason scientists are so confident "e are allrelated biologically. $ome CNA se*uences are identical in humans and bacteria, afact that underlines our common biological origins. $ee 2NA, hromosome.

Cockage chaff, stems, and other such non#roductive #lant residue that can beremoved from a cro# of "heat "ith a sieve.

Cogs all are descended from Canis lupus, the gray "olf. oyotes are the ne4t closestrelatives.

ColloHs ?a" evolution never reverses itself.

Cormancy a #eriod of summer or "inter metabolic slo"do"n in animals, #lants, orseeds that need to conserve energy in inhos#itable seasons.

Couble&Cigging digging soil to a certain de#th&&0< inches, say, and in ro"s&&andloosening the soil to a certain de#th (often another 0< inches) belo" that beforefilling back in. %sed to #re#are soil beds "here #lants have not been gro"n. $ee>rench 5ntensive.


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Co"ners meat #acking term for disabled or in-ured animals.

Cra"do"n dro##ing "ater levels in a dam or reservoir. Also the overuse ofresources faster than they can be re#laced. $ee +il.

Credging scoo#ing out a channel bed to #revent accumulated silt from sto##ing shi#traffic.

Cry >arming irrigationless farming in arid or semi&arid conditions (rainfall belo" ormed by #articles of gas and denser materialsonce e-ected from e4#loding su#ernovae and gradually #ulled together by gravity.

Earth Cay a #lanet"ide celebration of our home that started on A#ril


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Ecesis the establishment of a #lant or animal s#ecies in a ne" environment.

Ecli#tic the a##arent circular #ath of the sun around the Earth as seen from theground.

Ecocentric term coined by War"ick >o4 in #reference to biocentric(environment&centered). Both contrast "ith the more human&focused #ers#ective #revalent inindustriali!ed nations.

Ecodynamics, ?a"s +f formulated by #hiloso#her Ed"ard Goldsmithas correctionsto the reductive la"s of thermodynamics. The ?a"s #ostulate that living things seekto #reserve their structure, gro" to"ard clima4 (maturity) rather than entro#y(none4istence), move into mutualism and "holeness, and survive and flourishthrough s#ontaneous, ada#tive self&regulation.

Ecofeminism term introduced (Fecofeminisme) by >rancois d@Eaubonne in the 0K/9te4tLe Feminisme ou la Mort. Cissatisfied "ith ecological analyses that leave#atriarchy out of account, ecofeminists out #arallels bet"een ho" men in the West

mistreat "omen and ho" they mistreat the Earth in both cases a relationshi# of#o"er, control, a "ill to dominate, and a #ervasive fear of of the fact ofinterde#endency. A t"ist on this is the #atriarchal habit of ob-ectifying "omen "hilefemini!ing the environment1 "omen are then seen as less mature or human becausecloser to nature. Not all ecofeminists agree on "omenHs relationshi# to the natural

"orld $alleh thinks that feminine bodily e4#eriences situate "omen more closely tonature, "hereas 2oach criti*ues this for reinforcing of the old nature&culturedichotomy. 3any ecofeminists have critici!ed dee# ecologyHs em#hasis on unity (seenas a deem#hasis on diversity and #articularity) and on the need for elaborate#hiloso#hi!ing1 for lum"ood, "ho sees the Western e4altation of rationality as asuicidal e4#ression of ecological contem#t, identifying "ith nature is an e4tended

egotism that re#laces relationshi# "ith #sychological fusion. >or Onestra Iing, the tie
http://www.edwardgoldsmith.com/page110.htmlhttp://www.edwardgoldsmith.com/page110.htmlhttp://www.edwardgoldsmith.com/page110.html


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"ith nature, though socially colored, should be celebrated rather than re#udiated asdeterminist or essentialist.

Ecological Efficiency the #ercentage (usually around 0;) of useful energy that#asses from one tro#hic level in a food chain to another. $horter food chains tend to

lose less energy.

Ecological E*uivalents s#ecies that live far a#art but in similar niches andecosystems.

Ecology from the Greek oikos(household) and logos(study) the study ofinterrelationshi#s bet"een organisms and their environment. The term "as coinedin 0=77 by German biologist and #hiloso#her Ernest 'aeckel, famous also for hisdiscredited but interesting dictum that ontogeny (individual #hysical develo#ment)reca#itulates #hylogeny (the evolutionary develo#ment of its s#ecies).

Eco#sychology a relatively ne" disci#line o#erating on an ancient assum#tion thedee#est levels of the #syche are tied to the Earth (unlike environmental #sychology,

"hich looks in linear fashion at the im#act of surround on #syche). Theodore 2os!ak,for instance, #osits an Fecological unconscious at the core of the #syche1 $te#hen

Ai!enstat describes a F"orld unconscious similar to "hat early #hiloso#hersdescribed as the anima mundior "orld soul. As "ith dee# ecology, eco#sychologyinsists that to be healthy, our relations "ith the Earth must be reci#rocal, note4#loitive. Eco#sychology is the effort to understand, heal, and develo# the#sychological dimensions of the human&nature relationshi# (#sychological, bio&social&s#iritual) through connecting and reconnecting "ith natural #rocesses in the

"eb of life. At its core, eco#sychology suggests that there is a synergistic relation

bet"een #lanetary and #ersonal "ell being1 that the needs of the one are relevant tothe other. && 2obert Green"ay, Amy ?en!o, Gene Cil"orth, 2obert Worcester, ?indaBu!!ell&$alt!man.

Ecoso#hy the #hiloso#hy of Cee# Ecology.

Ecoso#hy T Arne Naess@s brand of dee#&ecological #hiloso#hy "hose ultimate normis $elf&reali!ation reali!ation of self and ecos#here and, ultimately, the universe.>rom this norm follo" certain values like interde#endency of all things1 ma4imumdiversity1 minimal e4#loitation1 elimination of class society1 ma4imum symbiosis. Akey #remise is that everything living has an intrinsic value a#art from its #urelyhuman use value. The FT recalls his hut Tvergastein, named after *uart! crystalsfound nearby. (+ne of NaessHs models, $#ino!a, "as a lens&grinder.) $ee Cee#Ecology.

Ecos#here $hare the financially and #olitically dangerous idea that each #erson isentitled to a share of the "orld@s resources in accord "ith "hatHs needed to live.

Ecosynthesis 'aikai TaneHs term for a hy#othesi!ed evolution of ecosystems, somechanging in res#onse to human&caused #lanetary changes.

Ecosystem a biotic community and its surroundings, #art inorganic (abiotic) and#art organic (biotic), the latter including #roducers, consumers, and decom#osers.


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The term "as introduced in 0K:6 by $ir Arthur Tansley. $ocial ecologist 3urrayBookchin #refers the less mechanical "ord ecocommunity. 5ts com#onents are notreducible to the interde#endent relationshi#s that emerge from it.

Ecosystem, ulsing 'o"ard +dumHs hy#othesis that ecosystems change not only

gradually, but in the un#redictable starts, fits, and #ulses characteristic of systemssub-ect to chaos dynamics.

Ecotage term invented by future Environmental Action members at Earth Cay,0K/;, to describe the sabotage of environmentally harmful machineries (bulldo!ers,$%Qs) and #ro-ects (housing tracts, su#ermalls). $imilar to monkeywrenching(Ed"ard Abbey@s term from his 0K/7 novel The Monkey rench Gang). 3ost greensconsider ecotage ina##ro#riate until, at the very least, actions like nonviolentresistance have #roven futile. Cave >oreman of Earth>irstS distinguishes bet"eenterrorism ("hich is aimed at innocent #eo#le) and ecotage (aimed at devices thatruins ecosystems). >armer&"riter Gene ?ogsdon has "ondered "hether grou#s "ho

resort to such acts ever think about #rotecting, say, vanishing to#soil.

Ecothera#y Earth&based healing #ractices. Ecothera#y involves understanding andhealing the human&nature relationshi# through connecting and reconnecting "ithnatural #rocesses(2obert Green"ay). Ecothera#ist ?inda Bu!!ell&$alt!manrefers tothe field as eco#sychology in action.

Ecotone the transitial !one bet"een ad-acent biotic communities, often "ith uni*uenutrients and ecological relationshi#s.

Ecoto#e (Bioto#e) the smallest ecologically distinctive area "ithin a landsca#e

classification system.

Ecoto#ia a vision of an ecologically friendly society.

Ecotourism tourism that makes use of the ecological attributes of a #lace (e.g., bird&"atching).

Ecoty#e a genetically differentiated sub#o#ulation evolved to remain "ithin itshabitat.

Eda#hic >actor any organism&im#acting feature of the soil, like #' for the #lantsthere.

Edge Effect the uni*ue #ro#erties in an ecotone (#lant variety, animal density,biological diversity), the !one "here t"o communities meet.

Edge Wave one that runs #arallel to the shore.

Effluent a substance (usually to4ic) entering an environment from a #oint source (aconfirmable location). E4am#le "aste"ater from a manufacturing #lant (effluencefrom affluence).
http://thoughtoffering.blogs.com/ecotherapyhttp://thoughtoffering.blogs.com/ecotherapy


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Effusive Eru#tion non&e4#losive flo"s of thin basalt&forming magma from avolcano. +ften associated "ith shield volcanoes.

Elastic ?imit ho" much a rock or mineral can bend "ithout shattering.

Elastic 2ebound Theory earth*uakes ha##en "hen continental #lates moving ino##osite directions finally sli# after a long accumulation of stress.

Elater a structure that dis#erses s#ores "hen moistened.

Element a molecule com#osed of one ty#e of atom (e.g., arbon, 'ydrogen,'elium). At #resent the eriodic Table contains 00< elements. T"o or more elementsform a com#ound.

El Nio (the boy) a #eriodic climate change brought by "armer acific currents (ashigh as 09o "armer) normally #ushed a"ay by the acific trade "inds, "hich fade

every three to seven years. As barometric #ressure shifts over the acific and 5ndian+ceans (the $outhern +scillation), floods strike some regions (the West oast ofNorth America, for e4am#le) as droughts bake others (#arts of $outh America).($outh American fisherman besto"ed the name because the effect&&"hich lasts eightto ten months&&often arrives near hristmas, birth time of the hrist hild.) $ee ?aNia.

Elfin >orest forest of small, scrubby trees sometimes dra#ed "ith mosses or lichens1often found near a tree line.

Eluviation movement of humus, chemical substances, and mineral #articles from

the u##er layers of a soil to lo"er layers by the do"n"ard movement of "aterthrough the soil #rofile.

Embayment #ortions of o#en "ater or marsh defined by natural to#ogra#hicalfeatures such as #oints or islands, or by human structures such as dikes or channels.

Embryo a !ygote (fertili!ed egg) "hose cells have divided #rior to its develo#ing intoa foetus.

Emergent Wetlands those "hose vegetation #artly above "ater and rooted belo" it.

Emissivity the *uantity of heat flo"ing from the Earth back into s#ace. Emissivityand albedo hel# balance the global tem#erature.

Endocrine Cisru#tor a #esticide chemical that interferes "ith hormones. 5t issus#ected to cause vaginal cancer, immune system deficiencies, and birth defects.

Endo#lasmic 2eticulum net"ork of tubes and sacs involved "ith making #rotein("ith ribosomes) and steroids and "ith storing calcium and glycogen (stored sugar).

Endosymbiosis "hen one organism lives in another to the benefit of both. E4am#les

of the resulting symbiosis include #lastids, mitochondria, and chloro#lasts.


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English, ?atini!ed English evolved from the Anglo&$a4on tongues s#oken by theGermanic tribes&&Angli, $a4ons, >risians, Jutes&&"hose conscri#ts among the 2omanlegions had visited Britain (later, Angleland, or England) and found it inviting. Theycame around 90;, the year 2ome fell to the Qisigoths and the Em#eror 'onoriusdecided from the safety of 2avenna that out#osts like Britain "ere on their o"n.

With the 2omans gone, the incoming Germanics blended "ith the indigenous elts,and so did their languages into +ld English and its earthy "ords (dream, "ater,strong, today, and bread derive from +E). $o matters stood until William theon*ueror invaded in 0;77 and brought along a language s#oken at court Anglo&Norman, a dialect of >rench nobilitys#eak thick "ith ?atin "ords trans#lanted fromthe 2oman Em#ire and its "arlike clerics. Eventually Anglo&Norman mi4ed "ith +ldEnglish to make 3iddle English (the language of haucer), but during the2enaissance, rene"ed interest in classical science and scholarshi# summonedanother "ave of ?atinisms. With these and an infusion of Greek terms in #lace,English gre" standardi!ed "ith hel# from the #rinting #ress. Today only about one&si4th of it is homegro"n, the rest im#orted from other languages. $urrounded by the

cogs and "heels of the 5ndustrial 2evolution, ca#italists and scientists coined morene" "ords from Greek and ?atin formations that lent themselves to abstraction,classification, and measurement. 'ence the need for glossaries like this one. (>or onemore item, see 5nkhorn.)

Enterococcus an anaerobic bacterium "ith t"o strains that live in the intestines andothers that cause infections to "ounds and the urinary tract.

Entomo#hilous seed #lants #ollinated by insects.

Entrainment trans#ort of organisms in moving "ater.

Entro#y disorder or un#roductive energy in a given system. 5t tends to increase overtime.

En!yme #roteins that augment (cataly!e) and manage chemical reactions in cells bylo"ering the activation energy.

E#ibenthic living on the surface of sediments lying on the floor of a body of "ater.

E#ifauna animals that live on a surface. $ee 5nfauna.

E#i#hyte a #lant gro"ing on, but not nourished by, another #lant. $ee 'emi#hyte.

E#ithelium the layer of cells lining a body cavity to #rotect it (e.g., the stomach).Both #lants and animals have it.

E#i!ootic im#acting many animals at once, as "ith a disease outbreak.

E*uilibrium $uccess $trategy s#ecies that survive through lo" death rate, relativelylittle coloni!ation or e4#ansion, moderately fre*uent re#roduction cycles, and othersteady&state #atterns of ada#tation. Tends to be the larger animals. $ee

+##ortunistic $uccess $trategy.


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E*uino4 the t"o annual #eriods "hen the sun crosses over the earthHs e*uator eithernorth to south or south to north, thereby making a day and a night of e*ual lengthan unusual circumstance given the #lanetHs tilt. The s#ring (or vernal) e*uino4 is on3arch


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Eva#oration li*uid "aterHs transformation into va#or. 2e*uires a lot of energy.

Eva#otrans#iration (Trans#iration) the eva#oration of "ater off leaf surfaces. Anatural event, but can cause #lants to lose too much "ater in dry times.

Evenness the even distribution of individuals of a s#ecies. +f t"o grou#s of #lants,roughly 6; individuals in each grou# is fairly even1 < in one grou# and 6; in the other

"ould be uneven. $ee 2ichness.

Evergreens trees that kee# their foliage throughout the year. Needle&sha#ed leavesretain moisture "ith less loss to trans#iration. om#are Ceciduous.

Evolution ada#tive changes in the genetic characteristics of a #o#ulation over time&&but this ada#tation is not necessarily Fim#rovement. This entry says Evolution andnot Evolutionary Theory because evolution is not a theory anymore. Evolutionaryo#erations and outcomes have been observed directly, today, as "ell as indirectly

through field studies, CNA research, evidence&dating techni*ues, the fossil record,etc. The animal e*ui##ed "ith a ne" and hel#ful feature is likelier to live longenough to #ass it do"n than an animal "ithout it.
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/http://evolution.berkeley.edu/


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Ele#hants in hina are more fre*uently born tuskless, no", due to #ressure from#oaching. $ee $#eciation for an e4am#le of a family of Asian butterflies branchinginto different s#ecies today. Genetic mutations, "hich are rare and usually harmful,

#lay less of a role in evolution than Car"in believed, and cultural forces thatreinforce selection for certain characteristics a larger role. ($ee Natural $election and
http://www.dilbert.com/


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$e4ual $election.) According to biologist 2ichard Ca"kins, the eye has evolvedinde#endently at least forty times, echo location four times, the venomous sting tentimes, electrolocation several times, fla##ing flight four times, -et #ro#ulsion t"ice,and sound #roduction for social #uroses too many times to count. $ee onvergentEvolution, Ta4onomy.

According to this chart, the highest form of life on Earth is the >rench #oodle.

$he walls between )nature) and )culture) begin to crumble as we entera posthuman era. *arwinian insights force occidental people, oftenunwillingly, to acknowledge their literal kinship with critters. !! GarSnder

E4foliation the "eathering off of granite sheets. alled unloading"hen it ha##ens

in con-unction "ith u#lift.
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E4ogenic e4ternal to the Earth.

E4on the segment of the gene that codes #roteins (not all segments do). Each e4oncodes for a s#ecific #art of the #rotein to be created. Not to be confused "ith E44on,

"hose e4tra 4 symboli!es "hat it codes dangerously un#redictable environmental

ha!ards due to #etroleum #roducts burned or s#illed into the bios#here.

E4otic $#ecies those not native to an ecosystem.

E4#losive Eru#tion common in com#osite and caldera volcanoes. ontrast "ithEffusive Eru#tion.

E4tir#ated a s#ecies that no longer lives "here it used to.

>acilitation 3odel of $uccession ecological succession is driven by #ioneer s#ecies(often annuals) #re#aring the "ay for later (often #erennial) s#ecies on and into the

clima4. $ee $uccession.

>ecal oliform Bacteria unharmful enteric (intestinal) bacteria "hose #resenceindicates harmful comtaminations.

>acultative able to live in more than one kind of environment, like a #lant thatflourishes "ith or "ithout air. >re*uent in s#ecies that d"ell in "etland u#lands.

>aults, Earth*uake

Normal the hanging "all (the fault that moves) slides do"n the foot"all (stationary).

2everse the hanging "all slides u# the foot "all.

$trike&sli# the hanging "all moves side"ays.

Thrust a reverse fault "here the fault angle is 96M or less.

>ed attle those ready for slaughter. 5ndustrially "arehoused beef cattle "eighabout 0,0;; #ounds after the steady diet of #rotein and steroids they are forced toeat.

>elds#ar a grou# of common aluminum silicate minerals that contains #otassium,sodium, barium, or calcium. >els#ars are found in almost all crystalline rocks.

>elsic light&colored minerals containing *uart! and felds#ar. ontrast "ith 3afic.

>en #artially flooded lo"&lying #eatland fed "ater from u#slo#e. (>en #eat usuallycomes from decom#osing sedges, rushes, and other such #lant matter.)

>ermentation the en!yme&controlled conversion of carbohydrates like gra#e sugarinto hydrocarbons like alcohol.


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>etch the stretch of o#en "ater in "hich "ind can blo" freely in one direction.

>ield a#acity the "ater remaining in a soil after it has drained naturally.

>ilament the #iece stamen that #ositions the anther to dis#erse #ollen.

>ilter >eeder an organism that screens its food from "ater. Baleen "hales do this byforcing sea"ater #ast the baleen #lates they use instead of teeth.

>ine articulate +rganic 3atter (>+3) organic matter "hich has undergone aninitial decom#osition.

>irn sno" com#acted into glacier ice (!irni!ication).

>irn ?imit (>irn ?ine) the lo"er boundary a glacierHs firn accumulation to haveendured for one year.

>irst ?a" of Thermodynamics energy cannot be created or destroyed, onlyconverted into another form. $unlight into tissue1 motion into electricity.

>issile cleavable, like a rock that s#lits into #arallel sheets.

>i4ed a genetic mutation that infiltrates 0;; of a #o#ulation.

>-ord a long, usually narro", inland&reaching coastal valley scul#ted by a glacier.

>locculation the accumulation of #articles into small masses that fall out of li*uidsus#ension, usually to settle on the bottom. $alt does this "ith clay #articles. 5t canalso be used to se#arate contaminants from "aste"ater.

>lo"er a #lantHs re#roductive organs.


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>lood#lain the natural #ath taken by a flood&s"ollen river. 5n the %.$., more thanten million homes are located in or near flood#lains, and the Bush Administrationhas eased building restrictions in such locations. $ee 5nsurance.

>luvial #ertaining to streams.

>ly Ash #o"derlike soot #articles #roduced by coal and oil factories. %.$. coalfactories alone #roduce the better #art of a hundred millions of tons of it #er year.

>oliation the metamor#hic straightening of rock into #arallel layers. Also leafformation.

>ood hain the #ath of food energy transfer from green #lants (#rimary #roducers)to gra!ers (#rimary consumers), omnivors and carnivores (secondary consumers),and to their #redators (to# carnivores). The detritus food chain starts "hen organic

matter settles on the ground and breaks do"n. Because such linear food chains arerelatively rare in nature, see >ood Web.

>ood 3ilesDIilometers term coined by Tim ?ang to denote the distance food musttravel from "here it is gro"n or #roduced and "here it is sold. >oods that must comea long distance often re*uire more #reservatives and generate more air #ollutionfrom the #etroleum #roducts used to shi# them. >or this reason food #ackaging doesnot usually say "here something is gro"n. Buying from a local gro"er or farmerreduces or eliminates such environmentally unsound #ractices.

>ood Web the interconnection of all food chains in an ecosystem. >ood "eb

diagrams em#hasi!e the circular com#le4ity of feeding relationshi#s.


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>orb a broad&leaved non&grass herb gro"ing out in a field.

>orests 8 rain. ut do"n a forest and make a locali!ed drought. Ceforestation is adirect cause of s#reading desertification "orld"ide. arallel damage to the human#syche remains largely une4#lored.

It was our Indian rule to keep our fields very sacred. +e did not like toquarrel about our garden lands. "nes title to a field once set up, no oneever thought of disputing it- for if one were selfish and quarrelsome,and tried to siee land belonging to another, we thought some evilwould come upon him....$here is a story of a black bear who got into apit that was not his own, and he had his mind taken away from him fordoing so. !! uffalo ird +oman

>orest +utlier a #atch of forest se#arated from the main body.

>oraminifera single&celled, shell&encased, microsco#ic #roto!oa found in all marineenvironments. 2emains of their shells #roduces chalk.

>ossil >uel coal, oil and natural gas geologically transformed from ancient beds of#lant matter into burnable hydrocarbons. All told, these industries #ut =;; tons ofcarbon dio4ide into the air every second a sobering number given that o4ygen&

breathing life on Earth de#ends on carbon remaining locked in the ground. Althoughnone of these fuels carries much, if anything, left from the dinosaurs, these no"&e4tinct saurons have come to symboli!e them "ith an eerie #ersistence.

>ounder Effect a ty#e of genetic drift in "hich the genes of founder organ

A Glossary of Ecological Terms

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