Glossary

Adaptation. An adjustment to environmental conditions; a modification of an organism or its parts that helps that plant or animal survive.

Aerate. To supply with or add air.

Algae. Tiny, nonseed-bearing aquatic plants; chlorophyll is often masked by a brown or red pigment.

Anadromous. In reference to fish, species that spend part of their life in freshwater and part in saltwater.

Artifact. An object produced or shaped by human craft, especially a tool, weapon, or ornament of archaeological or historical interest.

Aquatic. Growing in, living in, or frequenting water.

Avian. Of, relating to, or derived from birds.

Basalt. A dark, dense fine-grained igneous rock.

Binoculars. An optical instrument made of two magnifying scopes, one for each eye.

Biodegradable. Capable of being broken down to simple compounds, especially into harmless products, by the action of microorganisms.

Biodiversity. The variety of life and its processes, including the variety of living organisms, the genetic differences among them, and the communities and ecosystems in which they occur.

Bird Banding. Attachment of identification tags to individual birds to help scientists understand bird population dynamics and migration routes.

Brackish. Somewhat salty but less salty than sea water.

Carnivore. A flesh-eating animal or plant.

Chronometer. A highly accurate clock used to find longitude used by the Corps of Discovery. This instrument had to be wound daily to maintain its accuracy and usefulness.

Community. A group of plant and animal populations living in a prescribed area or physical habitat.

Compass. An instrument used to find and follow directions by means of a magnetized needle turning freely on a pivot and pointing to magnetic north, a gradually shifting point in the Earth's magnetic field, today about 1,400 miles south of true north at the North Pole. The difference between true and magnetic north is called declination and it varies by geographic location.

Conservation. Controlling the use of and protecting natural resources.

Consumer. An organism that eats other organisms or organic matter.

Culture. The arts, beliefs, customs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought created by a people or group at a particular time.

Decomposer. An organism (such as bacteria or fungi) that returns components of organic matter to the environment by feeding on and breaking down dead plants and animals.

Delineate. To draw boundaries (e.g., to delineate wetlands).

Dentalia beads. Beads formed from sea shells found in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Vancouver Island, valued by the early people of the area.

Dependence. The state of requiring something outside of oneself for individual survival.

Detritus. Decaying bits of plant and/or animal remains (resembles gooey mud sometimes).

Diurnal. Active or occurring in the daytime.

Ecology. The study of the interrelationship of organisms and their environments.

Ecosystem. A system made up of a community of living things and the physical and chemical environment with which they interact.

Emergent Vegetation. Aquatic vegetation rooted underwater but growing above the surface of the water.

Endangered Species. A species that is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.

Endangered Species Act. A 1966 federal law designed to prevent species from passing into extinction.

Extinct Species. An animal or plant species that has died out everywhere in the world.

Endemic. Describing a population or species that is native to or limited to a certain region.

Estuary. A body of water or water passage where tidal salt water is diluted by fresh water.

Fauna. Animals, especially of a region or period.

Fledge. To rear until ready for flight or independent activity.

Flora. Plants, especially of a region or period.

Flyway. A route taken by migratory birds during their flights between breeding grounds in the north and wintering grounds in the south.

Food Chain. A sequence of living organisms in an ecological community in which members of one level feed on those in the level below them and in turn are eaten by those in the level above them.

Food Pyramid. Demonstrates the loss of energy between different levels of consumers of a food chain.

Food Web. The totality of interrelated food chains in an ecological community.

Freshwater Habitat. An area where standing freshwater exists year-round in most conditions.

Global Positioning System. A navigation system that was developed by the U.S. Department of Defense, GPS uses satellites that continually circle the earth and send out signals capable of locating or relocating a place on the Earth's surface. A handheld receiver called a FPS unit, picks up signals from several satellites at once, and, by triangulation, calculates the difference in time between signals each sends out. In this way, the receiver calculates its latitude, longitude, and altitude anywhere on Earth.

Habitat. The place or type of site where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives, often characterized by a dominant plant form or physical characteristic (the stream habitat, the forest habitat).

Herbivore. An organism that eats living plants or their parts.

Hydrology. The study of water and its properties.

Hypothesis. A tentative explanation for an observation, phenomenon, or scientific problem that can be tested by further investigation.

Impoundment. A basin created by the construction of dikes. Water control structures are usually installed in the dikes to allow for the impoundments to be drained of or filled with water.

Inference. The use of logic or even guesses to interpret or explain observations.

Interdependence. Within biological communities, the state of species depending upon each other, often to the extent that if one is lost other cannot exist.

Invertebrate. An animal without a backbone or spinal column.

Legend. A story handed down from earlier times, especially one popularly believed to be historical.

Magnetic Field. The portion of space near a magnetic body.

Mate. Either member of a breeding pair of animals.

Microclimate. The essentially uniform local climate of a small site or habitat.

Migration. The act of moving (usually seasonally) from one locality to another for feeding or breeding purposes.

Molt. To shed hair, feathers, shell, horns, or an outer layer periodically.

MPD. Miles per day.

Nocturnal. Active or occurring at night.

Nutrients. The raw materials necessary for continuing life processes.

Omnivore. An organism that eats both plant and animal material.

Organism. A living thing.

Pacific Flyway. A route in the western United States, extending from Alaska to Mexico, taken by migratory birds during their flights between breeding grounds in the north and wintering grounds in the south.

Plant Press. A tool used for centuries to flatten and dry plants for preservation, the plant press is still widely used today.

Pocket Telescope. A small telescope or spyglass used by the Corps of Discovery to view distant objects on land or sea.

Pollution. Contamination of the environment, especially with human-made wastes.

Predator. An animal (rarely a plant) that captures and eats animals for food.

Prey. An animal killed for food.

Producer. An organism capable of producing food by combining inorganic materials, as in photosynthesis.

Radiocarbon Dating. The determination of the approximate age of an ancient object, such as an archaeological specimen, by measuring the amount of carbon 14 it contains.

Rare Species. A species that has a small number of individuals and/or has a limited distribution. A rare species may or may not be endangered or threatened.

Replica. A copy or close reproduction.

Riparian. On or near the banks of a river or other flowing body of water; usually refers to vegetation.

Riverine. Relating to or resembling a river; located on or inhabiting the banks of a river.

Scat. An animal fecal dropping.

Scavenger. An organism that feeds habitually on refuse or carrion.

Scientific Observation. Descriptions of what we actually see, hear, feel, taste, or smell.

Sextant. An instrument used by the Corps of Discovery to measure the angle of altitude of the sun, moon, and stars above the horizon to determine latitude. Two mirrors reflect the heavenly bodies through a filtered eyepiece to protect the eye from damaging sunlight.

Slough. A slow moving backwater which is (or has historically been) connected to a river; a stagnant swamp, marsh, bog, or pond, especially as part of an inlet or backwater.

Species. One population of organisms, all the members of which are able to breed amongst themselves and produce fertile offspring.

Stratigraphy. The concept of stratigraphy is based on the understanding that where several layers that represent differing events are superimposed, then the layer at the bottom will be the oldest and the one at the top the most recent.

Submergent Vegetation. Aquatic vegetation growing underwater.

Threatened Species. A species whose numbers are low or declining. A threatened species is not in immediate danger of extinction, but is likely to become endangered if it is not protected.

Technology. The application of science, especially to industrial or commercial objectives.

Two-Pole Chain. A series of 50 metal links (each 7.92 inches in length) that form a chain 33 feet long which could be folded for easy transport by the Corps of Discovery. A pole was a unit of measure equaling 16.5 feet.

Understory. An underlying layer of low vegetation in a forested area.

Upland. Ground elevated above the lowlands, marshlands, or rivers.

Vegetative Community. A group of plant populations living in a prescribed area or physical habitat; it may refer to one or to all of the plant species within a given area.

Wapato. A native plant (Sagittaria latifolia) found in marshy areas, once prized as a tasty food. Tribes traded valuable possessions to get the root, which they ate roasted or dried.

Wetlands. Areas that, at least periodically, have waterlogged soils, support plants adapted to wet soil, and are submerged in water. Bogs, freshwater and saltwater marshes, and freshwater and saltwater swamps are examples of wetlands.

Woodland Habitat. Typically, a habitat with trees, shrubs, and a ground layer of vegetation.