RNR 1010 Exam 3

Biofilms

assemblages of surface-dwelling microbial cells, as well as fungi, algae, protozoans and other microorganisms that are contained within a gelatinous matrix found on rocks and sticks in water.

Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS)

A gelatinous mixture that makes up biofilms mostly made from polysaccharides, proteins and DNA.

Extremophiles

organisms that can thrive in extreme environments

Buffering

The ability of aquatic systems to to maintain a normal pH level by neutralizing additions of acids or bases.

Bicarbonate Buffering System

Manages the acid base imbalances in water by using up the hydrogen atoms that cause more acidity CO2 + H2O ↔ H2CO3 + CaCO3 ↔ Ca2+ + 2HCO3-. Or there poor buffering where there is little calcium carbonate available to modify changes in pH so free hydrogen ions are released and the pH declines CO2 + H2O ↔ H2CO3 ↔ HCO3-+ H+ ↔ CO32-+ H+.

Co-evolution

The relationship between two or more species that have affected each other's evolution.

Mutualistic

When both species benefit by working together.

Dissolved Oxygen (DO)

How much oxygen is dissolved in water.

Inversely

When the value of one parameter tends to decrease as the value of the other parameter increases. (DO levels are inversely related to temperature)

Saturation

Aerating water at a given
temperature so that it contains the most oxygen it can hold.

hypoxia

oxygen deficiency

Anoxia

absence of oxygen

Eutrophication

excessive nutrients in a lake or other body of water, usually caused by runoff of nutrients from the land, which causes a dense growth of plant life

Drift Feeding

A foraging strategy that is used by stream fish.

Evapotranspiration

The amount of rainfall that is lost to the process of evaporation.

Evaporation

The process of turning water into vapor mostly from the ground.

Transpiration

The process of giving off water vapor through the the movement of water from the roots through the leaf stomata.

Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act or Pittman-Robertson Act

A piece of legislation passed by congress un 1937 to provide funding for the restoration and management of sport birds and mammals.

The Lacey Act

The first piece of federal legislation in the US enacted to protect wildlife, fishes and plants.

Nutrients

Elements or compounds needed by living organisms for growth, survival and reproduction.

Macronutrients

Nutrients needed in large quantities to sustain an organisms metabolism. (HOCNPCaKMgS)

micronutrients

A substance needed only in small amounts for normal body function. (BCuFeClMnMoZn)

Essential Amino Acids

Cannot be synthesized and must be consumed in the diet. (histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine,
methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine)

Malnutrition

Lack of proper nutrition, caused by not having enough to eat, not eating enough of the right things, or being unable to use the food that one does eat.

Snags

Standing dead tree that contribute significantly to forest habitats for wildlife.

Facultative

Interactions are those in which the partners may participate in the interaction, but they don't have to.

Obligate

One or both partners must participate in the interaction to survive.

Wetland Reserve Program

A major land retirement and habitat restoration/conservation program established by the 1990 farm bill.

Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP)

Continues to provide easements for the protection and restoration of wetlands throughout the US.

Abscission

shedding of leaves in the fall

Quercus

oaks

Acer

Maple

Ulmus

Elm

Carya

Hickory

Canopy

The top of the vertical habitat zonation

Understory

Second to the top layer in the vertical habitat zonation. Consist of young dominate tress and small species.

Shrub

The third layer from the top in the vertical habitat zonation.

Herbaceous

Second to bottom layer in the vertical habitat zonation.

Ground

The bottom layer of the vertical habitat zonation. Consists of mosses and lichens.

Alfisols

Soils that are rich in nutrients and organic matter from annual leaf inputs.

Organic

a fertilizer that is derived from animal or vegetable matter

inorganic

A fertilizer that is lacking the properties characteristic of living organisms and instead use nutrients and micronutrients that give no contribution to soil structure.

Old Growth

forest or woodland having a mature or overly mature ecosystem more or less uninfluenced by human activity (essentially no longer exist).

Secondary Forest

Forests regenerating largely through natural processes after human and disturbance.

Secondary Succession

Regeneration of forest cover after harvesting has occurred.

Primary Succesion

When a ecosystem begins from bare rock from a climax community.

Climax Community

A stable community dominated by a small number of prominent species.

Secondary Succesion

When a disturbance causes a reset of a community to earlier stages but not all the way to bare rock.

Sere

A natural succession of plant (or animal) communities, especially a full series from uncolonized habitat to the appropriate climax vegetation.

Pioneer Species

-Early Seres
- high reproductive rate
- short-lived, small
- easy propagule dispersal
- minimal resource demands
- environmental generalists
- poor competitors for λ, H2O, and nutrients

Climax species

-Late seres
- lower reproduction
- long-lived, large
- high resource demands
- environmental specialists
- superior competitors

Softwood

low density wood fibers (easy to cut). EX. coniferous

Hardwood

Wood with a condensed structure that results in greater density and used in furniture and musical instruments (hard to cut). EX. deciduous

Selective Harvesting

Only selecting certain trees to cut down rather than clear cutting resulting in uneven aged management. (reduces over crowding and encourages growth)

Uneven-aged managment

The Removal of single or small groups of trees from many age classes.

Shade tolerant

Trees that can grow in the shade of other trees.

High Grading

When genetic selection favors unharvested sub optimal trees.

Variable retention

leaves so good trees to maintain genetic diversity and maintains age diversity.

Snags

Dead trees that are left upright to decompose naturally.

Collateral damage due to reduced impact logging (RIL)

If a tree is cut it may take out a few more around it on its way down.

Reduced Impact Logging (RIL)

Meticulous planning and control to minimize environmental impact to forests and lands. Such as careful road planning, tree felling directions, and vine removal.

Hydrology

The study of water distribution adn uses on the earth and in the atmosphere.

Precipitation

Rain

Discharge

The volume of water moving down a stream or river per unit of time.

Water interception

When water stays in the canopy and gets evaporated before reaching the soil.

Throughfall

Un-intercepted rainfall

Stemflow

The flow of intercepted water down the trunk or stem of a plant.

Effective rain fall

The water that is able to make it to the soil through stemflow and throughfall.

Runoff

the draining away of water from the surface of an area of land.

Rugosity

How textured a surface is indicating how quickly water runs off of it.

Infiltration

When water goes into somewhere.

Percolation

When water goes down through to somewhere.

Subsurface flow

The flow of water below earth's surface.

Stream hydrograph

A graph of how fast the stream flows over a period of time. (discharge (volume) through time)

Ground water

underground water that is held in the soil and in pervious rocks

Baseflow

A portion of streamflow that is not directly generated from the excess rainfall during a storm event.

Forested Stream Storm

Non incised stream bed (not cut cleanly), and over bank flooding

Urban Stream Storm

higher discharge and water velocities, bed and bank scouring, reduction in submerged structure

Climate on watershed discharge

climate determines precipitation intensity, duration, and frequency, with the location of storms. Low humidity, higher temperatures, and greater wind speeds tend to increase transpiration rates reducing runoff. Snow deposition results in long periods of low discharge, followed by intense runoff during the spring melt.

Transpiration

the process of giving off or exhaling water vapor.

Topography

The slope, shape, elevation and stream density of an environment effecting stream flow. Higher elevation would imply lower temperatures, less evapotranspiration, greater rainfall, steeper slopes, and shallow soils → greater runoff.

Flashy

Stream that rise and fall quickly

Soil Texture

How well certain soil textures hold water. Silt hold water very well.

Land Use

The human use of land has a huge effect on watersheds.

Water Yield

An estimate of freshwater input flowing into streams and rivers.

Headwater Streams

The smallest parts of river and stream networks. Small, has discharge year round (perennial) or periodically (intermittent) where they last for a very short time (ephemeral). -They are cool and stable when not in the winter due to shade and ground water
-They have rapid temp changes due to being shallow and well mixed
-Has a high gradient effecting stream morphology and habitat availability
-Has rapid response to rain fall due to shallow soils and incised watersheds
-High dissolved oxygen due to turbulent high surface area
-Sensitive to low pH because there is low soil buffering capacity and rapid runoff
-Allochthonous based food web
-Woody debris/coarse substrates from trapping and processing organic matter

Low order streams

Stream found high in the watershed

Buffering

The balancing of pHs in a water system

Alloxhthonous

A biotic processing of coarse particulate organic matter. From Coarse Particulate Organic Matter (CPOM) to Fine Particulate Plant Matter (FPOM) to Dissolved Organic Matter (DOM)

Functional feeding groups

classification based on food acquisition rather than taxonomic group.

Shreeders

Important first step in organic processing, poor food source, creates small organic particles colonized by bacteria and fungi. (Stoneflies, Caddisflies, Decapods, Crustacea, and Amphipods)

Collector/Gathers

Search for enriched organic particles as energy source. (Mayflies, Trichoptera, Bettles, and True flies)

Collector/Filterers

Trap food particles carried by the current.
(Caddisflies)

Predators

Take advantage of herbivore production. (Dragonflies, stoneflies, damselflies, Dobsonflies, Coleoptera, Odonata, Diptera)

Periphyton

Biofilm that scrappers feed on.

Brook Char

Native trout living in headwater streams. They are sensitive to changes in water quality and they are an inferior competitor to other trout species.

Rainbow and Brown Trout

Were both stocked in headwater streams for increased angling opportunities.

Genetic Identification, culture and restocking

These are all ways used to conserve the brook trout populations.

Removal of non native fish

This is also another way to conserve native populations. This is done by either netting fish or by Rotenone.

Rotenone

Piscicdes that is made from a plant that is known to kill certain fish.