Botany Final

α-Diversity

Total number of present species per study location

β-Diversity

Difference in present species in comparison to another sampling location

γ-Diversity

Total number of species in a combining several observations in a region

Shannon’s Diversity Index

Quantifies the uncertainty in predicting the species identity of an individual that is taken at random from the dataset

Simpson’s Diversity Index

Equals the probability that two entities taken at random from the dataset of interest represent the same type

evenness

the measure of relative abundance of different species within a community

floristic community assembly

collection or association of a plant species within a designated geographical unit

Ellenberg Ecological Indicator Values

ordinal classification of plants according to position of their realized ecological niche along an environmental gradient

Phanerophytes

plants with buds exposed to air (>25 cm above ground), adapted to mild or wet climates, trees or large shrubs

Chamaephytes

buds close to ground (<25 cm above soil), adapted to cold or windy climates (snow may insulate them), low shrubs and cushion plants

Hemicryptophytes

Buds at soil surface, often protected by dead leaves or snow, temperate zones, rosette plants and perennial herbs

Cryptophytes

Buds hidden below ground or underwater, adapted to cold or dry climate and aquatic environments

Geophytes

cryptophytes with underground storage organs (tulips, potatoes)

Helophytes

cryptophytes in marshy soils with buds below waterline (reeds)

Hydrophytes

fully aquatic cryptophytes (water lilles)

Therophytes

annual plants that survive unfavorable seasons as seeds only, dominant in arid or unpredictable climates, may weeds and desert flowers

Optimal Partitioning Theory

plants allocate limited resources (carbon, nutrients and water) in ways that maximize fitness in terms of growth and reproduction

Leaf Mass per Area

how plants optimize leaf construction to maximize photosynthesis for their growth in relation to their resource constraints

Specific Leaf Area

metric that measures how much light a plant captures per unit of leaf mass; higher indicates more efficient leaf that captures more light for a smaller biomass

Reproductive allocation

how plants distribute their resources to flowers, seeds and fruits

Mycorrhiza

symbiosis between tree and fungi to increase efficiency in water and nutrient uptake; may cost carbon for the tree

Hypertonic soil

higher concentration of saline than in plant cells so cells loose water

isotonic soil

same level of salinity in soil as in plant cell

hypotonic soil

lower salinity in soil than in plant cell so water goes into cell

bulk density

soil weight in a given volume

soil porosity

amount of pores or open space between soil particles

field capacity

amount of soil moisture or water content held in soil after excess water has drained away