ILC Glossary of Internet Terms

a good place to go for technical terms dealing with the internet.

A

arachnids - a class of mainly terrestrial Arthropoda (jointed legged invertebrates) in which the head and thorax are continuous. The head bears pedipalps and chelicerae but not antennae. There are four pairs of walking legs. Examples: ticks, spiders, mites, scorpions, etc.

apiculate - ending in a short, sharp point

adpressed - pressed closely against. With salamanders, the relative length of the limbs can be assessed by holding them closely against the side of the body and checking the distance separating them or the amount they overlap

alkali - a hydroxide which dissolves in water to form a solution with a pH greater than 7; capable of neutralizing an acid.

arid - describes a climate or habitat having a low annual rainfall of less than 250 mm, with evaporation exceeding precipitation, and a sparse vegetation

amplexus - sexual intercourse in amphibians

B

beak sculpture - texture on the outer surface of the shell adjacent to the hinge

Blue List - The provincial ranking system that designates species as sensitive or vulnerable and "at risk" but not yet endangered or threatened. Populations of these species may not be in decline, but their habitat or other requirements are such that they are vulnerable to further disturbance. Species that are generally suspected of being vulnerable, but for which information is too limited to allow designation in another category, are included in this category.

burrow - an animal den in the ground

C

cerambycid - family of beetles - long-horned woodborers

Conservation Data Centre (CDC) - an organization that compiles information on the status and occurrence of rare vascular plants, vertebrates, and plant communities. The purpose of the Data Centre is to centralize and standardize data, concentrating on rare animals, plants, and communities for a particular jurisdiction, such as British Columbia.

CDC Rankings:

G - global rank, based on the status of the element of biological diversity (such as species, subspecies, plant community or special biological feature) throughout its entire range

S - provincial or subnational rank, based solely on the element's status within British Columbia

H - historical occurrence; usually not verified in the last 40 years, but with the expectation that it may be rediscovered

X - Apparently extinct or extirpated, without the expectation that it will be rediscovered

? - Limited information is available or the number of extant occurrences is estimated.

U - Status uncertain, often because of low search effort or cryptic nature of the element; uncertainty spans a range of 4 or 5 ranks

T - designates a rank associated with a subspecies

1 - Critically imperiled - extremely rare (5 or fewer extant occurrences or very few remaining individuals) or some factor(s) make it especially vulnerable to extirpation or extinction

2 - Imperiled - rare (typically 6-20 extant occurrences or few remaining individuals) or some factor(s) make it vulnerable to extirpation or extinction

3 - Rare or uncommon - typically 21-100 occurrences; may be susceptible to large-scale disturbances, such as loss of extensive peripheral populations.

4 - Frequent to common - greater than 100 occurrences; apparently secure but may have a restricted distribution or future threats may be perceived

5 - Common to very common - demonstrably secure and essentially ineradicable under present conditions

calcar - in insects, a tibial spine

cannibalism - predation of an animal by a member of its own species

carnivorous - flesh eating

COSEWIC - Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada - determines the national status of wild species, sub-species and separate populations in Canada based on the recommendation of individual status reports. All native fish, amphibians, reptiles, plants and animals are included and are ranked: Vulnerable, Threatened, Endangered, Extirpated or Extinct. Three lists are maintained: 1) species with designated status; 2) species examined and designated in the not at risk category; 3) species examined and designated in the indeterminate category because of insufficient scientific information.

caudex - a trunk or stock

costal - any riblike structure. In insects, the strong wing-vein at the front edge of a wing.

Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) - works to protect Canada's full diversity of wild ecosystems and species in parks and wilderness areas. CPAWS works cooperatively with government, business, other organizations and individuals, and seeks consensus whenever possible

Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) - one of four federal agencies (National Museums, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and Parks Canada) that works towards the protection and conservation of biodiversity across Canada.

chelicerae - in Arachnida, a pair of appendages in front of the mouth, which are usually pincer-like.

cephalothoracic - in some Crustacea, pertaining to the region of the body formed by the fusion of the head and thorax

D

depressed - sunken

deprivation - to deprive or have taken away

E

entomological - pertaining to the study of insects

echolocating - the perception of objects using high frequency sound waves, used by some animals for navigation and orientation within the environment

ecoprovince - an area with consistent climate or oceanography, relief, and plate tectonics

ecoregion - an area with major physiographic and minor macroclimatic or oceanographic variation

ecosection - an area with minor physiographic and macroclimatic or oceanographic variation

endangered species - Any species of plant or animal whose existence is threatened with immediate extinction through all or most of its range. The species' numbers are usually low, and need protection in order to survive.

extinction/extinct species - The condition of having been removed from existence. A plant or animal facing extinction is in danger of vanishing from our world.

extirpated species - A species that no longer exists in the wild in one geographic region but occurs elsewhere.

ecodivision - an area of broad climatic and physiographic uniformity

eutrophication - over-enrichment of a water body with nutrients, resulting in excessive growth of organisms and depletion of oxygen concentration

ecodomain - an area of broad climatic uniformity

F

forbs - any herb or grasses

flanks - fleshy part on the side of body between ribs and hip

fibrous-rooted - a root system composed of many roots of roughly equal thickness and length, as in grasses

foraging - behaviour that involves searching for, capturing and consuming food

fledging - preparing for flight

G

gravid - pregnant; carrying eggs or young

gestation period - the period of development of an embryo within the uterus of a viviparous animal, from conception to birth

gleaning - gathering of food from widely scattered places (e.g. usually, in birds, terms like "leaf-gleaning" are used).

Green List - The provincial system of designating which species are managed only by ensuring that they have adequate habitat.

guano - an accumulation of sea bird or bat droppings rich in phosphates and nitrates

H

heterogeneous - composed of unrelated or unlike parts.

halteres - modified hind-wing of dipteran fly, consisting of a small knob-like projection from the body. Sensory function, probably concerned with maintaining equilibrium during flight

habitat degradation - breakdown of a habitat into smaller parts, destroying its original integrity.

Habitat Conservation Fund (HCF) - created by act of the legislature to preserve, restore and enhance key areas of habitat for fish and wildlife throughout British Columbia.

hibernacula - the domicile in which an animal hibernates or overwinters; winter-quarters

herbaceous - a soft, green plant without persistent woody tissues above ground

I

incisors - the front teeth of Mammals; they have a single root, are adapted for cutting, and are the only teeth born by the premaxillae in the upper jaw

intermontane - between mountain ranges

incubation - the maintaining of eggs under conditions favourable for hatching

invertebrate - animals other than those in phylum Chordata; that is, all those animals that do not exhibit the characteristics of vertebrates, namely possession of a notochord or vertebral column, ventral heart, etc.

inguinal - pertaining to, or in the region of, the groin

J

K

keel - thin plate-like projection of bone, from ventral surface of breast-bone of birds and bats, to either side of which the powerful wing-muscles are attached

L

lactating - producing milk from the mammary glands of Mammalia

low recruitment - a low influx of new members into a population by reproduction or immigration

larvae - an immature form of an animal that radically differs in appearance from the adult

lyrate - shaped like a lyre. A pinnately lobed leaf with a large terminal and small lateral lobes.

linear-lanceolate - a leaf that has parallel sides and is much longer than broad and tapering at both ends

M

metamorphosis - pronounced change of form and structure taking place within a comparatively short period of time, as the changes undergone by an animal in passing from the larval to the adult stage

mortality - the death of individuals in a population

migratory - a species that moves long distances, often seasonally and in large numbers

mesic - pertaining to conditions of moderate moisture or water supply; used by organisms occupying moist habitats

monogamous - pertaining to the condition in which a single male and female form a prolonged and more or less exclusive breeding relationship

metabolism - the totality of the synthetic and degradative biochemical processes of living organisms

murid - a member of the rodent Family Muridae, including rats and mice.

malar - pertaining to, or situated in, the cheek region of vertebrates

N

nonmigratory - not moving from one habitat or location to another, but rather staying in one place throughout the seasons

neotenic - the condition whereby a larva fails to metamorphose into adult form, resulting in a permanent, sexually mature larva

native - Indigenous; living naturally within a given area; pertaining to a plant species that occurs at least partly in natural habitats and is consistently associated with certain other species in these habitats.

O

oblanceolate - inversely tapering at each end

opportunistic feeder - a species adapted for utilizing variable, unpredictable or transient environments to obtain food

orchardists - people who grow fruit trees

P

parasitism - An obligatory symbiosis between individuals of two different species, in which the parasite is metabolically dependent on the host, and in which the host is typically adversely affected but rarely killed

parotid glands - in some Anura, an aggregation of poison-producing skin glands on the neck; in Mammals, a salivary gland situated at the angle of the lower jaw

postbreeding dispersal parturition - in viviparous animals, the act of bringing forth young after breeding has occurred

pelages - shades of exteriors

polygyny - the mating of a single male with several females

petioles - the stalk of a leaf

paedogenic - sexual reproduction by larval or immature forms

perennial - a plant that lives for more than 2 years.

peduncles - a stalk bearing several flowers

polyoestrous - having a succession of breeding periods in one sexual season

pectoral - pertaining to the chest area

pronotum - anterior most group of platelike areas on the thorax of insects

prediapausal - prior to the resting phase

postcephalic - posterior to the head

pedipalps - in Chelicerata, second head appendage of arachnids; may be locomotor (kingcrabs); clawed and used for seizing prey (scorpions); sensory; or modified in the male for fertilization (spiders)

proboscis - an anterior trunklike process

parasites - an organism which lives in or on another organism and derives subsistence from it without rendering it any service in return

pelvic stays - support in the pelvis

Q

R

rhizomes - stem, usually underground, often horizontal, typically non-green and root-like in appearance but bearing scale leaves and/or foliage leaves

Red List - The provincial ranking system that designates species as endangered or threatened, or are being considered for such status - because they run the risk of extirpation or extinction.

robust - the strength and health of a species

reproductive rates - the number of offspring of an individual being produced by females in a population

riodinids - members of butterfly Family Riodinidae; commonly called Metalmarks.

riparian - pertaining to, living or situated on, the banks of rivers and streams

reintroduction - introducing a native species back into its original habitat

range - the limits of geographical distribution of a species or group

rodenticides - a chemical used to kill rodents

riverine - pertaining to a river

S

steppe - semi-arid areas of treeless grassland found in the mid-latitudes

species - A group of individuals that potentially interbreed with each other but not with others.

spermatophore - small packet of sperm, produced by some species of animals having internal fertilization

sepals - typically green, leaf-like structures enclosing the bud of the flower.

sporocarp - a hard multicellular structure enclosing sporangia in some fungi and some heterosporous ferns.

subterranean - existing or occurring, or done under the earth's surface; underground

subspecies - a group of interbreeding natural populations differing taxonomically and with respect to gene pool characteristics, and often isolated geographically, from other such groups within a biological species

superciliary - pertaining to, or situated near, the eyebrows; above the orbit

stipules - in many dicotyledons one of a pair of appendages which start development as outgrowths of the flank of a leaf primordium, often serve to protect the leaves in the bud and mature as leaf-like photosynthetic structures or as spines, scales, etc.

T

threatened species - Any indigenous species that is likely to become endangered through all or most of its range, if the factors reducing its viability are not diminished or resolved.

tragus - a cartilaginous projection that partly extends over the opening of the ear in some mammals

tubercles - small rounded projections

thorax - in Crustacea and Arachnida, a region of the body lying between the head and the abdomen and usually fused with the former; in Insects, one of the three primary regions of the body, lying between the head and the abdomen, and bearing in the adult three pairs of legs and the wings

tibiae - in land vertebrates the pre-axial bone of the crus, in insects, and some arachnida, the fourth joint of the leg

torpor - a dormant state

testes - male gonads or reproductive glands responsible for the production of sperm.

U

urbanization - the development of an area for housing and industrial purposes

V

ventral - the under surface of plants with creeping stems next to the substrate

vulnerable species - A species that is particularly at risk because of low or declining numbers, small range or for some other reason, but is not a threatened species.

W

wintering - place of residence over the winter season

World Wildlife Fund Canada (WWF) - one of three nationally-based private conservation agencies (Canadian Nature Federation and Canadian Wildlife Federation) {http://www.envirolink.org/}

X

xeric - dry conditions in which plant growth may be limited by water shortage

Y

Yellow List - The provincial system of designating which species are actively managed at a population level.

Z

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