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Ecological Concepts
Need some help with the terminology? Check out these useful terms for Fairmount Park's
Natural Areas.
Adaptation - the process of evolutionary modification that makes a species better suited
to its environment.
Benthic macroinvertebrates - organisms lacking internal backbones (invertebrates) that
are large enough to be observed with the unaided eye (macro) and live near the bottom of a body of water
(benthic).
Biodegradable - capable of being decomposed through natural processes.
Biodiversity - the variety of organisms found in a specific area.
Canopy - the highest layer of vegetation in a woodland or forest community.
Deer exclosures - sites from which deer are excluded by fences or other devices.
Deposition - the accumulation of sediment and/or rock on a stream bed, bank or floodplain.
Detention basin - a water storage impoundment used to slow the rate of surface water runoff.
These devices delay the passage of water during storm events in order to reduce flood peaks.
Ecological communities - a grouping of populations of different organisms found living
together in a particular environment.
Ecology - the study of interactions of organisms with each other and their physical
environment.
Ecosystem - organisms within a community and their associated physical environment.
Endangered species - a species faced with the danger of extinction or extirpation from a certain area.
Environment - all living and non-living factors in a given area that affect the organisms
that live there.
Erosion - the wearing away of soil by water runoff and other means.
Estuary - a semi-enclosed coastal water, open to the sea with fresh water drainage and
fluctuating salinity, i.e.-the mouth of a river.
Exotic species - a foreign or alien species that has been introduced into an area.
Fauna - the animal life of a locality or region.
Fiber logs and mats - materials made from plant fibers that are used to stabilize stream
banks. lake shores and other features. They are typically made of coconut fiber.
Flood plain - the land bordering a stream that is inundated when water spills over the streambanks.
Flora - the plant life of a locality or region.
Fungus - any of a large group of organisms characterized by lack of chlorophyll. The
molds, mildews and mushrooms belong to this group.
Groundwater - all subsurface water that is distinct from surface water.
Groundwater recharge - the process by which water percolates to the subsurface to
replenish an aquifer.
Habitat - the environment suitable for a particular animal to feed, hide or reproduce.
Herb - a non-woody, seed-bearing plant.
Herbaceous - herblike; resembling or having the characteristics of an herb.
Herbaceous cover - area composed of non-woody, seed-bearing plants.
Herbivore - an animal which feeds on plants or plant products.
Impervious cover or surfaces - surfaces of the earth that have been covered by impermeable
materials such that water can no longer infiltrate into the soil. Examples: roofs, driveways, sidewalks,
parking lots and roads.
Incised channel - a stream that has degraded and cut its bed downward. Indicates
accelerated and often destructive erosion.
Indicator species - a species that has very specific ecological requirements and which is,
when present, therefore indicative of a particular environmental condition or set of conditions.
Infiltration - movement of water into the soil.
Infiltration techniques - any practice that encourages the movement of water into the ground.
These can be earthen basins with no primary surface outlet, small depressions with porous soils and
vegetation, or the use of permeable pavements.
Inorganic - a substance which does not contain carbon or compounds of carbon. A substance
which is not of plant or animal origin.
Invasive species - species that out-compete or invade other species native to a given area.
Keystone species - a species which has a dominant effect on the structure and function of an
ecological community.
Larva -the young and immature form of an insect.
Meadows - vegetative communities containing few trees or shrubs, consisting largely of grasses
and forbs
Mesic - characterized by, or adapted to a moderately moist area.
Morphology - the form and structure of individual organisms, as distinct from their anatomy.
Natural lands - lands that are not part of a formalized landscape, where natural ecosystems
exist.
Native species - species that occurred historically in a particular area; plants not introduced
to the area by humans either accidentally or intentionally.
Non-point source pollution - pollution originating from diffuse areas (land surface or atmosphere)
having no well-defined source or point. Examples: agricultural runoff, urban runoff, atmospheric
deposition.
Nutrients - materials, including minerals, necessary for growth of plants or animals.
Organic - pertaining to, originating in, or derived from living organisms.
Population - used in the text to indicate a group of individuals of a species living within an
area.
Preservation - the protection of native lands.
Regeneration - establishment and growth of seedlings of plant species present in a vegetation
community.
Restoration - the repair of an area to a condition similar to that which existed at a defined
period in history.
Riparian zone - the transition zone between a stream and the upland.
Rogue trail - an unofficial trail that is created to avoid an obstacle, explore a new area,
etc.
Runoff - the portion of precipitation or snow melt that flows over soil,
eventually making its way to a body of water (e.g. stream, river, lake).
Service learning - the blending of service and learning to reach a specific educational
goal.
Species - organisms that resemble one another and can breed among themselves.
Stewardship - the demonstration of care for something, i.e. the environment.
Stormwater runoff - rain that runs off of pavement, lawns, roofs and other impervious
surfaces.
Tributary - a stream that flows into a larger stream.
Vegetation - the plant life of an area or region.
Watershed - the specific area of land that drains into a stream, river or other body of
water.
Wetland - an area that is periodically saturated with water, has hydric soils and water-loving plants,
such as a swamp or marsh.
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