condenser
An apparatus made for turning vapor into liquid.
condenser
An apparatus made for turning vapor into liquid.
yield
In this case, the yield is the amount of water that can be harvested.
low-grade energy
An energy that cannot be fully converted into another type of energy. Heat is considered a low-grade energy. Low-grade energies are naturally less expensive than high-grade energies such as electricity.
somata
Also known as the soma; is considered to be the cell body of the neuron.
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA for short, is one class of genetic material. It is an example of a nucleic acid molecule.
DNA is composed of three chemical building blocks: a sugar (called deoxyribose), a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base.
«
This symbol means "much less than."
d-dimensional
When a vector is d-dimensional, d refers to a placeholder value that could stand for any integer, depending on how many feature values are associated with each image.
hash function
Hashing is used in computer science to reorganize large data sets (regardless of their size) into tables of fixed size. During this process, multiple data points will typically be stored in the same bin (or hash) based on how similar they are. The hash is then represented with a shortened name, or key, that takes up less storage space in the computer.
In other words, this process helps compress the data so that a computer can use it more efficiently. It also makes it easier and faster to look up data in the table.
![] (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Hash_table_4_1_1_0_0_1_0_LL.svg)
Schematic
A simplified and symbolic representation of elements in a system. Here, the authors use a schematic to represent cell types in the fly olfactory circuit.
inhibitory neuron
These cells send signals to surrounding neurons that make those cells less likely to fire.
feedforward
This describes an element in a system that passes information from a source (in this case, from odorant receptor neurons) forward to another element in the system (in this case, projection neurons).
circuit
A group of neurons connected by synapses (structures that allow electrical signals to pass between neurons) that carry out a specific function in the brain.

neural circuits
A grouping of neurons organized to process specific kinds of information.
synergy
An interaction between two elements that creates a combined effect greater than the sum of their parts.
bumblebee
Not all bees are honeybees! There are actually about 25,000 different species of bees, and the European Honeybee is just one. Bumblebees (genus Bombus) can be distinguished by their fuzzy abdomens and generally larger size.
Check out this infographic from Gould (2015) showing the different families of bees, and "bee hotspots" around the world.


Experimental relocation
Also known as assisted colonization or facilitated colonization, is the act of deliberately moving a species to a different habitat, that the species would have eventually occupied given enough time or the removal of another barrier to its natural dispersal. This is in contrast to other types of assisted migrations or species introductions, where species are moved to completely new regions that they would likely never see without human intervention (e.g. the introduction of Cane Toads to Australia, or mongoose in Hawaii).
In this instance, the authors suggest that controlled and carefully managed relocations of bumblebee colonies further north could help these species to track climate change and avoid range compressions.
range shifts
Indicates a change in where species are found. There are two ways this can happen. First, a species can move into a new place where it never used to be found. Second, a species can disappear (or go locally extinct) from a place where it used to be found.
Status and Trends of European Pollinators Collaborative Project
The Status and Trends of European Pollinators (STEP) Collaborative Project, is a multinational European initiative to "assess the current status and trends of pollinators in Europe, quantify the relative importance of various drivers and impacts of change, identify relevant mitigation strategies and policy instruments, and disseminate this to a wide range of stakeholders."
See here for more info.
Mechanisms
The precise cause of an observed trend.
For example, if the trend we observe is a door opening and closing by itself, the mechanism causing this trend may be the circulation of air in the hallway adjoining the door, or the mischievous actions of a sibling using a long line of transparent fishing line.
In this study, the observed trend is the lags in range responses at species’ northern or cool thermal limits. Potential mechanisms could include a lack of host-plants in these newly-accessible regions at the northern thermal limit, or a competitor species that currently occupies this space.
taxa
The plural of taxon, which refers to a taxonomic group of any rank (species, families, classes, etc.).
ectotherm
Animals that depend on external sources of body heat to control their temperature. Other examples include reptiles (excluding birds), amphibians, and fish.
neonicotinoid
A class of insecticides designed to affect the central nervous system of insects, causing paralysis and death. They are also systemic insecticides, meaning they are absorbed into every cell of a plant, and making every part poisonous. Pesticides, and neonicotinoids in particular, have been implicated as a possible reason for pollinator declines.
Watch Prof. Richard Pywell (unrelated to this study) explain what neonicotinoids are and how they may be affecting pollinators here.
species assemblages
A group, or community, of species.
ipsilateral
On the same side as the lesion.
solid-state optics
A material with the ability to reflect, refract, and polarize light.
subthalamic nucleus (STN)
Deep brain region, part of the basal ganglia, composed of glutamatergic neurons and shaped like a lens.
dopaminergic (DA) neurons
Cells that synthesize and release a compound called dopamine, commonly referred to as a neurotransmitter. Neurotransmitters are released at distant structures of a neuron that come into contact with close or distant cells, called synapses.
intractable
Difficult to control or deal with.
Variant Description ModelThis model type is used to describe the set of features of a single productin the product line. Taking the Input Models of a Configuration Space andmaking choices where there is variability in the Input Models creates thesemodels
Family ModelThis model type is used to describe how the products in a product line willbe assembled or generated from pre-specified components. Each compo-nent in a Family Model represents one or more functional elements of theproducts in the product line, for example software (in the form of classes,objects, functions or variables) or documentation. Family models are de-scribed in more detail in Section 5.4, “Family Models”.
Feature ModelThis model type is used to describe the products of a product line in termsof the features that are common to those products and the features that varybetween those products. Each feature in a Feature Model represents a prop-erty of a product that will be visible to the user of that product. These mod-els also specify relationships between features, for example, choices be-tween alternative features. Feature Models are described in more detail inSection 5.3, “Feature Models”.
volatile organic compound (VOC)
Molecules that contain carbon atoms (i.e. organic) and readily evaporate (i.e. volatile) into the gas-phase at typical pressures and temperatures.
oxidation
In Earth's atmosphere, oxidation generally involves the reaction of a chemical species (such as a VOC) with an oxygen-containing molecule (such as ozone) or a radical (such as OH). The oxidized molecule will generally be less volatile and more water soluble than the starting material. The oxidized product may condense more easily (due to lowered vapor pressure) and form SOA in the atmosphere.
chemical transport modeling
Calculations of how molecules move in air from one location to another. Also accounts for how molecules chemically transform in the atmosphere.
upstream
Refers to emissions that occur in the supply chain prior to use by the consumer.
three-way catalytic converters
An emission control device that simultaneously removes three air pollutants from tailpipe exhaust by oxidizing carbon monoxide and VOCs, and reducing nitrogen oxides.
fine particulate matter (PM2.5)
Suspended particles in air (dust, soot, water droplets, etc.) that are 2.5 micrometers or smaller in diameter.
Fine particulate matter can be dangerous because the particle size is small enough to be inhaled deep into our lungs. https://blissair.com/what-is-pm-2-5.htm
secondary organic aerosols
Small particles that are formed in the atmosphere from the oxidation (a type of chemical reaction) of carbon-containing gases such as VOCs. Later referred to as SOAs in this paper.
nitrogen oxides (NOx = NO + NO2)
Molecular compounds that contain nitrogen and oxygen. These types of molecules are commonly emitted into the atmosphere through automobile exhaust.
arity
Argument count
aircraft penetrations
As part of weather missions, certain aircraft literally penetrate to a storm's center in order to drop sensors that can transmit information about the storm back to the National Hurricane Center.
This supplies data on environmental conditions of different storms in order to directly compare against satellite images.
For more information, check out the "Hurricane Hunters" tab on NOAA"s website: https://www.noaa.gov/explainers/hurricane-forecasting
aircraft reconnaissance
The Department of Defense in conjunction with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have access to a fleet of aircraft to conduct hurricane/tropical cyclone reconnaissance, general surveillance, and research missions.
The aircraft take measurements of geographic position, pressure height and altitude, wind direction and speeds, temperature and dew point temperature among others. These data are collected anywhere from every 30 seconds to every half hour while in flight. Up to five reconnaissance missions may go out in a day.
This image shows some of the types of aircraft used by the U.S. to study hurricanes:
Image from NOAA's Hurricane Hunters
pentad
A pentad is a 5-year period of time.
covariability
"Covariability" is the measure of how much two variables vary together. In this case, the authors are looking at whether ocean temperatures and hurricanes vary together.
significant at the 99% confidence level
A confidence level is the probability that the value of a parameter falls within a specified range of values. In this case, the authors are 99% certain that there is an increasing trend in the number of North Atlantic hurricane and storm days.
Total hurricane days
Total hurricane days = number of days where surface wind speeds remained higher than 33 m s–1.
tropical storm days
Tropical storm days = number of days where surface wind speeds remained between 18 and 33 m s–1.
Saffir-Simpson scale
The Saffir-Simpson scale utilizes a hurricanes sustained wind speeds in order to try and estimate potential property damage.
Category 3 hurricanes and higher have the potential for significant loss of life and damage.
Check out the definitions for each category at the National Hurricane Center website: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshws.php
regional names
The term "hurricane" is given to systems that develop over the Atlantic or the eastern Pacific Oceans. They are called "typhoons" in the western North Pacific and Philippines. Lastly, they are called "cyclones" in the Indian and South Pacific Ocean.
best track archives
Using satellite data it is possible to track the development and movement of hurricanes. The tracks that hurricanes progress upon are recorded and stored in online archives typically run by governmental agencies.
For example, the National Hurricane Center compiles past track maps which allow us to look at U.S. landfalling major hurricanes from 2001-2010:

Check out some of the other tracks and data available here: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/?#tracks_all
Joint Typhoon Warning Center
The U.S. Department of Defense agency responsible for issuing tropical cyclone warnings for the Pacific and Indian Oceans does so through the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, which utilizes satellite data in order to estimate the risk of typhoons and hurricanes of the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
To check out if any storms are currently being watched, visit their website: http://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/jtwc.html
For example from September 19th, 2018:

Kendall trend analysis
These authors used a statisical test called the Kendall Test (also known as the Mann Kendall Trend Test or M-K Test) in order to determine if there was a trend through time in the data.
For more information visit: http://www.statisticshowto.com/mann-kendall-trend-test/
interannual
"Interannual" means occurring between years or from one year to the next.
Thus this is stating that there is variability in hurricanes from one year to the next due to the effects of large scale climate conditions.
Precambrian
The earliest of Earth's geologic ages. The Precambrian period extends from when Earth began to form around 4.6 billion years ago to 4 billion years ago. EarthViewer provides an interactive way to work through Earth history.
subangular
Not smoothly rounded. The particles would have blunt, not sharp angles.
loam
Soil composed of clay and sand that contains decomposed organic matter (leaves, grasses, etc.).
Gorge
A steep-sided ravine.
linear interpolationgridding method
Converts irregular X,Y,Z data into a regularly spaced grid composed of a series of grid nodes. Each node has a specific X,Y location and associated Z value.
dense point cloud
A set of data points used to represent a surface using X,Y,Z coordinates and serve as a starting point in 3D modeling.
Agisoft Photoscan
This software processes digital images and generates spatial data required for 3D images.
Structure from Motion technique
A process used to create 3D digital models from a set of photographs. The photographs can be used to measure distances which are then used to develop the models.
parsimonious
Conservative.
phenotypic diversity
Referring to the variety of observable characteristics or traits —in this case, among Australopithecus.
Homo erectus
An early hominin that is thought to have evolved from Australopithecus or the earliest of the Homo species. H. erectus first appeared in the fossil record about 1.9 million years ago and shares many of the traits seen in modern humans, including upright posture.
avian
Birds.
adducted hallux
In humans, this is the non-opposable big toe that is in line with the other toes. The big toe of most other primates points outward, away from the other toes.
Platy
Composed of thin, platelike pieces.
planar
A flat, 2D surface.
fissures
As the term is used here, these are long, narrow cracks in the Earth.
tectonic
Refers to the structure of Earth. It includes the forces that cause sections of the crust to move and the results of these movements.
3D photogrammetric elevation model
Photogrammetry is a 3D measuring system that uses photographs. In this study, the Laetoli footprints were measured and photographed from two different locations. Lines of sight were developed from each camera to points on the footprint. The lines of sight were then used to mathematically produce 3D coordinates of the points of interest.
faults/fractures
Faults are cracks in Earth's crust due to movement. Fractures are cracks in Earth's crust along which there is no movement. A fracture is called a fault when stresses cause the rock surfaces along the fracture to move in opposite directions.
paleoanthropological
A branch of archaeology that seeks to understand the early development of our humanlike ancestors.
monogamous
Having only one mate.
hypodigm
A sample of a population used to infer the characteristics shared by the individuals making up the population. As it is used in this article, it refers to the fossil remains of Australopithecus afarensis used to determine the traits of of the population.
Paranthropus
This genus consisted of three species classified as Australopithecines. Paranthropus lived during the Pliocene and Pleistocene eras dating from about 1.8 to 1.2 million years ago.
Australopithecus afarensis
An extinct hominin species that lived between 3.9 and 2.9 million years ago. It is one of the longest lived and best known early human species.
Hominoidea
This family includes humans, orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees, and bonobos. https://www2.palomar.edu/anthro/primate/table_primates.htm
palaeobiology
Refers to the combination of two different fields of study. Paleontology examines evidence of past life from fossils and biology studies living organisms. Thus, palaeobiology examines the environmental and biological history of Earth.
lithics
Chipped stones.
aggregates
Groups of soil particles that bind to each other. They have a stronger attraction to each other than to surrounding soil particles.
subhedral
The term applies to crystals that have partially developed faces.
anhedral
The soil particles have no flat surfaces or cross-section shape.
hominin
Hominins are any species of early human that are more closely related to modern humans than chimpanzees.
Hominids refers to all modern and extinct great apes, including humans, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans.
All hominins are hominids, but not all hominids are hominins!
femoral head
Referring to the highest point of the thigh bone, called the femur.
palaeontological locality
An area where fossils of prehistoric organisms can be studied.
opiate
Compounds derived from a plant known as the opium poppy. Originally these came only from natural sources, but now there are synthetic opioids. They are often prescribed for pain relief.
Opiates are considered controlled substances due to their addictive properties. One example is heroin.
dopamine
A type of chemical messenger. Dopamine levels spike in certain brain regions in response to a reward. They also sometimes spike in anticipation of a reward.
Once the reward is over, dopamine levels will return to normal. Cocaine stops dopamine from being cleared from the synapse by binding to dopamine transporters, so cocaine can cause a larger than normal response, resulting in greater reinforcement.
skin conductivity
Skin can become a better or worse conductor of energy/electricity when it is presented with stimuli that represent arousal. When something is physiologically arousing (e.g. scary), the electrical conductance of our skin increases because certain sweat glands become more active. Because of this, skin conductivity is an important indicator of attention and memory function.
dopamine neurons
Neurons that can be activated by stimuli associated with rewards.
conditioned stimulus (CS)
A stimulus that is used to trigger a learned response.
For example, let’s say that you like ice cream, and every time you go to your aunt’s house she gives you your favorite ice cream. Now you tend to associate visiting your aunt with getting ice cream. The stimulus is visiting your aunt, and the association is getting ice cream.
avoidance responses
A response that prevents a (usually negative) outcome from occurring.
Slip-of-action test
A test that allows scientists to test for habitual behavior by devaluing certain stimuli that people were trained to associate with a reward. After the stimuli have been devalued, it no longer makes sense to respond to them because there is no longer a reward. If people continue to respond, their behavior is considered habitual.
avoidance behavior
Behaviors that can help someone escape uncomfortable feelings and unpleasant situations (such as electric shock).
maladaptive behavior
Behaviors that someone develops as a way to respond to their environment, but that end up causing them harm instead of good.
DSM-IV-TR
A guide used to classify and diagnose many different mental disorders, such as drug use and dependence.
For substance abuse, some of the considerations are failure to perform normal tasks and functions, legal problems, and physical hazards. For drug dependence, it assesses the need for higher doses, the amount of effort and risk to get the drug, and the persistence of use. All of these must be recurrent problems to be classified as a disorder.
stimulus-driven habits
A behavior that has become associated with a change in the environment over time. Stimulus-driven habits will be performed almost automatically.
goal-directed actions
Behavior that has a specific outcome in mind, like feelings of enjoyment or avoiding discomfort.
ill-judged
Reckless, foolish, or inappropriate. Here, the author refers to behaviors that can have consequences on health, social life (e.g. personal relationships), employment, housing, and more.
DNA origami
DNA origami is a widely studied method of self-assembly that takes advantage of the complementarity of the base pairs of strands of DNA, meaning that two specific base pairs always pair together (adenine with thymine and guanine with cytosine) by hydrogen bonding.
actuator
the part that causes the movement of the systems
DNA self-assembly
Self-assembly is the spontaneous organization of preformed components into patterns or arrangements held together by reversible forces. In molecular self-assembly the components are molecules and the forces are non-covalent forces like hydrogen bonding. In DNA self-assembly, the molecules are DNA molecules.
bionanotechnology
Nanotechnology, according to the National Nanotechnology Initiative, "is science, engineering, and technology conducted at the nanoscale, which is about 1 to 100 nm."
Bionanotechnology is the use of nanotechnology to biological problems or applications such as medicine or agriculture.
For more information on nanotechnology, why it's important, and how it is being used, visit www.nano.gov.
supramolecular chemistry
Supramolecular chemistry is the chemistry not of individual atoms and molecules which combine and are held together by covalent bonds, but of complexes of multiple molecules together which are held together by weaker, reversible non-covalent interactions such as hydrogen bonding, van der Waals forces, or electrostatic interactions (the attraction of like charges).
bottom up
an approach that involves the combining of smaller pieces or units into a larger or more complex system
Nanoscale
Nanoscale refers to a length scale in nanometers (abbreviated nm), typically less than 100 nm. One nanometer is one billionth of a meter, so objects on the nanoscale are not visible to the unaided eye.
For a visualization of the different size scales of the universe, see the videa "The Scale of the Universe 2" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaGEjrADGPA
wetland ecosystems
An area of land that is saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally.
CO2
Carbon Dioxide gas.
freshwater marsh
A wetland that is dominated by leafy rather than woody plant species and is predominately freshwater.
DAYCENT model
A daily time series model used in ecosystems to simulate influxes of carbon and nitrogen between the atmosphere, vegetation, and soil.
ppm
Parts per million.
C
Carbon.
inundation
Flooding.
hydric
Very moist or containing large amounts of water.
terrestrial
Land-based.
will maintain current soil C pools
Will not lose carbon (which is actually bad).
NEE
NEE stands for net ecosystem exchange, referring to the ecosystem's carbon cycle.
GEE
GEE stands for gross ecosystem exchange, referring to the ecosystem's carbon cycle.
dry season
The dry season in the Everglades is typically November through March.
maximum
The highest temperature which will allow for production.
optimum
The temperature which is best for production.
Periphyton
A freshwater organism that is attached to plants above the bottom of sediments.
C4 grass
A C4 plant has light dependent reactions in its mesophyll cells and the Calvin Cycle in the specialized cells around the leaf veins. The 4-carbon organic acid, oxaloacetate is fixed from CO2. This is carried out by PEP carboxylase.
C3
Most types of plants are C3, meaning that it does not have photosynthetic adaptations to reduce photorespiration. It utilizes the Calvin cycle.
hydroperiods
The seasonal pattern of water levels in a specific wetland. Typically a wetland's hydroperiod is unique "signature" of that specific wetland.
photorespiration
A process where plants take up oxygen and give out some carbon dioxide.
soil-plant-atmosphere continuum
SPAC for short, is the pathway for water moving from soil through plants to the atmosphere.
anthropogenic
Environmental pollution usually caused by human activity.
m
Meter, measure of distance.
g
Gram, measure of weight.
°C
Degrees Celsius, measure of temperature.
hydroperiod
Seasonal pattern of the water level of a wetland.
IPCC
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a scientific and international body of experts under the United Nations.
Hydrology
The scientific study of the movement, distribution, and quality of water.
watershed
An area or ridge of land that separates waters flowing to different rivers, basins, or seas.
evolution
The process in which living organisms are said to have developed and diversified from earlier forms in the past.
morphospecies
A species distinguished from others by its morphology —that is, its form/structure.
recruited
In ecology, refers to when new individuals join the population.
(d.b.h.)
Stands for diameter at breast height, which is the standard method of measuring tree trunks at the height of an adult's breast. It is now standardized to 1.3m above the ground.
a priori
Phrase that describes deductive reasoning made without reference to facts or experience, presumptive.
ecosystem processes and services
Also known as ecosystem functions, these are the biological, geochemical, and physical factors that take place in every ecosystem (including water, nutrient, and energy cycles).
Services are the benefits that people gain from nature.
mollusk
Invertebrates that are grouped together because of their unsegmented bodies, preferences for aquatic or damp-marshy habitat and usually the presence of an outer shell. Some examples are snails, octopuses, and mussels. In this experiment, they used the marsh slug (Deroceras laeve).
passerine
A perching bird, as classified by certain criteria pertaining to body morphology and positioning of toes. Passerines makes up half of all bird species.
forbs
A general term to describe any herbaceous flowering plant that isn't a grass. In this experiment, they observed the species Achillea borealis, commonly known as boreal yarrow.
extirpation
The phenomenon of a species or organism dying off or not being found in a specific area at all while it is still found elsewhere. If the foxes were allowed to persist uncontrolled, the sea birds may die off in the Aleutian Islands.
maritime tundra
Tundras are flat and treeless swaths of land that have soil that is permanently frozen; in this example, it is bordered by the sea.
terrestrial
Relating to Earth or an organism residing on land. In this experiment, the foxes and plants are terrestrial organisms.
geographical information system (GIS)
A computer system that is designed to show geographical areas in different ways and can be manipulated for the collection of data. An example is the map of fox-free vs. fox-infested islands in Fig. 1 and the map of concentrated species in Fig. 3.
insular ecosystems
A geographic region of suitable habitat for a specific organism/organisms that is surrounded by unsuitable habitat. Therefore it is isolated via environmental conditions; in this case, the habitat of both the birds and foxes are the islands on which they reside that are surrounded by the ocean.
Both the bird species and Alopex lagopus are bound to their corresponding landscape. The foxes are trapped on their respective island because they lack the ability to swim to a new location. The birds are unable to use the same islands as Alopex lagopus because of the predation of Alopex lagopus. Therefore, both species belong to an insular ecosystem because of the unsuitable landscape around them.
avifaunas
The birds of a particular geographic region, in this case seabirds such as; the lapland longspur and song sparrows that are being reduced by fox populations.
cutin
The polymer that makes up the waxy surfaces of leaves.
heat-labile
A compound that decomposes or stops functioning in response to increases in temperature. Proteins are often heat-labile, nonfunctional over a certain temperature.
filamentous
Refers to cells that form long tubes. Most types of fungi are filamentous.
remediation
A method of returning environments that have been damaged by human actions to a natural or healthy state.
physiology
Physiology is the study of an organisms parts and functions.
A physiologist would study how the human arm moves when throwing a ball.
colleagues
A fellow worker, mainly in the professional work environment.
discipline
Discipline with this context is used to describe the general outline of a person's study.
dogma
Normally a set of beliefs or principles constructed by an authority as undeniably true: A law.
morass
A situation that is extremely complicated or confusing.
terrestrial biosphere
The make up of the ecosystem of the earth, its atmosphere, and the living terrestrial organisms within it.
profligately
This refers to something being extremely wasteful.
deciduous
A tree that loses its leaves annually, usually during the fall and winter seasons.
abundance
The state of having a large quantity of something
constituent
A component or part of a whole.
bolstering
To support or strengthen.
conifers
Derived from coniferous. Trees that bear cones and needle-like leaves. These trees usually keep their leaves through all seasons, including winter.
deposition
Deposition, in science, is the addition or building up of a substance.
photosynthesize
The process organisms use in order to produce glucose as a food source.
Photosynthesis converts carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight, and converts it into glucose and oxygen.
perturbation
Perturbation is the act of an object or subject being "pushed" off of it's normal path. A small setback and/or a sudden change of plan.
An example of perturbation in a biological setting would be a limb being torn off of a tree.
biogeochemists
These scientists study the physical, chemical, biological, and geological processes and interactions of the entire natural environment.
plant physiologists
An individual who studies focus on regular functions of a living organism. In this case, the physiologist specializes in functions of plants.
profligately
To do something profligately is to do spend something fast and unwisely. An example of doing something profligately is to spend large amounts of money on luxury: while being fun, you may regret it at a later time.
ecologist
Someone who studies and observes the interactions between an organism and its environment, an organism with another organism, or other non-living interactions of the environment.
detritivores
A detritivore is an organism that feeds off of the dead remains of another organism. The most common example of a detritivore is worm.
permeable
A permeable object allows the flow of liquids and gases, such as oxygen.
A less permeable leaf would restrict the flow of oxygen and carbon dioxide greatly.
ecologist
An ecologist is a person who studies the environment and all organisms living in it. They also study the relations between the environment and the organisms.
photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is the process of turning sunlight into glucose. This process is used by almost all plants as means to store energy.
archipelago
A group of scattered islands within a larger body of water. In this case, the Aleutian archipelago is a grouping of volcanic islands located in the Pacific ocean that are under the possession of both the United States and Russia.
biomass
The total mass of an organism or multiple for any given area or plot. Usually refers to dried mass of plant matter from above or below ground.
trophic levels
Categorical feeding positions of groups of organisms in a food chain or web. Some common trophic levels would be primary producers (grasses), primary consumers (birds), and secondary consumers, (birds or foxes).
electrophoresis
A technique used in laboratories used to separate macromolecules based on size.The term refers to movement of charged particles in a fluid or gel under the influence of an electric field.
temperature gradient capillary electrophoresis (TGCE)
An instrument used to test for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP's) (common genetic variations among individuals) between DNA fragments.
high-performance liquid chromatography (dHPLC)
Denaturing High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (dHPLC) is a technique that is used to separate chemicals in a mixture. dHPLC has been used on 19 patients with auto-inflammatory syndrome suspicion to spot polymorphism in the gene MVK. This technique is a quick and low cost process in order to obtain accurate screening of the mutations.
cloning
The processes used to create copies of DNA fragments.
real-time PCR
PCR is a technique in the laboratory in which short sequences of DNA are amplified. Real-time PCR has been used to rapidly detect Salmonella from cloves. It has also been used to compare three different methods to extract DNA.
postelectrophoresis
Used to increase DNA of interest. This is done by analyzing the separation patterns on the gel with the use of fluorescently labeled DNA sequencing fragments. Cutting out the desired band and then amplifying the DNA for further use.
small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA)
An RNA component of the ribosome and is vital for making proteins.
symbiosis
The relationship between two organisms that interact with one another.
stigmatic
Relating to the stigma.
proboscides
An elongated sucking mouthpart that is typically tubular and flexible, plural of proboscis.
Kruskal–Wallis test
Used to determine if samples come from the same distribution.
anthers
A structure in the flower which contains pollen.
perennial
A type of plant that persists for many growing seasons. Generally, perennial plants keep their leaves year round.
communities
A gathering of species, excluding non-living factors.
selective pressures
Agents that condition organisms to have either a survival benefit or a disadvantage. Selective pressures drive natural selection. They can include environmental conditions, availability of food and energy sources, predators, diseases, and direct human influence among others.
phylogenetic position
Location on evolutionary tree based on physical or genetic characteristics.
morphology,
The study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features. Floral morphology relates the to structural features of the flower.
pollinator
Any animal that, intentionally or not, takes pollen from one flower to another.
(AMOVA)
The purpose of this experiment was to analyze population genetics. To achieve this, the researchers used AMOVA, or analysis of molecular variance, to detect population differentiation using molecular markers. The program was set to 10,000 permutations and they were able to obtain estimates of genetic differentiation and mean number of migrants with the GenAIEx v. 6.5 program.
Linkage disequilibrium (LD)
Refers to the non-random association of alleles at different loci in a given population. This experiment included a test for linkage disequilibrium (LD). To achieve this the researcher used ARLEQUIN v.3.5.2.2 which is an integrated software for population genetics data analysis. From this program they used the likelihood ratio test which tested for LD.