| adaptations |
adjustment to environmental conditions |
| aerate |
To supply with air or expose to the circulation of air |
| amphibian |
Animals like frogs that live in water as babies and on land as adults |
| anaerobic |
lacks oxygen |
| analogy |
to show a likeness in one or more ways |
| aquatic species |
animal or plant that lives in water |
| arthropod |
a jointed animal with an exoskeleton. Arthropod is the phylum of insects, spiders, crawfish, and crabs with jointed limbs |
| bacteria |
tiny living things that can only be seen with a microscope |
| barnacle |
a shellfish that clings to ships or underwater structures |
| barrier island |
long narrow strips of sand forming islands parallel and not far from coast |
| basin |
a tract of land drained by a river and its tributaries |
| bature |
the land between the levee and the river |
| bayou |
slow moving creek or channel of water that connects with another body of water |
| binomial nomenclature |
a scientific two part name for a particular species |
| bivalve |
animal (as a clam) with a shell composed of two separate parts that open and shut |
| bow |
front of a boat |
| brackish marsh |
a marsh that has a mixture of salt water and freshwater |
| buoy |
floating object anchored in the water to mark a channel |
| Cajun |
in southern Louisiana, a person with French Canadian ancestors |
| carrian |
the decaying flesh of a dead creature |
| characteristic |
a feature that helps to distinguish a person or thing |
| chenier |
(chene French for oaks) a ridge formed by sediment from past Mississippi River Delta usually containing shell deposits. Due to elevation above the mrsh oaks can grow. |
| coastline |
the boundary between land and water that has long straight stretches between the major outermost points of land |
| conifer |
evergreen trees that usually have cones |
| culture |
the beliefs, customs, language, and traits of a particular group |
| cypress brake |
a patch of cypress trees between two other habitats |
| deciduous |
a tree which sheds or loses foliage at the end of the growing season |
| delta |
land, often shaped like a rough triangle (the greek letter delta) deposited near a rivers mouth by the river itself |
| dendrologist |
scientist who studies trees |
| detritus |
Decaying plant material |
| dingy |
a small boat usually attached to a larger boat |
| distributary |
a river branch flowing away from the main stream
|
| dormant |
inactive |
| dredge |
a barge used for removing earth or silt making deep channels in waterways |
| ecosystem |
a community of living things and everything in their environment |
| egg tooth |
a tough, horny piece of epidermis that a baby alligator uses to peck out of its shell |
| elevation |
the height of the land |
| erosion |
The washing away of land |
| estuaries |
parts of rivers where fresh river water mixes with salt water from the ocean |
| eutrophication |
a process of nutrients in water causing algae (microscopic plant) growth |
| evergreen |
a tree which has foliage and remains green all year round |
| exotic |
Introduced from another country |
| extirpate |
gone from a certain area |
| flotant marsh |
A marsh that survives the sinking of the land by floating. The marsh breaks away from the underlying soil and creates flotant. Flotant are found in fresh and intermediate marshes. Wildlife uses flotant because they provide dry land when it floods. |
| food chain |
a pattern of large animals eating smaller animals, which in turn eat plants; plants are always at the bottom of the food chain |
| forage |
searching for food |
| freshwater marsh |
no salt in water of marsh; less than .5 salinity parts per thousand; no taste of salt |
| generation |
the single steps in the line of desendents from an ancestor |
| groundwater |
Water beneath the earth's surface, often between saturated soil and rock |
| habitat |
area in which an animal has the necessary food, water, and shelter it needs to thrive |
| hydric |
full of a considerable amount of moisture |
| hydrologic modifications |
human made alterations to the way water flows |
| hydrophytes |
water loving plants that live in soil that is saturated part of the year |
| incubate |
to keep in conditions favorable for development of an embryo |
| intermediate marsh |
a mixture of salt and fresh water less salty than brackish marsh |
| levee |
a continuous ridge of earth designed to confine water and prevent flooding |
| Lock and Dam |
an enclosure (canal) with gates at each end used to raise and lower boats as they pass from level to level
of a river; a barrier preventing the flow of water and or solid materials |
| locomotion |
moving from place to place |
| mammal |
an animal that has a backbone and feeds its young with mothers milk |
| maritime forest |
a forest near the sea |
| marsh |
a wetland that is covered with water most of the time and has no trees |
| mesophytes |
mesophytes plants that require moist soil to live |
| migrate |
to move from one region or climate to another |
| native species |
animals or plants that occur naturally in a place |
| navigable |
waterway deep enough and wide enough to afford passage to ships |
| nictitating membranes |
a thin membrane found on many animals that extends across the eyeball
|
| non-native species |
animals or plants that do not occur naturally in a place. Also called exotic species |
| non-renewable natural resource |
a naturally occurring thing that once used cannot be made again |
| nutrients |
Something an animal needs for life and growth |
| offspring |
young |
| Ornithologists |
a zoologist who studies birds |
| otolith |
ear bone of a fish
|
| overpopulation |
the condition of having too many of one species causing a decline in living conditions and health of that species. |
| palmetto |
short palms with fan shaped leaves |
| pathogen |
disease-producing organisms such as bacteria and viruses |
| pelt |
The hide or coat of an animal |
| photosynthesis |
the process by which chlorophyll containing plants make food from water and from the carbon dioxide in the air in the presence of light |
| phytoplankton |
tiny creatures found in the water that use sunlight to store water like plants |
| pollutant |
any material that can damage living things or their environments |
| predator |
animal or plant that catches and eats another |
| prey |
animals hunted by a predator |
| refuge |
a safe place |
| reptile |
an animal that lives on land, lays eggs, and is cold-blooded |
| reptiles |
animals that spend time in the water, but breathe air and live on land; snakes and alligators are examples |
| ridge |
a raised strip of land |
| rigs |
consist of a derrick, or tall steel structure that holds the equipment used to drill an oil well |
| riparian marsh |
marshes that occur along rivers that absorb water when a river is high and release water when river levels are low |
| roe |
The eggs of a fish; caviar |
| rookery |
a breeding ground of birds |
| salinity |
level of salt content |
| saltwater intrusion |
the invasion of freshwater bodies by denser salt water |
| saltwater marsh |
a marsh with saltwater; a high salinity; about 35 parts per thousand |
| saturated |
To soak, fill, or load to capacity |
| scutes |
the bony plates on an alligators back |
| sebaceous gland |
a gland that secrets a greasy substance |
| sediment |
solid materials, such as clay and silt that may be carried by water currents |
| shoreline |
the boundary between land and water that goes all along the intricate borders of the bays, estuaries, and inlets |
| soil |
the dirt and other materials that make up the top layer of earth |
| species |
a certain kind of animals within a closely related group |
| spoil |
the material removed from channels and canals by dredging |
| stern |
back of a boat |
| strait |
A narrow channel joining two larger bodies of water |
| strip settlement |
a settlement that stretches out alongside a waterway because the belt of adjacent land that is high and well drained is very narrow |
| subsidence |
to sink or settle downward; submerge |
| swamp |
a wetland area flooded most of the time with cypress trees, tupelo trees and some shrubs |
| symara |
The winged seed of the red maple tree |
| taxonomy |
classification, especially of animals and plants, according to natural relationships |
| toxin |
harmful element |
| tributary |
a waterway that flows into a larger stream or river |
| voracious |
having a huge appetite |
| wallow |
to roll about sluggishly in mud |
| wetland |
waterlogged areas where plants and animals live |
| Yearling |
one that is a year old |
| zooplankton |
Tiny animals that float in the water |
