**Definitions**

*Abiotic*: nonliving, as compared to biotic which would be living

*Aerobic:* taking place in an oxygenated environment

*Algae bloom:* a rapid increase in the numbers of algae caused by ideal
conditions for reproduction and growth. The problem caused by the boom
depend on the species but can include upsetting feeding patters of algae
eaters, poisoning other species through toxins released by the algae,
and when the algae die, the related sudden growth of bacteria that
decompose them use up oxygen in the water creating anoxic zones in the
water, killing other species. Respiration of the algae at night can
create the anoxic zones even before they die.

*Anabolic reaction:* using ATP energy to build complex compounds in the
cell. Building glucose from carbon and hydrogen would be an example*.*

*Anoxic:* lacking oxygen

*Anaerobic:* taking place in an oxygen poor environment

*Anaerobic cellular respiration*: glucose or other nutrients are
oxidized (lose hydrogen) through ATP energy and enzymes. The energy is
received by NAD^+^ which is reduced (gains hydrogen) to become NADH and
transfers energy to an inorganic compound such as nitrate or sulfate.

Glucose loses hydrogen to NAD →NADH transfers the hydrogen to sulfate to
make→hydrogen sulfate and energy. (Solomon & Berg & Martin & Villee,
1993; Gould & Keeton, with Grant, 1996, p. 164)

*Aquifer:* an area of impervious rock or soil that traps water
underground

*ATP*: adenosine triphosphate, a nucleotide with up to three phosphate
groups attached. The phosphate groups store energy, are easily broken
off releasing energy. ATP stores energy for short bursts of reactions in
the cell. ATP is made of ribose (a five carbon sugar), a nitrogen base
of nucleic acids, and three phosphate groups. If only two phosphate
groups are attached the molecule is called ADP, adenosine diphosphate.
Phosphate groups can be added or subtracted from the nucleotide base.
(Gould & Keeton with Grant, 1996; Solomon & Berg & Martin & Villee,
1993)

*Autotroph*: make their own food from inorganic (does not contain
carbon) raw materials at least one of two ways. Chemosynthetic
autotrophs oxidize inorganic substances. Photosynthetic autotrophs use
light energy to make their own food from inorganic substances. Compare
these two methods to heterotrophs which decompose or metabolize organic
(contain carbon) substances for their food.

*Bacteria*: 2 kingdoms Eubacteria ( most common ) and Archaebacteria. As
prokaryotes they have cells with ribosomes but lack membrane bound
organelle. Genetic material is in a DNA molecule, but it is free in the
cell. Most have a cell wall around the plasma (outer) membrane. Most are
unicellular but some form colonies or filaments with specialized cells
in the filament for nitrogen fixing. In some, the plasma membrane folds
inward for energy transfer. Most bacteria are heterotrophs, decomposing
organic matter. Some are autotrophs (photosynthetic or chemosynthetic)
For a discussion of the role of bacteria in wetlands, click here.

*Biodiversity:* the number of different species in an area, important
for survival of a habitat. In a balanced environment there are controls,
such as weather, availability of food, predators, diseases, or parasites
controlling the numbers in each species so there is a long term balance
among them. Researchers found that habitats with the highest rates of
diversity (where there were more than one species filling multiple
niches) survive the best. People have accidentally or deliberately
relocated species, not recognizing that there were no controls in the
new area. Introductions, habitat destruction, and over harvesting have
led to a global decline in the numbers of species or global
biodiversity. Reducing biodiversity we are limits problem solving
options, as many solutions to problems have come from nature.

*Bioremediation:* using biological organisms such as bacteria with
special enzymes or species with special characteristics to clean up or
speed up processes. Bioremediation may include using plants to absorb
toxins from contaminated soil, then disposing of the plants, or using
microbes that metabolize inorganic solids such as arsenic and convert it
to other forms that may be less toxic or neutral.

*Brackish*: a mix of saline (salty) and fresh water, often termed the
salinity of water

*Catabolic reactions:* releasing energy by split molecules in the cell
to make ATP one of three ways: aerobic respiration, anaerobic
respiration, and fermentation. In aerobic respiration nutrients are
broken down in steps with oxygen to release carbon dioxide, water, and
ATP energy. In anaerobic respiration inorganic substances (nitrate or
sulfate) combine with the nutrient to release carbon dioxide, water, the
reduced inorganic substances, and ATP energy. In fermentation organic
nutrients release carbon dioxide and reduced organic molecules with ATP
energy. (Solomon & Berg & Martin & Villee, 1993, Ch 7)

*Chloroplast*: areas in the cells of green plants that use pigments,
called chlorophyll and carotenoids, to convert light energy to chemical
energy used by cells. Chloroplasts concentrate chlorophyll in the
thylakoid membrane of the chloroplast. In part one of photosynthesis
chlorophyll absorbs light energy to make ATP. The energy is used to
split water, releasing oxygen. The hydrogen from the water combines with
NADP^+^ to form NADPH + H^+^. In the second part of photosynthesis the
energy of NADPH and ATP made in part one split carbon dioxide with the
hydrogen from NADPH being used to make carbohydrates to be used as long
term fuel storage for the cell. (Solomon & Berg & Martin & Villee, 1993)

*Coastal Plain*: the area affected by tides that can extend many miles
inland.

*Duration*: time during which something happens

*DNA: deoxyribonucleic acid*, the basic unit of heredity. The sequence
of nucleotides in DNA is the code in genes that control the
characteristics and activity of cells. There are four kinds of
nucleotides in DNA that differ in their nitrogen base. The nucleotides
in DNA are bonded so the sugar of one is attached to the phosphate group
of another. This creates a chain with the nitrogen bases as side groups
of the chain. The chains exist in pairs with the nitrogen bases and
hydrogen bonds linking them. The sequences in which the four nucleotides
occur is essentially constant in DNA molecules of the same species, but
differs slightly from species to species.

*Emergent vegetation*: plants that are rooted in mud beneath water, but
grow tall enough to stick out above water or have leaves that float on
the water under normal conditions. Examples would be cattail and
waterlilies.

*Enzymes*: proteins that speed up reactions in the cell.

*Filter Feeders*: animals that eat microscopic plants and animals
suspended in the water. Some of this is detritus, decayed plants or
animals washed in from the land. Some filter feeders, like oysters,
clean the water taking out nutrients, and then bind the rest in clumps
which settle to the bottom of the body of water, improving water
clarity. Clearer water allows sunlight to penetrate encouraging the
growth of underwater plants which provide oxygen in photosynthesis, and
habitat. In the past, oysters were plentiful enough in the Chesapeake
Bay to filter the entire bay in about 4 days. Their demise from over
harvesting and disease means the remaining oysters now take over a year
to filter the same amount of water so clarity has gone down.

*Frequency:* number of times something happens in a given amount of time

*Gleyed* soil has insoluble iron oxides reduced to ferrous iron giving
the soil a grey or bluish tint. The wet conditions are often seasonal so
the soil is often rich in organic matter and mottled.
([www.macaulay.ac.uk](http://www.macaulay.ac.uk/) ) Gley soil is a
slippery clay soil that forms under wetlands. The clay traps water above
it and anaerobic bacteria activity produces a black or dark color in the
soil.

*Ground Water:* water that has penetrated the soil surface. It may
evaporate out in dry weather, be taken up by plants, or may be flowing
trapped below ground in between water impervious ( link ) layers of
rocks in aquifers or underground streams.

*Habitat:* a place that is self contained with adequate food, shelter,
and water for a species to survive without leaving to obtain shelter,
food or water.

*Hydrology*: pertaining to the water cycle, a cycle of wet and dry
periods generally

*Hydric:* having an abundance of water. Soil typical of wetlands is
"soil formed under conditions of saturation, flooding, or ponding long
enough during the growing season to develop anaerobic conditions in the
upper part." Federal Register, July 13, 1994
(<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydric_soil> )

*Impervious:* resisting passage, used in the context of this class, it
means soil or man made barriers that do not permit water to penetrate.
Impervious surfaces such as parking lots and roofs speed run off causing
erosion. Impervious rock layers in the Earth trap water that can be
tapped for wells, or slow its flow so it replenishes rivers and streams.

*Indicator species:* a species that responds rapidly or over time to
small changes in the environment, and can be used to indicate
environmental changes. Sea grasses are used as an indicator of clean
water because they require sunlight to penetrate water. When suspended
sediment or algae block the sunlight, the grasses die quickly. Frogs are
another indicator of clean water. From the egg through maturity they are
in contact with water, and they are more sensitive to some pollutants
than other species. They will die or become ill and deformed at
relatively low levels of water pollution, so are a good indicator of
water quality. The canary is a classic indicator species. In the days
before air testing equipment, odorless and colorless poison gas built up
in coal mines. Miners would bring a canary into the mine with them.
Because the canary was more sensitive to these gasses than the miners,
miners knew that as long as the canary was singing, the air was safe.

*Inundate:* to cover completely, fill all capacity, flood

*Ion:* an atom or group of atoms that have a charge from losing or
gaining an electron. Cation is a positive charged ion. Anion is a
negative charged ion.

*Latitude*: distance above or below the equator, measured in degrees,
minutes and seconds

*Low Marsh/High Marsh*: elevation above sea level is lower in a low
marsh than a high marsh. This means if water is coming downstream or
tidal, a low marsh area will be flooded to a greater depth than a high
marsh area. In wetlands, differences in elevation of an inch can mean an
extra four hours of flooding a day. This will have significant impact on
plants in the wetland.

![](media/image1.jpeg){width="4.345833333333333in"
height="0.7458333333333333in"}

*NAD:* a receptor or shuttle for electron energy in the cell. When
hydrogen atoms are removed (oxidized) from a compound, some of the
energy comes with it to the hydrogen receptor (reduced), NAD. NAD^+^ is
an enzyme (special protein) that readily accepts hydrogen atoms, storing
their energy as NADH. This energy can contribute to cellular metabolism
or be used to produce ATP, another way of storing energy. (Solomon &
Berg & Martin & Villee, 1993)

*Niche:* the job in a habitat that a species performs. In wetland
environments, green plants are producers converting the sun's energy to
chemical energy for their own use and other species that eat the plants.
Plants also filter water of nutrients and sediment, and provide a home
for other species, including herbivores that eat the plants. Herbivores
like snails may be eaten by predators such as small herons, which are
then eaten by other predators like fox. Decomposers, like bacteria,
metabolize the organic matter releasing elements to the system and are
also food for fresh water mussels and clams. Other decomposer bacteria
metabolize inorganic solids making the minerals available to plants. The
mussels and clams are then eaten by birds which are decomposed when they
die to become nutrients for plants. The shells of the snails, mussels
and clams may also provide shelter for tiny fish or other species.

**Niche Species that fills it**

producers green plants

decomposers bacteria, fungi

consumers snails, birds, fox, mussels, clams

In any habitat there will be at minimum: primary producers, consumers
that eat the primary producers, and decomposers. Different habitats will
have different niches depending on the physical characteristics of the
habitat.

*Nucleotide*: a molecular unit of a five carbon sugar, a phosphate
group, and a nitrogenous base. Nucleotides form nucleic acids that serve
many functions in cellular activity including transmitting heredity
information and controlling cellular functions. DNA and RNA are two
nucleic acids responsible for heredity and cellular activity.

*pH:* hydrogen ion concentration measured on a standard scale of 7 being
neutral, above 7 being base or alkaline (low hydrogen concentration or
accepts hydrogen atoms) and below 7 being acid (high concentration and
yielding hydrogen and an anion (Solomon & Berg & Martin & Villee, 1993,
p.1)

*Precipitation*: natural water that falls to Earth from clouds: snow,
sleet, hail, rain

*Protein:* a compound made of amino acids. Each amino acid is made of
carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. Most proteins also include
sulfur. Amino acids bond with other elements or groups of elements to
form polypeptide chains. Protein may have more than one polypeptide
chain held together by weak bonds.

*Respiration:* cellular respiration under aerobic conditions oxidizes
glucose to produce carbon dioxide and energy for cellular functions. In
the pre-photosynthesis atmosphere anaerobic cellular respiration was
most common as there was little oxygen, and sulfur, nitrogen and
inorganic carbon were broken down in respiration. As photosynthesis
increased the oxygen available, aerobic respiration became common. In
aerobic respiration sugar, oxygen and water are oxidized to make carbon
dioxide and water and energy. Hydrogen electrons are transferred from
carbon to oxygen. C~6~H~12~O~6~+6O~2~+6H~2~O→ 6CO~2~+12 H~2~O + energy

Organism respiration is respiration on an organism scale using gills,
skin, or lungs where the blood vessels are close to the surface to expel
carbon dioxide produced by the cells and bring in oxygen for aerobic
cellular respiration.

*Ribose*: a five carbon sugar

*Ribosome*: made of ribosomal RNA and ribosomal protein.

*RNA: ribonucleic acid):* a sequence of nucleotides with a ribose sugar.
There are several types of RNA, each with a role to play in protein
synthesis. Some act as messengers from DNA to the sites of protein
synthesis in the cell.

*Riparian*: pertaining to rivers, a wetland along a river's banks or in
an overflow bend of a river.

*Saturate:* to fill to the point no more will fit. In saturated soils
most, if not all, of the air pockets in the soil are filled with water
creating anaerobic conditions.

*Silt*: fine particles of soil deposited as sediment (suspended soil
particles) settle out of water

*Species:* a relatively arbitrary distinction that an organism that is
sufficiently different from others to have its own name. Most species
have differences within the group but they are not so pronounced that it
is not possible to see the relatedness of them. DNA is increasingly
needed to determine species distinctions over outward appearances.

*Sequester:* to lock away, in the case of organic material under built
up soil so the carbon can not escape to the atmosphere as carbon
dioxide.

*Surface Water:* water that falls on the land surface as precipitation
or collects there (streams, ponds, estuaries, oceans)

*Water table*: upper limit of water in saturated soil. Water goes into
the ground as far as an impervious layer of rock, then begins flowing
downhill along that rock layer to the nearest body of water such as a
stream or lake. After a heavy rain or snow melt, the top surface of this
ground water may be above the ground level in depressions and other
areas.

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="2.8541666666666665in"
height="1.5854166666666667in"}