There are over 2000 species of living ostracodes and many that are know from fossils. They are good paleo-indicators as the different species have distinctive environmental requirements. A parkland is an open woodland with widely scattered trees and a grass or sedge understory. In water science, this term refers to water that is isolated above the groundwater by a layer of rock or organic material. A perennial plant is one that lives year after year and typically produces flowers annually after two years.
Photosynthesis is the process by which green plants convert light energy to chemical energy.
Carbon dioxide, water, and energy absorbed by chlorophyll from the sunlight are used to produce carbohydrates. This energy is then used for plant growth and metabolism. Physiology is the study of the processes and functions of living organisms and how these change during growth and under changing environmental conditions. The Prairie Peninsula is a wedge of grassland projecting eastward from the Great Plains into the Midwest. It stretches from western Iowa to Indiana, with outlying extensions as far east as Ohio.