Terminology

The following page is for topics that, while important for understanding the Alien Biospheres series, do not constitute having their own page.

A

* **Abscission:** the intentional shedding or loss of a body part
* **Acanthivore:** an animal whose diet consists primarily of acanthopods. Acanthivores are equivalent to piscivores on Earth.
* **Adaptive Radiation:** rapid diversification event, often triggered by arriving in a new, uncolonized habitat.
* **Aggressive Mimicry:** A form of mimicry in which predators mimic something to attract prey.
* **Aposematism:** the usage of warning signals to inform a predator of a potential prey's danger.

B

* **Batesian Mimicry:** A form of defensive mimicry in which a harmless species has evolved to imitate the warning signals of a harmful species, in order to ward off predators.
* **Bergmann's Rule:** body mass is negatively correlated with environmental temperature
* **Brachiation:** swinging between tree branches for locomotion

C

* **Centaurism:** the adaptation of limbs previously used for locomotion for a non-locomotive function, typically frontal limbs.
* **Cephalization:** clustering of the sensory organs towards the front end of an animal, forming an head.
* **Chemoplankton**: species of chemotrophic plankton
* **Chemotroph:** an organism that synthesize nutrients through chemical reactions.
* **Crepuscular:** active at dusk and dawn
* **Cursorial:** adapted for running

D

* **Deceptive Pollination:** also called dispersal mimicry. Involves attracting pollinators by mimicking something of interest.
* **Defensive Mimicry:** a phenomenon in which a species evolves to resemble another species, to the point where predators are unable to reliably distinguish between the two.
* **Digitigrade:** sole of the foot raised off the ground
* **Dioecious:** housing male and female reproductive systems in separate individuals

E

* **Ectothermy:** the dependence on external heat sources to regulate body temperature
* **Endothermy:** maintaining a constant body temperature
* **Epiphyte:** a plant that grows on the surface of another plant.

F

* **Facultative Endothermy:** endothermy only occurs when necessary
* **Fecundity:** the number of offspring an organism can produce
* **Folivore:** an animal that feeds predominantly on leaves
* **Fossorial:** adapted for digging
* **Frugivore:** an animal that feeds predominantly on fruit
* **Fusiform:** tapered at both ends

G

* **Gallery Forest:** a forest along a river or wetland within an otherwise open or sparse habitat
* **Gametangium:** organ that produces gametes
* **Gigantothermy:** relying on a large body size to maintain a constant internal temperature
* **Gonopod:** a limb used for reproduction or egg-laying

H

* **Hypercarnivore:** an animal with a diet consisting of >70% meat

I

* **Intertidal Zone:** the area of the shore that is above water at low tide and underwater at high tide

K

* **K-selection:** reproductive strategy characterized by low fecundity and high levels of parental investment

L

* **Lecithotrophy:** the embryos rely on a limited yolk as their only source of nutrients to complete their development

M

* **Malacovore:** an animal whose diet consists primarily of malacoformes. Malacovores are analogous to insectivores on Earth.
* **Matrotrophy:** the mother provides additional nutrients to the embryos throughout their development
* **Mechanoreceptors:** sensory cells that detect changes in pressure
* **Mesocarnivore:** an animal with a diet consisting of 50-70% meat
* **Mimicry Ring:** a collection of species that share the same aposematic coloration.
* **Müllerian Mimicry:** A form of defensive mimicry in which two well-defended clades have evolved to share the same warning signals, to both clades' mutual benefit.

N

* **Nectarivore**: an animal that feeds predominantly or exclusively on nectar.
* **Nectary:** nectar gland
* **Nekton:** aquatic animals capable of moving independently of the ocean current.
* **Neoteny:** the retention of juvenile features into the adult stage
* **Niche Partitioning:** the process by which competing species coexist by evolving different niches
* **Nocturnality:** being active at night and sleeping during the day

O

* **Ovivory:** egg predation
* **Ovoviviparity:** fertilized eggs hatch within the mother's body

P

* **Patagium:** skin membrane forming a wing or gliding surface.
* **Plankton**: the collection of organisms in an aquatic environment unable to swim against the ocean current.
* **Plantigrade:** A form of locomotion in which the sole of the foot is typically flat on the ground.

R

* **R-selection:** Reproductive strategy characterized by high fecundity and low levels of parental investment.
* **Regional Endothermy:** thermoregulation only occurs within certain regions of the body

S

* **Saprotrophy**: an organism that gains nutrients from decaying organic matter
* **Scansorial:** adapted for climbing
* **Sequential Hermaphrodite:** an organism that changes sex at some point in its life
* **Seta:** (plural: setae) a stiff hair or bristle
* **Suspensorial:** hanging below branches

T

* **Tagmosis:** the fusion of multiple segments into a morphologically specialized region or tagma
* **Thermoregulation:** controlling body temperature independently from the environment
* **Transpiration:** evaporation through stomata

U

* **Unguligrade:** standing on the tips of the toes

V

* **Venom:** Biologically produced toxins that must enter the bloodstream to take effect

Z

* **Zooplankton**: species of planktonic animals.