abiotic. Not living.

accretion. Growth in size or extent, especially referring to the accumulation of sediment in a wetland.

aerenchyma. Air spaces in the roots and stems of wetland plants that allow for the transfer of oxygen from plant parts in aerobic conditions to plant parts in anaerobic conditions.

azimuth. Bearing in the horizontal plane, usually expressed as an angle (used when surveying).

baseline. Any line used as a point of reference.

bog. A wetland formed when large blocks of ice, left behind at the end of the last ice age, melted forming a water filled depression. Over thousands of years, the depression filled in with plants forming a place with wet, spongy ground and soils composed mainly of partially decayed vegetable matter. The soils in a bog are usually acidic (low pH).

Clean Water Act. A legislative act established in 1977 implementing new laws and regulations concerning water quality and wetlands.

community. Life in association with others. A group of organisms living together in a common environment.

correlation. Corresponding relationship between organisms in processes, qualities or structures.

dbh. Diameter Breast Height. The diameter of a tree at chest level.

depression. A low elevational point in the landscape.

dichotomous key. A tool used in the identification of organisms.

emergent. An aquatic plant with vegetative growth mostly above the water.

erosion. The wearing away of soil or rock by the influence of water, ice, winds and other forces of nature.

estuary. The wide mouth of a river as it flows into a larger water body. An estuary is influenced by water from the river and from the larger water body.

facultative. Organisms which may or may not depend on wetlands for survival.

fauna. A collective term for the animals or animal life particular to an environment.

fen. A wetland type characterized by soil with a high pH and plants specially adapted for that soil type.

floodplain. Level land along the course of a river or stream that is prone to flooding.

flora. A collective term for the plants particular to an environment.

beaver flowage. The entire complex of canals and dams constructed by a beaver which alter the hydrology of wetlands.

food. Any substance taken into and assimilated by a plant or animal to keep it alive and enable it to grow and repair tissue.

forbs. An herb, other than a grass. A flowering plant.

function. Normal activity or actions that occur in wetland ecosystems. The things that wetlands do.

geology. The science that deals with the physical history and structure of the earth, especially as recorded in rocks and rock formations.

gleying. The development of gray or sometimes greenish or blue-gray color of hydric mineral soils that are semipermanently or permanently flooded. The process, gleization, is caused by the chemical reduction of iron.

habitat. The natural locality of a plant or animal.

headwater. The part of a river near its source. The tributaries at or near the source of a river.

hectare. A unit of surface area equal to 10,000 square meters or 2.47 acres.

hydric soil. Soils that have been inundated with water for several weeks and acquire a typical gray or blue-gray color.

hydrodynamics. Pertaining to the force, pressure or motion of water.

hydrology. The science dealing with the properties, laws, and distribution of water underground, on the surface and in the earth's atmosphere.

hydrophyte. A plant which lives and grows in water or very wet soil.

lacustrine. Deep freshwater habitats such as lakes and reservoirs.

lenticels. A pore in the bark of woody stems through which the exchange of gases occurs.

levee. An embankment preventing the overflow of a stream or river.

marine. Open ocean and coastline systems, generally limited to deep, saltwater habitats.

macroinvertebrates. Animals lacking a backbone which can be seen without the aid of a microscope.

microtopography. The elevational changes which occur in a relatively small area.

mitigate. To diminish in severity by replacement or compensation.

model. A standard for comparison.

morphology. The study of form or structure without regard to function.

morphometry. The measurement of form or structure.

obligate. Organisms which require wetlands for survival.

oxidation. The act or process of uniting with oxygen.

palustrine. Marshy, referring to the majority of freshwater wetland habitats including marshes, bogs, swamps and wet meadows.

piezometer. An instrument for measuring compressibility and pressure.

poults. A young fowl.

primary productivity. The transformation of chemical or solar energy to biomass. Most primary production occurs through photosynthesis, whereby green plants convert solar energy, carbon dioxide, and water to glucose and eventually to plant tissue.

quadrats. A one meter by one meter sampling space.

reduction. The lowering of oxygen content.

riverine. Freshwater rivers and stream channels

riparian. Pertaining to or situated on the bank of a stream or river.

subclasses. A subdivision of a class, related to the HGM classification method.

swamp. A wetland type that is usually constantly inundated with water and forested.

taxonomy. The classification of plants and animals into established groups or categories on the basis of their natural relationship.

topography. Elevational changes across the landscape.

transect. A sampling area consisting of a line running across the area of interest.

value. The significance of wetland functions to society or individuals.

watershed. The area drained by a network of streams and rivers.

wetland. An ecosystem type which is at some point in the year inundated with water, has hydric soils and supports predominantly hydrophytes.