HOLLOWS, PEEPERS, AND HIGHLANDERS: AN APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN ECOLOGY

Jargon

252 Jargon abdominal stove. Informal phrase for the central mass of an animal’s torso that generates and retains heat. abrasive breeding. Spawning in which a female fish is stimulated to release eggs by a male rubbing against her. abscission layer. Zone of cells at the base of a leaf’s petiole that are only weakly attached to one another and that function to jettison the leaf. acid. Chemical compound which in solution has a sour taste; substance that when added to water increases the hydrogen ion concentration. acid deposition. The falling of human-produced acid from the atmosphere via all forms of precipitation. adaptation. A trait that contributes to the reproductive success of an individual organism. adaptive radiation. The evolutionary process by which a variety of species arise from an ancestral one. adhesion. Attraction between molecules in contact. adipose tissue. Connective tissue in which the cells store fat droplets . aerobic metabolism. Chemical changes in living cells that require oxygen. aggregate. Rock composed of fragments of several different kinds of rock. aggressive mimicry. Imitating a different animal, such as another’s prey or mate, to lure prey within reach. alarm call. Sound produced by one animal that causes others to behave defensively. 253 alarm signal system. The warning and defensive reactions of fish consisting of skin alarm cells, alarm substance, and alarm reaction . allele. Alternate form of a gene; e. g., alleles for brown versus blue eyes. allopatric speciation. Evolutionary formation of new species from geographically separated populations. altruism. Behavior that benefits the reproductive success of others; selfless behavior. aluminum. A lightweight (atomic number 13), abundant (8% of Earth’s crust) metallic element that resists oxidation. amino acid. Nitrogen-containing organic molecule from which protein molecules are built. amphipod. A form of crustacean commonly called sand flea. amplexus. The grasping of a female amphibian by a male with his forelimbs during mating. anadromous. Fish that ascend rivers from the sea for breeding. anaerobic metabolism. Chemical changes in living cells that are independent of oxygen. anchor ice. Water frozen on the bottom of a stream. anther. Part of a flower that contains pollen and is usually borne on a stalk. anthocyanin. Blue, purple, or red pigment in plants. anticline. An arch of stratified rock in which layers bend downward in opposite directions from the crest and form a ∩. antifreeze. Dissolved substance that lowers the freezing point of a liquid. antipredator adaptation. Body traits and behaviors that reduce the odds of being caught and eaten. antiherbivory compound. Chemical that discourages animals from eating a plant. Jargon 254 Appalachian Plateau. Westernmost physiographic province of the Appalachian Mountains, located west of the Allegheny Front and characterized by mild deformation. Araceae. Family of perennial herbs with tuberous roots and a pungent cell sap. arum. Common name for plants in the family Araceae. asexual reproduction. Producing young without the union of sperm and egg. assemblage. The collection of species in a given area. asthenosphere. Part of Earth’s mantle below the lithosphere. auxin. Plant hormone that, among other effects, causes cell elongation . bald. A naturally treeless area surrounded by forest. Batesian mimicry. Resemblance of an edible species (mimic) to a distasteful one (model). The mimic is thus protected from predators. Beau Geste hypothesis. An idea that male birds display large repertoires to appear to be many singing males. Beringia. The strait of land connecting Siberia and Alaska during the last glacial stage. biogeography. The study of geographic distributions of living things. biological diversity. The number of different kinds of living things; biodiversity. bioluminescence. Production of light by a living thing. biomass. The amount of living matter as measured by weight or volume . biosphere reserve. A designated area that preserves all the functions of a natural ecosystem. bole. The large central trunk of a tree. boreal forest. The spruce-fir zone stretching across Canada. Hollows, Peepers, and Highlanders 255 Brevard Zone. The suture formed by the collision of the African and North American plates. The Brevard zone is a long fault trending northeast-southwest through Brevard, North Carolina , and connecting Atlanta, Asheville, and Roanoke. buffer. A dissolved substance that neutralizes acid, thereby maintaining the pH of the solution. Cambrian Period. Part of the Paleozoic Era between 590 and 505 million years ago. cannibalism. Eating members of your own species. canopy. The nearly continuous layer of leaves at the top of a mature forest. canopy gap. A break in the forest canopy, usually...