arborist
- a person who is trained in the planting and/or maintenance of trees.
biodiversity
- the number of different species in an area.
biosphere - the layer
of soil, water, and air in which life exists on Earth
bryophytes -
small nonvascular plants (mosses and liverworts) anchored to the ground
by rhizoids. Nonvascular means that they do not have any specialized
tissues to transport water. Rhizoids act like the roots of vascular
plants but are much simpler.
canopy the treetops
of a forest
cryptogams -
all flowerless and seedless plant-like organisms that reproduce by means
of spores (including ferns, mosses, algae, fungi).
curate - responsible
for the contents of a museum or library (curator).
diurnal - active in
the daytime
diversity -
variety of living things(organisms) found amoung a "group" or in a location.
ecologist -
someone who studies the interactions of living organisms with one another
and with their environment.
entomologist - someone
who studies insects.
global warming - increased
land and ocean temperatures caused by increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
which causes the atmosphere to hold heat
GPS readings-
recording locations using a handheld receiving unit that gathers information
about lattitude and longitude by radio waves from a network of satellites
(Global Positioning System)
GSMNP - Great Smoky
Mountain National Park
HOBO - A Hobo is the
trade mark name for a set of data recorders. The one used for this field
research records the temperature, photosynthetic active radiation, and
moisture (relative humidity)
invading species -
when an organism is carried into a new location and makes a home for itself
in an area, often at the expense of native species ( also called exotic
species or introduced species)
lichens - a
mass of fungi and algae cells that grow together in a symbiotic relationship
that benefits both organisms.
myxomycetes
- "slime molds" or fungus-like protists
nocturnal - active
at night
quantitative data
- information that has been gathered by measuring or counting something.
statistician
- an expert in organizing and analyzing facts and data to find the significance
(or meaning) of the information
tree canopy
- the uppermost layer of the trees (includes the leaves, twigs, branches,
and the air among them).
vertical transects
- an up-and-down line of study that divides something (like a tree) into
study locations for comparison.
virgin forest - an area of forest that has not been changed by humans (example - has never been cut for lumber).
voucher specimen -
a branch with several leaves from each tree that is being sampled and used
to identify the tree species.