Glossary
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Interpretive Stops  1.  Along Aptos Creek  2.  Fern Grotto  3.  Twisted Grove  4.  Geologic Foundation  5.  Redwoods and Associates  6.  Magnificent Old Growth  7.  Fairy Ring in the Making  8.  Granary, Stump, and Burl  9.  The Pourroy Garden 10. The Little Slide 11. Smiley Face Stump 12. Big "Round" 13. Goosepen Tree 14. The "Advocate Tree" 15. The Ravine 16. Pourroy's Picnic Area Additional Information  Animals of Marcel's Forest  TimeLine  Glossary  Teacher Workshop		Definitions of Terms acorn A hard, 1-seeded nut whose base is enclosed by a scaly cup. alluvium Sediment or loose material such as clay, silt, sand gravel, and larger rocks deposited by running water. amphibian Any of a class (Amphibia) of vertebrates, including frogs, toads, newts, and salamanders, that usually begin life in the water as tadpoles with gills, and later develop lungs. They are cold-blooded and scaleless. anadromous Fish that live in either fresh or salt water during different stages in their life cycle returning to fresh water to spawn. annual When used in reference to plants, it means a plant that produced flowers and fruit in its first year, then dies. biomass Energy produced from organic materials. These materials include wood, bagasse, crop residues, solid waste, animal wastes, sewage, and waste from food processing. Biomass is made up mainly of the elements carbon and hydrogen; technologies exist that free the energy from chemical compounds made up of these elements. bole Trunk of a tree canopy A layer of foliage in a forest stand. Refers most often to the uppermost layer of foliage, but it can describe lower layers of multi-storied stands. canopy closure The degree to which the canopy (forest layers above one's head) blocks sunlight or obscures the sky. chaparral Spanish for evergreen oak. Usually means a dense thicket of shrubs and thorny bushes. chromosome Any of the microscopic rod-shaped bodies into which the chromatin of a cell nucleus separates during mitosis: they carry the genes that convey hereditary characteristics and are constant in number for each species. clear-cut A timber harvest method in which all trees are removed in a single entry from a designated area, with the exception of wildlife trees or snags, to create an even-aged stand. compound leaves A leaf with two or more completely separate leaflets, as in a clover, rose, or pea. conifer Cone-bearing trees or shrubs, mostly evergreen, such as pines and firs. The redwood is a conifer. crown The upper part of a tree or other woody plant that carries the main system of branches and the foliage. crown cover The degree to which the crowns of trees are nearing general contact with one another. cull A tree or snag that does not meet merchantable specifications. duff Decaying vegetable matter on the ground in a forest. deciduous A tree that loses its leaves and then grows more in the spring. dendrochronologist A scientist who studies the ages of trees down log Portion of a tree that has fallen or been cut and left in the woods. epicenter Place at surface of earth where the quake occurred. See "hypocenter" epiphyte A plant that grows on another plant but is not a parasite and produces its own food through photosynthesis, as certain orchids, mosses, and lichens. fungus Any number of thallophytes which includes molds, mildews, mushrooms, rusts, and smuts, which live on living organisms or feed upon dead organic material. They lack chlorophyll, true roots, stems, and leaves, and reproduce through spores. gene Any of the units occurring at specific points on the chromosomes, by which hereditary characters are transmitted and determined. giardia A waterborne parasite that infects animals and humans. GPS The letters stand for Global Positioning System. A GPS receiver processes satellite signals which give the position of the receiver on the earth's surface. hypocenter Actual location of the rupture beneath the surface of the earth. See "epicenter" indusium In ferns, a fold or shieldlike structure that covers a sorus, at least when the sporangia are young. litter layer The loose, relatively undecomposed organic debris on the surface of the forest floor made up typically of leaves, bark, small branches, and other fallen material. mammal Any of a large class (Mammalia) of warm-blooded, usually hairy vertebrates whose offspring are fed with milk secreted by the female mammary glands. meristem The growing tips of roots and stems. microbe A microscopic organism. mixed evergreen community In California, a plant community characterized by trees such as madrone, chinquapin, tanoak, and big leave maple. moss Any of a class (Musci) of very small, green, bryophytic plants having stems with leaflike structures and growing in velvety clusters on rocks, trees, and moist ground. mycologist A person who studies fungi. pelecypod Marine bivalve (2 shelled) molluscs related to clams, mussels and scallops plate tectonics The concept that the Earth's lithosphere consists of a number of rigid, mobile pieces (plates) riding over the more plastic (flexible) athenosphere. redd The nest of salmonid fish, like the steelhead, built in the fine gravels of streams. riffle Part of a stream that is characterized by shallow, fast-moving water broken by the presence of rocks and boulders. riparian habitat The aquatic and terrestrial habitat adjacent to streams, lakes, estuaries, or other waterways. riparian vegetation The plants that grow rooted in the water table of a nearby wetland area such as a river, stream, reservoir, pond, spring, marsh, bog, meadow, etc. sediment Rock and mineral fragments derived from pre-existing rocks. serotinous Some pines have evolved a mechanism whereby the cone scales can only be separated by intense heat. These cones are called serotinous and a good example is seen in the knobcone pine (Pinus attenuata). silviculture Forestry; the art of creating a forest. snag Any standing dead, partially dead, or defective (cull) tree at least 10 inches in diameter at breast height and at least 6 feet tall. sorus In ferns, a cluster of sporangia. See "sporangium." split-stuff Logging term used to describe products hand cut from felled redwoods such as shakes, pickets, stakes, and railroad ties. sporangium In ferns, fern allies, and lower plants, a structure within which spores are formed. stomate A microscopic pore on the surface of a leaf or herbaceous stem. Stomates permit escape of water vapor and exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. tectonics See "Plate tectonics." tributary A stream that flows into another stream, river, or lake. watershed The area drained by a river or river system. windthrow A tree or trees uprooted or felled by the wind.    Top of Page  Back to TIMELINE   Forward to TEACHER WORKSHOP
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