Adaptation The traits an organism possesses that suit it to live in its environment.
Alternate leaves Leaves that do not have a companion leaf arising from the same place on the opposite side of the stem.
Annual plant A plant that completes an entire life cycle in one growing season and then dies.
Anther The male part of a flower that contains and releases pollen.
Aquifer A geological formation that contains water.
Asexual reproduction Reproduction that does not involve union of sperm and egg cells, such as fission or budding.
Banner The upraised petal of a legume flower.
Biennial A plant that requires two growing seasons to complete its life cycle, flowering and fruiting the second year.
Burl The enlarged woody base of a chaparral shrub from which new sprouts arise after fire or mechanical damage to the stems.
Cambium (vascular) A thin layer of tissue lying just beneath the bark from which new conducting cells arise.
Carpel The female reproductive structure of a flowering plant consisting of the stigma, style, and ovary.
Cismontane Referring to the region west of the main Sierra crest.
Clone An organism formed from a cell or cells originating from another organism without sexual reproduction. A cloned organism is genetically identical to the organism from which the cell came.
Clutch A group of eggs laid all at the same time.
Coevolution The reciprocal and interdependent evolution of two or more species.
Commensal Referring to a type of interaction between two species where one organism benefits and the other is not helped or harmed.
Compound leaf A leaf with a blade that is divided into several separate leaflets.
Conifer A cone-bearing tree or shrub such as pine, juniper, or fir.
Convergence The similar appearance of unrelated organisms. The species resemble one another because they have developed similar ways of adapting to similar environments (convergent evolution).
Corm An enlarged part of an underground stem in which starch is stored.
Covey A small flock of birds, for example, quail. Crepuscular Active at dawn and dusk.
Debris basin An excavation that traps rocks, dirt, mud, and vegetation brought down a watercourse by flooding, often having a high wall or berm at one end resembling a dam.
Dehiscence The opening of a fruit or other plant structure, allowing the escape of the seeds or other contents within.
Dissected leaf A leaf with a blade that is distinctly cut into sections that are not entirely separated from one another at their bases.
Diurnal Active during daylight.
Ecosystem A group of organisms found together that interact with one another and with the environment.
Eliaosome A nutritious structure attached to the outside of a seed coat, whose function is to attract ants to disperse seeds away from the parent plant.
Endangered A population of organisms with numbers that have declined to the point where that population is in imminent danger of extinction.
Endemic A species or subspecies that has a natural range that is restricted to a particular area.
Exoskeleton The rigid outer body covering of invertebrates including insects, arachnids, and crustaceans.
Exposure The compass direction toward which a slope is inclined.
Extirpation The extermination of a species from a particular area, but not from its entire range.
Fascicle A group of needlelike leaves that is held together at a common base. Such leaves are called fasciculate.
Fledging The developmental stage at which a young bird has grown enough feathers to fly.
Fuelbreak A wide, roadlike clearing in chaparral created by removing most or all of the shrubs. The purpose is to impede the progress of fires.
Gall An enlarged growth produced by a plant in response to invasion by insects, fungi, or viruses. Wasp larvae often develop within the enlargement.
Gland A bump, depression, or appendage on a plant that produces a sticky fluid, such as nectar.
Habitat The environment of an organism, the place where it is usually found.
Hard-to-wet soil Soil that contains organic chemicals that prevent water from penetrating.
Herbivore An animal that feeds upon plants.
Humus Decomposed organic matter incorporated into soil.
Hybrid Offspring of unlike parents, for example, from different species.
Inflorescence A cluster of flowers, typically in specifiic arrangements, for example, a raceme or head.
IUCN Red List A list compiled by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature comprising species that are either extinct or in danger of becoming extinct, or are declining such that they could become endangered or extinct in the foreseeable future.
Larva The worm-shaped immature stage of an insect such as a caterpillar. The plural is larvae.
Linear leaf Resembling a line, long and narrow with more or less parallel sides.
Longitudinal bark fissioning The braided appearance of old stems of ceanothus, produced by the overgrowth of dead parts of the stem by living parts.
Microclimate The physical conditions of a small area, often different from the general conditions of the larger area that surrounds it. This influences the presence and distribution of organisms.
Nascent inflorescence Immature flower buds destined to produce flowers in a future growing season.
Natural Diversity Data Base (NDDB) A compendium of information about the distribution and status of naturally occurring organisms in the state of California.
Nocturnal Active during the hours of darkness.
Obligate seeder A species of chaparral shrub that regenerates after fire only from seeds. Also called a nonsprouter or nonresprouter.
Opposite leaves Pairs of leaves that grow directly across from one another on opposite sides of the same stem.
Ovipositor The egg-laying organ of insects.
Perennial plant A plant that lives for several to many years, such as a shrub or tree.
Peritoneum A membrane that surrounds and supports the internal organs of the abdominal cavity of vertebrates.
Pheromone A chemical released by an animal that communicates with another member of the same species, often to attract a mate.
Photosynthesis The process of the conversion of energy from sunlight into chemical energy (carbohydrates) by plants using chlorophyll, carbon dioxide, and water.
Pinnate leaf A featherlike leaf with leaflets arising on opposite side of the midrib.
Plant family A grouping of plant species, containing smaller groups called genera, that are placed together based on genetic similarity. Each family has a particular type of flower.
Prescribed fire The deliberate burning of natural vegetation to achieve a management goal such as clearing brush.
Pupa The stage in an insect's life when the larva ceases feeding, produces a hard outer covering, and remains immobile while transforming into an adult. The plural is pupae.
Pupate The process of forming a pupa.
Pyrophyte endemic A species of annual plant that only grows in chaparral during the first year following fire.
Raceme A flower cluster in which the flowers are arranged along the central stalk (peduncle) on equal-length stems (pedicels).
Raptor A predatory bird that grasps prey in its talons.
Rare species A species found in extremely small numbers, often in danger of extinction.
Relict distribution A population or species with a scattered natural distribution that is the remnant of a once larger, more continuous range.
Rills Small channels made by flowing water.
Scat Animal feces cast upon the ground.
Sclerenchyma A hard, rigid type of tissue found in the leaves of many chaparral shrubs.
Sclerophyllous Referring to hard or leathery evergreen leaves that retain their shape even when dry due to the presence of thick-walled cells (sclerenchyma).
Serpentine A mineral with high levels of magnesium and other metallic elements, and low nitrogen and phosphorous. Serpentine soil is inhospitable to the growth of most plants.
Stigma The female part of a flower that receives pollen.
Stipules Small appendages at the base of a leaf, usually born in pairs.
Subshrub Low-growing plants with woody bases and soft stems that are knee to waist high.
Taxonomist One who classifies and names organisms according to their relationships with one another.
Thorax The middle section of the insect body to which all legs are attached, between the head and the abdomen.
Threatened species Those species and populations that are approaching danger of extinction.
Urban-wildland interface The boundary between developed and natural areas, for example, when houses abut chaparral.
Varve Sediment deposited in episodic layers at the bottom of a body of water.
Viable Referring to a seed capable of germinating and growing.
Warble The resting chamber made just beneath the skin of a wood rat (Neotoma spp.) by the larva of a parasitic botfly (Cuterebra spp.).
Watershed A geographical area that collects precipitation flowing out of a common drainage point.
Westerlies Prevailing winds from the west, in California blowing from the ocean across the land.
Xeriscaping Landscaping comprising drought-tolerant plants.