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Journeys to Living Laboratories
Glossary Of Wildlife Management Terminology
As defined by Edward O. Wilson, author, in his book, The Future of Life, published by Alan A. Knopf, Random House, copyright 2002, and the American Heritage Dictionary (which is formally cited under the specific term)
Carol Linnaeus's system of biological classification -
[listed from lowest classification level (species) to highest (domains)]
Glossary Listings
A B C D E F G H I K
L M N O P R S T U V W
Active Nest - A nest with at least 1 egg, during egg laying or incubation.
Adaptive radiation - The splitting of a single species into many species that occupy diverse ways of life within the same geographic range. The classical example is the proliferation of the Australian marsupial mammals from a single distant ancestor into kangaroos, wombats, etc.
Alfaalfa - A type of plant that Rhinos eat
Amphibians - Any of various cold-blooded, smooth-skinned vertebrate organisms, such as a frog, toad, or salamander, characteristically hatching as aquatic larvae that breathe by means of gills and metamorphosing to an adult form having air-breathing lungs.
Antibodies - Any of various proteins in the blood that are generated in reaction to foreign proteins or polysaccarides, neutralizing them, and thus producing immunity against certain microorganisms or their toxins.
Archaeans - (plural archaea) One of the three major domains (see definition below) of life on earth. These are the unconventional microbial life forms.
Area-species principle -The arithmetically regular relation between the area of an island or habitat and the number of species that live sustainably within it.
Bacteria - One of the three major domains (see definition below) of life on earth. These are conventionally recognized microbes
Biodiversity - Biological diversity. All of the hereditary variation in organisms, from differences in ecosystems to the species composing each ecosystem, and to the genetic variation in each of the species. It may be used to refer to the variety of life of all of Earth or any part of it.
Biofilia - The innate tendency to be attracted by other life forms and to affiliate with natural living systems.
Biogeography - The biological study of the geographical distribution of plants and animals.
Biosphere - All of life, that is all living plants, animals, and microorganisms.
Biota - All the different kinds of organisms - plants, animals, and microorganisms found in a particular place.
Brood - The young of certain mammals, as birds or fish; especially a group of young birds or fowl hatched at one time and cared for by the same mother; to sit on or hatch eggs.
Breeding pair - A pair of birds that has demonstrated breeding behaviors; e.g. courting, nest scraping, etc.
Catchment - A structure, such as a basin or reservoir, for collecting or draining water.
Chromosome - In higher organisms a segment made up of genes and the proteins surrounding them (see definition of gene below).
Class - A taxanomic (see definition of taxonomy below) category ranking below a phylum (see definition below) and above an order (see definition below) (as defined by the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, published by Houghton Mifflin Company, edited by William Morris, Copyright 1976).
Coevolution - Evolution into two (or more) species of organisms such that changes in one affect the changes in the other(s).
Commiphera - Woodland in Mkomazi. It is actually called: ACACIA COMMIPHERA and it is very good for the black rhino sub species that live here (Diceros bicornis michaeli).
Conservation - The official preservation of natural resources, such as topsoil, forests, and waterways (as defined by the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, published by Houghton Mifflin Company, edited by William Morris, Copyright 1976).
Conservation International (CI) - A global conservation organization headquartered in Washington, D.C.
Contiguous - Sharing a boundary or edge; nearby, neghboring, adjacent.
Creationism - The doctrine ascribing the origin of all matter and living forms as they now exist to distinct acts of creation by God (as defined by the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, published by Houghton Mifflin Company, edited by William Morris, Copyright 1976).
Darwinism - Evolution by natural selection (see definition below), named after the discoverer of this fundamental natural process, Charles Darwin.
Domain - Comprises the three great domains of life on earth, the highest taxonomic level of categorization - the domains are bacteria, archaea, and eukarya.
Distemper - The canine distemper virus is a highly contagious virus and very easily passed on directly from dog to dog by close contact. The virus establishes itself in the nasal passages, multiplies and spreads through the body, primarily affecting lungs, intestinal tract and nervous system. Nasal discharges contain the virus and by sneezing the virus is spread. Especially young, unvaccinated dogs are susceptible. Mortality rate might be as high as 50%.
DNA - Deoxyribonucleic acid - a polymeric chromosonal constituent of living cell nuclei, and determines individual hereditary characteristics.
Ecological Footprint - The amount of productive land appropriated on average by each person for food, water, transportation, habitation, waste management, government, and entertainment.
Ecology - The scientific study of the interaction of organisms with their environment, including the physical environment and the other organisms in it.
Ecosystem - The physical environment plus the organisms living in it of a particular habitat, such as a forest or coral reef. Ecosystems can be natural or artificial.
Ecosystem Services - The role played by ecosystems in creating a healthful environment for human beings, from production of oxygen to soil genesis and water detoxification.
Ecotourism - Tourism focused on attractive and interesting features of the environment, including flora and fauna.
Eukarya - the protistan domain (see definition above) also called protozoans, which include fungi, animals and plants.
Evaporation/Transpiration - To draw moisture from, to give off vapor containing waste products through the pores of the skin or the stomata of plant tissue.
Evolutionism - The theory that groups of organisms, as species, may change with the passage of time so that descendants differ morphologically (see morphology defined below) and psysiologically from their ancestors (as defined by the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, published by Houghton Mifflin Company, edited by William Morris, Copyright 1976).
Family - A taxanomic (see taxonomy below) category ranking below an order (see order below) and above a genus (see genus below) (as defined by the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, published by Houghton Mifflin Company, edited by William Morris, Copyright 1976).
Fauna - All the animals found in a particular place.
Fledge - To take care of a young bird until it is ready to fly; to cover with flight feathers.
Fledge success - Number of chicks fledged per number hatched.
Flora - All the plants found in a particular place.
Gene - The fundamental hereditary unit, composed of multiple base pairs of DNA and usually located within a short segment of a chromosome.
Genome - All the genes of a particular organism or of a species.
Genus (plural Genera) - An assemblage of similar and closely related species.
Gestation - The period of time for carrying developing offspring in the uterus after conception/pregnancy.
GPS - Global Positioning System - The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite navigation system developed and maintained by the U.S. government. Initially designed for military applications, civilian users have found numerous applications using GPS. Radio signals are sent from orbiting satellites to earth. GPS receivers on the ground can collect and convert the radio signals into position, velocity, and time information.
Some GPS receivers have the ability to store attribute information in addition to position information. Examples of attribute information are the condition of a street sign, the name of a road, or the condition of a fire hydrant. Position and attribute information can be stored in a Geographic Information System (GIS) to help users manage their assets more efficiently.
Habitat - An environment of a certain kind, such as a lake or glade in a forest.
Hatch - To produce young from an egg.
Hatch success - Number of chicks hatched per number of eggs laid.
Herbivore - An animal that feeds on plants; plant eating
Hotspot - A region of the world, such as Madagascar and the tropical Andes, that is both rich in species found nowhere else and environmentally endangered.
Immunology - The medical study of immunity (resistance to a disease or pathogen)
Inactivated (killed virus) vaccines - A suspension of killed viruses, incapable of inducing severe infection, but capable, when inoculated into an animal, of counteracting the unmodified virus.
Incubation - To warm eggs, as by bodily heat, so as to promote embryonic development and the hatching of the young; to brood.
Invasive species - A species of plant, animal, or microorganism that is both alien to the environment in which it lives and destructive in some manner to the environment and its inhabitants.
Invertebrates - Animals lacking a backbone of bony segments that enclose the central nerve cord. Most animals are invertebrates, including the roundworm, starfish, insects, clams, jellyfish, etc.
IUCN - The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (also known as the World Conservation Union) headquartered in Gland, Switzerland.
Kingdom - The second highest of the taxonomic (see definition below) categorizations of organisms having certain basic characteristics (e.g., the animal kingdom, the plant kingdom) (as defined by the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, published by Houghton Mifflin Company, edited by William Morris, Copyright 1976).
Lorry - large truck, or transport vehicle.
Mammals - Animals of the class Mammalia, characterized by milk produced in the female mammary gland and by body hair.
Mandibles - The lower jaw in vertebrates. Either the upper or lower part of the beak in birds. Any of various mouthparts in insects.
Megafauna - The largest animals, weighing 10 kilograms or more, such as ostriches, deer, and crocodiles.
Microorganism - An organism too small to be seen with the naked eye, typically a bacterium, archaen, or protozoan, but also any one of the smaller forms of fungi and algae.
Montane - Growing in, or inhabiting mountain areas
Morphology - The biological study of the form and structure of living organisms (as defined by the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, published by Houghton Mifflin Company, edited by William Morris, Copyright 1976).
Morphogenesis - Evolutionary development of the structure of an organism or part (as defined by the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, published by Houghton Mifflin Company, edited by William Morris, Copyright 1976).
Natural Selection - The differential contribution of offspring to the next generation by various genetic types belonging to the same population - the mechanism of evolution suggested by Charles Darwin.
Nest attempts - Nest where egg laying was recorded.
Nest success - Number of hatched nests per number of total nests.
Nesting pair - A pair of birds that have produced at least one egg.
Order - A taxanomic (see taxonomy below) category of plants and animals ranking above the Family and below the Class levels of biological classifications (as defined by the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, published by Houghton Mifflin Company, edited by William Morris, Copyright 1976).
Paroviral Disease - Is a disease of dogs caused by a virus. The virus primarily affects the intestinal tract. Sypmtoms are fever, vomiting, and diarrhea. The virus is spread by the stool excreted by infected dogs. Especially puppies are susceptible and mortality rate may be high.
Phylogeny - The evolutionary history of a particular group of organisms, such as orchids or swallowtailed butterflies, with special reference to the family tree of the species belonging to the group.
Phyla (phylum - singular)
Plankton - Organisms that float passively in the sea and air, comprising mostly microorganisms together with small plants and animals.
Productivity - Number of chicks fledged per breeding pair.
Rabies disease - An acute, infectious, often fatal viral disease of most warm-blooded animals, especially wolves, cats, and dogs, that attacks the central nervous system and is transmitted by the bite of infected animals.
Rainforest - A forest with rainfall sufficiently abundant and evenly enough distributed through the year to sustain dense evergreen trees. The most familiar and biologically diverse of such ecosystems are the tropical rainforests. Temperate rainforests also exist, such as the Pacific Northwest of North America and the southern coast of Chile.
Red List - The Global list of threatened animal and plant species assembled and published by the Species Survival Commission of the IUCN - World Conservation Union. The most recent lists were published in 2000.
Reptiles - Any of various cold-blooded, usually egg-laying vertebrates of the class of Reptilia, as a snake, lizard, crocodile, turtle, or dinosaur, having an external covering of scales or horny plates, and breathing by means of lungs.
Sahel - Semi-arid region south of the Sahara desert with savanna-type
grassland and scrub.
Savannah - Flat, treeless, tropical or subtropical grassland
Scientific Inquiry - Scientific inquiry refers to the diverse ways in which
scientists study the natural world and propose explanations based on the
evidence derived from their work. Inquiry also refers to the activities of
students in which they develop knowledge and understanding of scientific
ideas, as well as an understanding of how scientists study the natural
world.
Scientific Method - The scientific method is the process by which
scientists, collectively and over time, endeavor to construct an accurate
representation of the world. There are several generally accepted steps that
include: Making observations and descriptions of events that lead to the
formulation of a hypothesis or explanation. A prediction is then made to
validate the hypothesis under properly formed experimental conditions and
then conclusions are drawn from the results that often lead to new
hypotheses. It's a process that keeps repeating and is driven by our
curiosity as humans to know about our word.
Species - The basic unit of classification, consisting of a population or series of populations of closely related and similar organisms.
Subspecies - A subdivision of species. Usually defined as a geographical race: a geographically discrete population that differs in one or more hereditary traits from other geographical populations of the same species.
Successful nest - Nest that has hatched at least one chick.
Systematics - The naming and classification of organisms. Essentially the same as taxonomy but with an additional emphasis on the tracing of evolutionary lineages, and the clustering of species into larger groups (such as genera, orders, and phyla) based on knowledge of the lineages.
Taxonomy - The naming and classification of organisms. Essentially the same as systematics, but usually applied to the narrower procedures of description, formal naming, and clustering of species into higher categories such as genera, orders and phyla.
Topography - The art of graphically representing on a map the exact physical configuration of a place or a region.
Transponder Device - Radio device implanted or attached to animal to track their movement in the wild or to identify an individual animal in a pack, herd, pride, etc.
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) - A conservation organization concentrated on the acquisition and protection of nature reserves; mostly in the United States, but increasingly international; it is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia.
Ungulates - hoofed mammal (rhinoceroses, horses, hippopotamuses, camels).
Vertebrates - Animals that possess backbones of bony segments. Living vertebrates consist of five major groups: fishes, amphibians (frogs, salamanders and caecilians), reptiles, birds, and mammals.
Virology - The study of viruses and viral diseases.
Wonky - Kooky, crazy, "off-the-wall", strange
English Translations of East African Swahili
East African Swahili Words, Terms, and their English Translations
(useful in understanding terminology used in Tanzanian culture and Tanzania's
Wildlife Policy and Mkomazi Game Reserve)
Askari - security guard, watchman
Banda - thatched hut with earthen or wooden walls
Boma - fenced in enclosure for rhinos or large animals, or village
Bul-bul - Black cover-all garment worn by Islamic women outside the home
Chai - tea
Chakula - food
Fundi - repair man or woman (clothing, building, cars, the trades)
Hakuna matata - no problem
Harambee - community self-help
Jinga - crazy
Jua Kali - hot sun
Kanga - printed cotton wrap-around with a pattern expressing a Swahili proverb
Kikoi - printed cotton wrap-around
Kiondas - woven baskets
Lugga - a dry riverbed
Makuti - roof made of dried palm leaves
Manyatta - Massai livestock camp usually encircled by thorn bushes
Moran - Massai or Samburu warrior
Mzunga - white person
Mbwa mwitu - The Wild Dog
Panga - machete
Pesa - money
Shamba - small farm or a small plot of land
TTC - Tanzanian tourist corporation
Uhuru - Freedom or independence
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