Glossary || Canopy in the Clouds

Antibiotic

A chemical compound that slows or destroys the growth of microorganisms.

Aposematic Coloration

Bright coloration of animals that serves as a warning to predators. Although the coloration usually indicates that the animal has a chemical or physical defense, there are some animals that have this coloration and try to fool predators into believing they have a defense.

Atlantic and Pacific Slope

Monteverde, Costa Rica is situated on the Cordillera de Tilaran Mountain Range. The Atlantic slope is the eastern side of the mountain range and the Pacific slope is the western side of the mountain range.

Biodiversity

The number of different organisms or types of organisms in an environment.

Biomass

The total weight of organisms in a given area.

Bromeliads

Plants in the pineapple family, often epiphytic.

Canopy

The uppermost layer of vegetation formed by the crowns of trees in a forest, often forms a distinct habitat.

Clay

Very fine-grained sediment particles that are one component of soils.

Colonize

The successful entrance of a species into a new area.

Competition

An interaction between two organisms where both seek the same limited resource.

Crypsis

Coloration of organisms that makes them resemble or blend into their background, often useful for avoiding predators.

Decomposition

The process by which complex organic compounds are broken down into simpler ones which are then available for use by organisms.

Deforestation

The clearance of forest via logging or burning.

Detritus

Dead organic matter such as dead leaves (see leaf litter).

Drought Stress

Interference in a plant's ability to grow and maintain itself as a result of a prolonged lack of available water.

Elevation

Refers to the height of a location above sea level.

Endemic

An organism found in only a certain area. An animal only found in the tropical montane cloud forest is said to be endemic to that geographic area.

Epiphyte

A plant that grows entirely on another plant.

Evaporate

The process of turning a liquid into a vapor.

Frugivore

An organism that feeds on fruit.

Genus

Refers to a group of organisms sharing common characteristics in a common system of organization, called Linnaean Classification. From largest to smallest unit, it proceeds: kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species.

Germinate

To begin to grow, here refers to a seed of a plant becoming a seedling.

Growth Ring

A layer of growth in a plant stem that occurs in a distinct period of time, usually annually as a result of a distinct growing season.

Hemiepiphyte

A plant that only spends part of its life as an epiphyte, with distinct life stages where the plant has only has roots in the canopy or only has roots in the ground.

Herbivore

An organism that feeds on leaves, or more generally on plants.

Iridescence

The changing of color as a function of the angle from which something is viewed.

Larvae

A free-living, immature form of an animal that often differs in form, feeding, and habitat from the adult form.

Leaf Litter

Dead leaves that have fallen from plants and form a mat on the forest floor.

Lignin

A common plant tissue that provides strength to plant cell walls.

Litter

Scattered objects on the ground, referes here to dead leaves (see leaf litter).

Liverwort

A group of non-vascular (lacking in tissue to conduct fluids), seedless plants that reproduce through spores. Liverworts are closely related to hornworts and mosses.

Matter

The material or substance that makes up a physical object.

Metabolism

The chemical processes that generate and use energy in a living organism.

Microclimate

The weather conditions in a small, well-defined area. Here, we often refer to the microclimate of the forest canopy.

Microorganisms

Organisms that cannot be seen without the aid of a microscope, including many bacteria, fungi, archaea, and protests.

Montane

Referring to a mountainous location.

Nutrients

A substance required by an organism for growth and activity.

Organic

Compounds derived from living organisms and therefore containing carbon. Here, we refer to organic soils, which are soils with decomposing leaf material that contain carbon.