Glossary

Glossary: B

baleen

A horny substance, commonly known as whalebone, that grows as plates from the upper jaws of certain whales, and forms a fringelike filter for extracting plankton such as krill from seawater.

barrage

A barrier, such as a low earth dam, which impounds water for irrigation.

basal metabolic rate

the minimum number of kilocalories a resting animal requires to sustain basic physiological processes.

benign introduction

An attempt to establish a species, for the purpose of conservation, outside its recorded distribution, but within an appropriate habitat and eco-geographical area.

benthic

on or near the bottom of a body of water

beta diversity

See diversity - beta.

bilateral symmetry

having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends.

biodegradation

helps break down and decompose dead plants and/or animals

bioluminescent

the ability of some living organisms to produce light and the emission of this biologically produced light.

biomass

A measure of the abundance of an animal in term of the mass (weight) of the animals, stated as either the total mass of the animals in a given location or per unit area.

biome

major ecological community type, classified mainly by predominant plant types and adaptations of organisms to particular climatic conditions

biotic

Something that is alive, or used to be alive.

bipectinate

having two margins which are toothed, like a comb.

bipedal

Referring to animal that walks on two legs.

blowhole

The opening of the nostril(s) of a whale, located on the top of it's head, through which the whale breathes and from which the spout is produced.

blubber

A layer of fat beneath the skin.

bog

a wetland area rich in accumulated plant material and with acidic soils surrounding a body of open water. Bogs have a flora dominated by sedges, heaths, and sphagnum.

boreal

Referring to northern regions. Specifically, the region south of the Arctic Circle and north of latitude 50 deg. N; the term may also refer to an area dominated by coniferous forest.

bovid

a member of the mammalian family Bovidae, within the order Artiodactyla. This family includes cows, bison, buffalo, antelopes, gazelles, sheep, goats, muskoxen, and many others.

brachia

1.In brachiopods (Phylum Brachiopoda), a pair of feathery structures forming part of the lophophore, they are used in food collecting. 2. In crinoids (Phylum Echinodermata, Class Crinoidea), the long, plated, flexible arms containing a water vessel, from which the tube feet arise. When feeding the tube feet are extended, at other times they are covered by brachial plates. Smaller arms coming from the main brachia are called pinnules and are made up of pinnular plates. Singular: brachium.

brachiate

To move around in trees by arm-swinging from branch to branch.

brackish water

areas with salty water, usually in coastal marshes and estuaries.

breaching

Leaping from the water surface (usually by whales).

breeding season

the time of the year during which mating occurs.

brindled

Having inconspicuous dark streaks or flecks on a gray or tawny background.

bromeliad

One of a family of American epiphytic herbaceous plants including the pineapple and Spanish moss.

brood

clutch, brooding

noun: the offspring of a single birth or set of eggs, or any group of young that is being cared for together by an adult.

verb: to incubate eggs.

brood parasite

lays eggs in the nests of another animal, of the same or different species, who then provides parental care to the offspring

browser

An herbivore that feeds on shoots and leaves of trees and/or shrubs, as opposed to grasses (compare grazer).

bursa

a sac-like space made up of fibrous tissue and containing a thick, lubricating fluid (synovial fluid). Bursae (plural) are found in areas of vertebrate bodies where friction between skin, muscle, ligaments, or bones might occur. They help to reduce this friction.

bycatch

Fish taken in a fishery which are not of the species intended for harvest.