Glossary

Glossary: C

CITES

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora was negotiated in 1973 and originally signed by 85 countries. Mauritania became a party to CITES in June, 1998, bring the total number of participating countries to 144. It is designed to promote conservation of endangered species while allowing commerce in species of wildlife that can withstand the pressures of trade. The convention has three categories of protection. Under its Appendix I, commercial trade in species that are threatened with extinction is generally prohibited. These species may be traded only under special conditions (usually for scientific research or display purposes). Such transactions require both an import permit from CITES authorities in the recipient country and an export permit from authorities in the country of origin... CITES allows conditional commercial trade in species that are not yet endangered but merit monitoring. These species are listed on Appendix II and may be traded only with an export permit from their country of origin. A third appendix to CITES is intended to help individual countries gain international cooperation in protecting native species. Any country may place a native plant or animal on Appendix III, making the species conditionally tradable. The species may not be traded without either an export permit from its native country (if that country listed it on Appendix III) or a certificate of origin (if it comes from a country that did not list it). (Fitzgerald 1989)

cache

(noun) A hidden store of food; (verb) to hide food for future use.

caecum

a pouch in the alimentary canal of vertebrates between the small intestine and the large intestine, represents the beginning of the large intestine.

calcareous

containing calcium carbonate, as in soils and other substrates which contain high concentrations of calcium carbonate.

calcified

becoming hardened through the addition of calcium salts or becoming converted to calcium carbonate (bone).

canid

A member of the family Canidae, which includes dogs, foxes, jackals, and wolves.

canopy

A relatively continuous layer in forests resulting from the intermingling of branches of trees; it may be continuous (closed) or broken by gaps (open).

carapace

A hard, protective outer covering of the back or part of the back of an animal (such as a crab).

carinate

having a keeled breastbone, as in birds.

carnivore

an animal that mainly eats meat

carrion

flesh of dead animals.

cartilage

a hardened connective tissue made up mainly of collagen, but also includes chondromucoid and chondroalbuminoid (similar to elastin). New bone growth involves calcification of cartilaginous connective tissue.

catadromous

Referring to fish that live primarily in fresh water but migrate to salt water to reproduce. Most of the growth takes place in fresh water and no significant feeding occurs when spawning migration commences

See also: anadromous

cathemeral activity

activity that takes place at irregular intervals during a 24-hour day.

caudal gland

An enlarged skin gland associated with the root of the tail.

causes disease in humans

an animal which directly causes disease in humans. For example, diseases caused by infection of filarial nematodes (elephantiasis and river blindness).

causes or carries domestic animal disease

either directly causes, or indirectly transmits, a disease to a domestic animal

cellulose

The fundamenetal constituent of the cell wass of all green plants. It is tough and fibrous and is the principal structural material of plants.

cephalization

the tendency in some animal groups for the major sense organs, mouth, and brain to be grouped at the front of the body, which is then called a head.

cervid

A member of the mammalian family Cervidae, which includes deer, caribour, moose, reindeer, elk, and others.

cetacean

a member of the mammalian order Cetacea, including whales, porpoises, and dolphins.

chaco

A lowland plains area in Bolivia and Paraguay containing soils carried down from the Andes. It is characterized by dry deciduous forest and scrub, transitional between rain forest

chaparral

mid-altitude coastal areas with mild, rainy winters and long, dry summers. Dominant plant types are dense, evergreen shrubs.

chemical

uses smells or other chemicals to communicate

chemoreceptor

a receptor that detects the presence of chemicals and, in multicellular organisms, transmits this information to the nervous system.

chemosensory

referring to the sensation of chemical signals. The portion of the nervous system devoted to detecting and interpreting chemical signals.

chitin

the substance making up the hard outer parts of various invertebrates such as insects. It consists of complex sugars with a similar structure to cellulose.

choruses

to jointly display, usually with sounds, at the same time as two or more other individuals of the same or different species

chromatophores

pigment-containing cells found in the skin of many vertebrates, crustaceans, and molluscs. Pigment granules concentrate or disperse in the cytoplasm of the cell, causing the animal to better match its surroundings.

chrysalis

chrysali

1. A pupa, especially of a moth or butterfly, enclosed in a firm case or cocoon.
2. A protected stage of development.

cilia

singular: cilium. Tiny hair-like structures on the surface of many cells, especially protozoans and skin cells. Cilia help cells move or cause liquids to move over the cell surface.

cirrus

a kind of high-altitude, wispy cloud, from the Latin word meaning tuft or lock of hair.

clonal

used to describe a group of organisms that are all derived through from a single parent, or ancestor, through asexual reproduction.

cloud forest

Moist, high-altitude forest characterised by dense understory growth, and abundance of ferns, mosses, orchids and other plants on the trunks and branches of the trees.

clutch

a set of eggs laid at any one time, a single reproductive effort of an egg-laying animal.

coastal

the land near a coast, or shoreline.

cocoon

cocoons, cocooned

1. A protective case of silk or similar fibrous material spun by the larvae of moths and other insects that serves as a covering for their pupal stage.
2. A similar natural protective covering or structure, such as the egg case of a spider.

coefficient of variation

The standard deviation divided by the mean.

colonial

colony

used loosely to describe any group of organisms living together or in close proximity to each other - for example nesting shorebirds that live in large colonies. More specifically refers to a group of organisms in which members act as specialized subunits (a continuous, modular society) - as in clonal organisms.

See also: colonial growth

colonial growth

animals that grow in groups of the same species, often refers to animals which are not mobile, such as corals.

See also: colonial

commensalism

A one-sided relationship between two species, in which only one benefits and the other is neither benefited nor harmed (e.g. epiphytes such as orchids).

competition

The interaction of two or more organisms seeking a limited resource that they both need.

compound eyes

the eyes of insects and crustaceans which are composed of multiple visual units, the ommatidia. Each ommatidium (singular) is made up of a lens and 6 to 8 retinal cells.

congenor

A member of the same genus.

coniferous

Relating to cone-bearing trees.

coniferous forest

A forest consisting mostly of conifers such as firs, pines and spruces, usually in climates too dry or too cold to support deciduous forest.

conspecific

Being a member of the same species.

consumer

An animal or microbe that gets food by eating other organisms (plants or animals).

contractile

capable of producing contraction, the shortening of muscle fibers in order to produce a force.

convergence

in the evolutionary sense, convergence occurs when animals that are descended from different ancestors evolve to look most similar to each other. Their similarity, or convergence, is not the result of shared evolutionary history.

cooperative breeder

helpers provide assistance in raising young that are not their own

copepod

A small marine crustacean only a few millimeters (less than 1/8) in diameter.

coprophage

an animal that mainly eats the dung of other animals

cordillera

A system of mountain ranges often consisting of a number of more or less parallel chains.

cosmopolitan

having a worldwide distribution. Found on all continents (except maybe Antarctica) and in all biogeographic provinces; or in all the major oceans (Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific.

create habitat

changes the environment and creates new habitats for other species

crepuscular

active at dawn and dusk

crustacean

A member of a class within the Arthropods, Crustacea, which has five pairs of legs, two pairs of antennae, head and thorax joined, and calcareous deposits in the exoskeleton (e.g. crayfish, crabs, and shrimp).

cryptic

having markings, coloration, shapes, or other features that cause an animal to be camouflaged in its natural environment; being difficult to see or otherwise detect.

ctenidia

the gills of aquatic molluscs, present on either side of the mantle cavity.

cud

Food brought back up into the mouth by an animal from its first stomach to be chewed again (see Ruminant).

cursorial

specialized for running.

cuticle

the outer layer of arthropods and plants that helps to prevent water loss. The cuticle of arthropods is a waxy secretion of the epidermal cells and acts as a protective, supportive, and waterproof component of the exoskeleton.