radiative transfer modeling
Computational approach to calculate radiation fluxes through the atmosphere under specified atmospheric conditions
redox reactions
water balance
Accounting framework where annual discharge equals precipitation minus evapotranspiration minus storage changes
canopy surface area
counterflow
dispersal
The movement away from your place of birth and onto another location involving decision to depart, displacement, and settlement
ecosystem engineering
The modification of environments by organisms in ways that influence resource availability for other species, exemplified by beaver dam construction creating pond habitats.
floral volatile organic compounds
Chemical compounds emitted by flowers that contribute to floral scent and can influence pollinator attraction and plant-herbivore interactions
gene flow
Movement of genes between populations through migration and reproduction
heterospecific pollen transfer
Transfer of pollen between different plant species that share generalist pollinators, often resulting in reproductive costs through pollen loss and reductions in seed set
hillslope similarity
Classification approach to identify hillslopes with similar hydrologic behavior based on physical and dynamic characteristics
nutrient uplift
optimal foraging theory
Animals adopt a foraging strategy that provides the most benefit (energy) for the lowest cost
pollinator decline
Widespread reductions in pollinator abundance and diversity observed globally, attributed to multiple environmental stressors
reproduction
soil pH
Measure of soil acidity/alkalinity that may influence plant phenotype expression
surface albedo
The fraction of solar radiation reflected by the surface, with snow-covered surfaces having high albedo (0.8) and snow-free surfaces having lower values
water quality standards
Regulatory standards for contaminant concentrations in water bodies including acute and chronic limits for aquatic life protection
aerobic respiration
aerobic respiration
Microbially-mediated oxidation of organic matter consuming oxygen and producing CO2 that controls oxygen availability in subsurface environments
carbon mass balance
Accounting framework that tracks carbon inputs, transformations, and outputs in environmental systems to quantify net carbon fluxes
flower color
foraging efficiency
A measure of how successful a bird is at food acquisition, quantified through observations as foraging rate (number of forages divided by time observed)
frost damage
Direct damage to plant buds and flowers from freezing temperatures occurring during vulnerable developmental stages
habituation
Process by which animals become less responsive to repeated non-threatening stimuli over time
individual fitness
nesting preferences
The selective choices made by organisms regarding where to construct nests, influenced by environmental factors that affect offspring survival and reproductive success.
petrogenic organic carbon
Organic carbon derived from sedimentary rocks that is often poorly quantified and influences soil organic carbon composition, age, and stability
water availability
PET/P ratio
anthropogenic disturbance
Human activities that impose novel challenges on a wide range of species, which can negatively influence individuals, populations, and communities as well as ecosystems
centrality measures
Network statistics that quantify the importance or influence of individuals within social networks, including degree, closeness, betweenness, and eigenvector centrality
community composition
The identity and relative abundance of species within an ecological community
food web structure
The network of feeding relationships among organisms in an ecosystem
forecast skill
The accuracy of predicted values using root mean square error to assess model performance
genotype by environment interaction
Differential expression of genotypes across environmental conditions, indicating genetic variation in phenotypic plasticity
herbivory impact
Effects of animal feeding on plant biomass and community structure
hybridization
Interbreeding between taxa that alters the pool of genetic variation available for population responses to changing environments
kin selection
Natural selection that favors behaviors that benefit relatives, even at a cost to the individual performing the behavior
phylogenetic signal
The tendency for related species to resemble each other more than expected by chance, measured by Blomberg's K and Pagel's lambda
plant-pathogen interactions
Selective pressure relationships between host plants and their parasites that can shift based on environmental changes
seed production
acoustic playback experiment
Experimental technique using recorded sounds played back to animals to test behavioral or physiological responses to acoustic stimuli
balancing selection
Selection that maintains multiple alleles in a population at frequencies above those expected from mutation alone
biodiversity loss
Loss of species diversity through various processes including lack of adaptation to changing conditions, phenological changes, shifts in species abundance and ranges, and habitat loss
cannibalism
Predation behavior where individuals consume members of their own species, particularly common in A. m. nebulosum populations targeting first year hatchlings
community structure
correlation coefficient
demography
dendroecological reconstruction
Method of reconstructing past forest conditions using tree-ring data to determine establishment dates and estimate historical stand structure
