| Term |
Definition |
| Abiotic |
Non-living, e.g., bedrock, soil particles, sunlight. |
| Biodiversity |
A general, all inclusive term – a contraction of biological and diversity-
often used to describe biotic pieces: the number, variety and variability
of plants, animals (species/genes), and ecological communities (ecosystems). |
| Biotic |
Living organisms, i.e., plants and animals. |
| CDC(s) |
Conservation data centre(s), known as natural heritage programs (NHPs)
in the US. |
| Community |
See ecological community. |
| Conservation data centre |
An organization or provincial (state in the US) government program
dedicated to the compilation, maintenance and dissemination of information
about uncommon and rare plants, animals, and ecological communities.
CDCs use internationally standardized methods. |
| COSEWIC |
Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. |
| Data Deficient |
A term used by COSEWIC to refer to a species for which there is insufficient
scientific information to support status designation. |
| Ecological community |
Assemblages of plants and animals, that have a relatively consistent
composition, and structure. Collectively providing habitat for individual
organisms. Similar to an ecosystem. Individuals and groups of biota
in communities and ecosystems influence each other. |
| Ecosystem |
A multi-scale unit of interacting organisms and the abiotic resources
on which they depend. |
| Element |
An biotic piece, such as a species or community, including the components
that CDCs, NHPs, and NatureServe focus on when compiling information
about species (including sub-species, varieties, and hybrids) and
natural communities. |
| Element occurrence (EO) |
The place where an individual biotic piece is or was found on the
landscape (land or water). For a species, an EO is generally the
habitat occupied by a local population. For an ecological community,
an EO may be the area containing a patch of that community type. |
| Element occurrence1 record (EOR) |
An electronic record containing all the information about each element
occurrence, such as EO type (e.g., breeding colony), geo-reference
data, date of observation/collection, name(s) of observer/collector,
habitat information, number of individuals etc. Depending on the
geo-reference information available, element occurrence records
may be mapped as points or polygons. |
| Endangered |
A term used generally and by COSEWIC to refer to a species facing
imminent extinction. |
| Extinct |
A species that no longer exists. |
| Extirpated |
A species that no longer exists, where it existed previously, in
the wild. |
| Geo-referenced |
Data with geographic information, such as latitude and longitude
or Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM), that can be plotted and
displayed on a map. |
| GIS |
Geographic Information System. Computer software that allows spatial
data to be viewed, manipulated, and printed. |
| Global rank1
(G-rank) |
The global conservation status of an element, as determined by NatureServe,
based on information provided by CDCs, NHPs, and others. |
| Metadata |
A collection of similar data, or information that describes data
or databases. Metadata are used to compare among sets of data or
one database with another. Ideally, metadata have commonality (i.e.,
standard collection methods, data entry fields, and criteria for
completing fields). |
| National rank1 (N-rank) |
The national conservation status rank of an element. |
| Natural communities |
See ecological community. |
| Natural Heritage Network |
The network of CDCs and NHPs throughout the Americas. All network
members use similar methods and database structures to maintain
information about biotic pieces located within their respective
jurisdictions. |
| Natural heritage program |
See conservation data centre. |
| NHP(s) |
Natural heritage program(s). |
| Not at Risk |
A term used by COSEWIC for a species that is unlikely to become extinct
or extirpated. |
| Population |
A group of organisms of the same species occupying a defined area
that is normally isolated, by geography or behavior, from other
similar groups. |
| Rarity rank |
A rank assigned to a species or ecological community that conveys
the degree of rarity of a species or community. |
| Species |
One of the lowest principal biological classification units, which
recognizes distinct (non-interbreeding) groups of similar organisms. |
| Special Concern |
A term used by COSEWIC to identify species that are particularly
sensitive to human activities or natural events but are not endangered
or threatened. |
| Species at risk |
Species that could easily become extinct, extirpated, or endangered
within a jurisdiction of interest. |
| Species diversity |
The number of different species within a defined area (sample, patch,
area, assemblage, ecological community, or larger area); also known
as species richness. |
| Sub-national1 rank (S-rank) |
The provincial or state conservation status rank of an element. |
| Sub-species |
A taxonomically distinct subdivision of a species. A group of interbreeding
natural populations differing morphologically and genetically, and
often isolated geographically, from other such groups within a biological
species; sub-species interbreed successfully where their ranges
overlap. |
| Taxonomy |
The science of classifying organisms. |
| Threatened |
Used by COSEWIC to refer to a species that is likely to become endangered
if limiting factors are not reversed |
| Tracking list |
A list of species (usually by taxonomic group) or ecological communities
for which a particular CDC/NHP develops and maintains geo-referenced
location information. Generally, tracking lists include species
and communities that have been assigned rarity ranks of S1 to S3
or S3/S4 and SH.
|
