General Glossary

A combination of the number of taxa and the relative abundance
of those taxa. A variety of diversity indexes have been
developed to calculate diversity.

The condition of an unimpaired ecosystem as measured by combined
chemical, physical (including physical habitat), and biological
attributes.

The sum of the physical, chemical, and biological environment
occupied by individuals of a particular species, population, or
community, including the food, cover, and space resources needed
for plant and animal livelihood.

Reptiles and amphibians.

Data sets from previous studies, which can range from
handwritten field notes to published journal articles.

A functional assessment method that compares a wetland’s
condition to similar wetland types (as defined by HGM
classification) that are relatively unaltered. HGM functions
normally fall into one of three major categories: (1) hydrologic
(storage of surface water), (2) biogeochemical (removal of
elements and compounds), and (3) habitat ( maintenance of plant
and animal communities). Hydrogeomorphic classes include
riverine, depressional, slope, mineral soil flats, organic soil
flats, estuarine fringe, and lacustrine fringe.

The science of dealing with the properties, distribution, and
circulation of water both on the surface and under the earth.

A method for describing water quality using characteristics of
aquatic communities, such as the types of fish and invertebrates
found in the water body. It is expressed as a numerical value
between 0 (lowest quality) to 100 (highest quality).

Animals without backbones that can be seen with the naked eye.
Includes insects, crayfish, snails, mussels, clams, fairy shrimp.

A calculated term or enumeration representing some aspect of
biological assemblage, function, or other measurable aspect and
is a characteristic of the biota that changes in some
predictable way with increased human influence. A multimetric
approach involves combinations of metrics to provide an
integrative assessment of the status of aquatic resources.