Marine Glossary - DCU

compensation point
compound
compressed
concave
conceptacle
congener
conjugation
conservation
conservation biology
conservation covenant
contamination
convergent evolution
convex
corridor
cortex
cortical
COSEWIC (Committee on the
Status of Endangered Wildlife in
Canada)
cosmopolitan
with each other. Communities are often defined by a dominant species (e.g. kelp forest community)
or the major physical characteristics of the area (e.g. mud flats).
conditions where respiration is in balance with photosynthesis, with generally no net gas exchange,
in algae usually related to habitat depth
having multiple parts or branches, not simple
flattened
saucer-shaped, with surface that curves inward
cavity or chamber containing reproductive structures with opening to the surface for release, e.g. in
Corallinales and Fucales
A term in chemistry that refers to one of many variants or configurations of a common chemical
structure. Although similar, congeners may have different toxicological properties and fates in the
environment.
special form of isogamy where the reproductive protoplasts of two organisms form a common tube
and fuse together, e.g. in Zygnemataceae
The protection of wild species and their ecosystems.
A field of science that deals with threats to biodiversity. The goals of conservation biology are to
investigate human impacts of biodiversity and to develop approaches to prevent extinction through
stewardship of entire biological communities.
A legal agreement that specifies the ways in which a piece of land can be used. A conservation
covenant is incorporated into the land deed and protects the land in perpetuity.
Substances, including those found naturally, that are present at concentrations above natural
background levels, or whose distribution in the environment has been altered by human activity.
The development of similar structures in organisms that do not share recent common ancestor (e.g.
eyes of squid and humans). Compare divergent evolution; see also evolution.
having surface that curves outward
An area of intact habitat that allows wildlife to move in relative safety from one place to another.
tissue lying between the epidermis layer and the central medulla tissue
relating to the cortex
A national committee of experts that assesses and designates which wild species are in some
danger of disappearing from Canada.
found in many parts of the world