Guide to Significant Wildlife Habitat - Door County Web Map

hydrological cycle
The cyclical movement of water from the ocean to the atmosphere, through rain to the surface,
through runoff and groundwater to streams, and back to the sea. (from Earth, F. Press and R. Siever)
hydrology
The science of that part of the hydrologic cycle between rain and return to the sea; the study of
water on and within the land. (from Earth, F. Press and R. Siever)
impervious surface
Generally used in reference to water, an impervious surface is one (e.g. pavement, asphalt,
roofing material) through which water cannot drain. The existence of impervious surfaces is linked to
increased rates and speed of runoff from an area, in that they prevent water from draining into the soil.
indicator species
A species used as a gauge for the condition of a particular habitat, community, or ecosystem.
(from Principles of Conservation Biology, G. Meffe and C. Carrol et al)
interior species
A species adapted to the conditions of a forest interior. Populations of interior species may
decline or cease to thrive if subjected to edge environments. (from Ecology of Greenways, J. Thorne)
local government unit
A unit of government at the township, village, city, or county level.
native species
Usually, a species known to have existed on a site prior to the influence of humans. It depends on
the temporal or spatial context of analysis, since long-established exotic species are often considered to be
native by default. (from Dictionary of Natural Resource Management, Julian & Katherine Dunster
1996,UBC Press, Vancouver, BC)
natural area
A site largely unaltered by modern human activity, where native vegetation is distributed in
naturally occurring patterns. (See also, a working definition, Appendix D, page 179)
natural community
An assemblage of plants and animals, in a particular place at a particular time, interacting with
one another, the abiotic environment around them, and subject to primarily natural disturbance regimes.
Those assemblages that are repeated across a landscape in an observable pattern constitute a community
type. No two assemblages, however, are exactly alike. (See also, Chapter 1, page 16, paragraph 4)
natural disturbance events
Recurring perturbations (such as lightning-caused fires, high winds, storms, floods, and insect
outbreaks) that occur in ecosystems without human intervention. (from Saving Nature's Legacy, R. Noss
and A. Cooperrider)
natural succession
The natural, sequential change of species composition of a community in a given area. (from
Principles of Conservation Biology, G. Meffe and C. Carrol et. al.)
old-growth forest
Several definitions are possible depending on the forest type under scrutiny. Typically, oldgrowth
forests differ significantly from younger forests in structure, ecological function, and species
composition. Typical characteristics of an old-growth forest include: (1) moderate to high canopy
closure; (2) patchy, multi-layered, multi-species canopy with trees of several age classes, but dominated
by large overstorey trees, some with broken tops and other indications of old and decaying wood; (3)
numerous large, standing, dead trees; (4) heavy accumulations of down woody debris; and (5) the
presence of species and functional processes that are representative of the potential natural community.
– Glossary – 155