PUBLISHED: DECEMBER 2004

Spartina alterniflora and Phragmites australis as Habitat for the Ribbed Mussel, Geukensia demissa, in Saw Mill Creek of New Jersey's Hackensack Meadowlands

Glossary

ANOVA (analysis of variance)
Statistical method that yields values that can be tested to determine whether a significant relation exists between variables.
Benthic
Organisms (e.g., protozoa, nematodes) living on or in sea or lake bottoms.
Dunnett's Multiple Comparison Test
Statistical test used to compare a series of different treatments in an experiment with the experiment's single control.
Enchytraeid
Any of a family (Enchytraeida) of annelid worms.
Epifaunal
Pertaining to animals that live on the surface of a sediment or object.
Gastropod
Any of various mollusks of the class Gastropoda, such as the snail, slug, cowrie, or limpet, which characteristically have a single, usually coiled shell or no shell at all, a ventral muscular foot for locomotion, and eyes and feelers located on a distinct head.
Macroinvertebrate
An animal, such as an insect or mollusk, that lacks a backbone or spinal column and can be seen by the naked eye.
Oligochaetes
Any of various annelid worms of the class Oligochaeta, including the earthworms and a few small freshwater forms.
p < 0.05
An indicator of statistical significance in which the probability of the result of a study being a chance occurrence is less than 5 in 100.
Peracarid
Any of an order (Peracarida) of shrimplike crustaceans.
Podurid insects
Small, leaping, scaly insects (e.g., aquatic springtails) from the genus Podura or related genera.
Polychaetes
Any of various annelid worms of the class Polychaeta, including mostly marine worms such as the lugworm, characterized by fleshy-paired appendages tipped with bristles on each body segment.
Replicate quadrats
A quadrat is a small, usually rectangular or square plot used for close study of the distribution of plants or animals in an area. In order to account for variation in soil, hydrology, and topography, it is necessary that quadrat sampling be repeated (replicated) elsewhere in the study area.
Sabellid
A fan worm in the family Sabellidae.
Semisessile
Partially fixed in its position.
Transect line
A straight line drawn through a study area for the purpose of sampling plants and animals, often to illustrate a gradient or linear pattern along which plant or animal communities change.
Tubificid
Any of a family (Tubificidae) of aquatic worms that lack a specialized head (such as Tubifex worms).