- Abaxial
- facing away from the stem or central axis of an animal or plant
- Abiotic
- Non-living;non-biological
- Aboral
- away from or opposite the mouth
- Abyss
- region of greatest ocean depth, generally greater than 1,000 m (3,300 ft) deepr
- Abyssal
- referring to the deep sea or abyss
- Acclimate
- to become accustomed to a new environment
- Accumulator
- plants able to absorb salts and then eliminate them by dropping leaves, example pickleweed
- Adaptation
- modification of an organism or part of an organism to adjust to new conditions or a new environment in order to survive
- Adaptive management
- a type of natural resource management in which decisions are made as part of an ongoing science-based process. Involves testing, monitoring, and evaluating applied strategies, and incorporating new knowledge into management approaches that are based on scientific findings and the needs of society. Results are used to modify management policy, strategies, and practices.
- Aerobic
- living in oxygenated condition or requiring oxygen
- Aestivate
- state of dormancy induced by high temperature; breathing and circulation slows slightly
- Aestivate(or estivate)
- state of dormancy induced by high temperature; breathing and circulation slows slightly
- Afrikaans
- a language that developed from 17th-century Dutch and is an official language of South Africa.
- Aggregate
- cluster together to form a dense mass
- Agnatha
- fish-like vertebrates that lack jaws, e.g., lamphrey, hagfish
- Algin
- carbohydrate extracted from brown marine algae; widely used for its water-binding, thickening and emulsifying properties
- Alpha
- top-ranking individual in a specific hierarchy
- Altricial
- animals in which the young are born in a very immature condition (helpless, naked, and blind when hatched), and are dependent on adult care for survival
- Ambient
- of the surrounding area or environment
- Ambient
- of the surrounding area or environment
- Amphibious
- capable of living either on land or in water
- Amphipod
- any member of the Order Amphipoda; small, laterally compressed crustaceans; includes whale lice and beach fleas
- Amplexus
- process in which a male frog grasps a female with his front legs while she lays her eggs. As she lays her eggs, he fertilizes them with the fluid containing sperm. The pair may remain in amplexus for several hours to several days.
- Anadronomous
- fishes that breed in fresh water but spent most of their adult lives in a marine environment
- Anaerobic
- to live life completely or nearly completely without oxygen
- Anal
- near or at the opening of the lower end of the intestines
- Anterior
- pertaining to the head or forward end
- Anthrozoa
- taxonomic class in which polyp form is dominant
- Anti-venom
- an antitoxin active against the venom of certain snakes, spiders, or other venomous organisms that counteracts the effects of the toxin
- Aperture (mollusk)
- opening to the shell from which the snail's body emerges
- Aphotic Zone
- Zone without light; that portion of the ocean where light is insufficient for plants to carry on photosynthesis
- Aphotic zone
- zone without light; that portion of the ocean where light is insufficient for plants to carry on photosynthesis
- Apical
- pertaining to the head or forward end
- Aplacental viviparity with histrotroph
- eggs hatch inside the female and there is no placenta. The embryo first receives nourishment from the yolk sac and then from a substance secreted from the female’s uterine wall called histotroph or ‘uterine milk’.
- Aquarist
- individual who collects, feeds and cares for the animals and plants on exhibit
- Aquatic
- pertaining to or living in water
- Arboreal
- pertaining to or living in trees
- Arthropod
- any member of the Phylum Arthropoda; has jointed legs and a segmented body; e.g., insects, spiders, crustaceans, etc.
- Artisanal fisheries
- traditional small-scale fisheries that involve households (as opposed to commercial companies), make short fishing trips close to shore, and fish mainly for local consumption that can be for subsistence or commercial
- Asexual
- having no evident sex or sex organs
- Asexual reproduction
- reproduction without the union of male and female gametes; reproduce without sex by fragmentation or budding
- Atrial aperture
- posterior opening in salps through which water leaves the body
- Aviary
- place where birds are kept
- Axillaries
- feathers connecting the under surface of the wing and the body, and concealed by the closed wing
- CITES Appendix II
- CITES is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Appendix II applies to species that, although not threatened with extinction now, might become so unless trade in them is strictly controlled and monitored. CITES Appendix II also includes some non-threatened species, in order to prevent threatened species from being traded under the guise of non-threatened species that are similar in appearance.
