530
weather station data and provide annual trends, extremes, and seasonality in both
temperature and precipitation.
BioCondition A measure of the capacity of the terrestrial ecosystem to maintain
biodiversity values at a particular scale.
Biodiversity The variability among living organisms and the ecosystems in which
they live, including genetic and phenotypic diversity within species, variation
among species across the tree of life, and variation among ecosystems. The
Convention on Biodiversity defines it as “the variability among living organisms
from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity
within species, between species and of ecosystems.”
Biodiversity ecosystem function (BEF) relationships The nature and mechanisms by which biodiversity influences (or is influenced by) ecosystem functions
and processes, such as productivity of the ecosystem, decomposition, nutrient
cycling, resistance to drought, stability of biomass through time, etc.
Biogeographic assembly The distribution, movement, and grouping of species in
a given geographical area over evolutionary time scales.
Biological scale The hierarchical nature of biological organization. For example,
individual organisms are nested within populations, which are nested within species and within increasingly deeper clades.
Biotic homogenization/differentiation A change in species composition, structure, and/or function where different ecosystems, ecological communities, and/
or land areas become more similar (homogenized) or less similar (differentiated)
through time.
Biological species concept Species defined as a group of individuals that interbreed (or can potentially interbreed). Applies to sexually reproducing organisms.
Biome A large-scale assemblage of species occupying a particular region of the
planet, typically defined by climate space. Examples include the boreal forest,
the Arctic tundra, deserts, grasslands, and tropical rainforests.
Bio-optical Optical properties resulting from the presence of biological matter.
Biophysical Any interactions between a biological organism and its physical
environment. In the context of remote sensing of plant biodiversity, it involves
characterizing how vegetation properties interact with photons.
Biophysiology The study of physiological processes of whole plants or animals
and/or their organs, including the study of structure, growth, and morphology.
Bootstrap to generate new datasets based on a current dataset. This term often
implies nonparametric bootstrapping: generating samples with replacement
from an existing dataset. Another approach, less common, is parametric bootstrapping: simulating new datasets with a model based on your existing dataset.
Bootstrap approaches are typically used to estimate uncertainty in parameter
estimates from data.
Broadleaf (broad-leaf; broadleaved) an angiosperm plant, typically a dicotyledonous species. It is usually contrasted with needle-leaf plants, like conifers, or
narrow leaves of graminoids.
Bromeliads Informal name for members of the plant family Bromeliaceae, also
known as the pineapple family.
Glossary
weather station data and provide annual trends, extremes, and seasonality in both
temperature and precipitation.
BioCondition A measure of the capacity of the terrestrial ecosystem to maintain
biodiversity values at a particular scale.
Biodiversity The variability among living organisms and the ecosystems in which
they live, including genetic and phenotypic diversity within species, variation
among species across the tree of life, and variation among ecosystems. The
Convention on Biodiversity defines it as “the variability among living organisms
from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity
within species, between species and of ecosystems.”
Biodiversity ecosystem function (BEF) relationships The nature and mechanisms by which biodiversity influences (or is influenced by) ecosystem functions
and processes, such as productivity of the ecosystem, decomposition, nutrient
cycling, resistance to drought, stability of biomass through time, etc.
Biogeographic assembly The distribution, movement, and grouping of species in
a given geographical area over evolutionary time scales.
Biological scale The hierarchical nature of biological organization. For example,
individual organisms are nested within populations, which are nested within species and within increasingly deeper clades.
Biotic homogenization/differentiation A change in species composition, structure, and/or function where different ecosystems, ecological communities, and/
or land areas become more similar (homogenized) or less similar (differentiated)
through time.
Biological species concept Species defined as a group of individuals that interbreed (or can potentially interbreed). Applies to sexually reproducing organisms.
Biome A large-scale assemblage of species occupying a particular region of the
planet, typically defined by climate space. Examples include the boreal forest,
the Arctic tundra, deserts, grasslands, and tropical rainforests.
Bio-optical Optical properties resulting from the presence of biological matter.
Biophysical Any interactions between a biological organism and its physical
environment. In the context of remote sensing of plant biodiversity, it involves
characterizing how vegetation properties interact with photons.
Biophysiology The study of physiological processes of whole plants or animals
and/or their organs, including the study of structure, growth, and morphology.
Bootstrap to generate new datasets based on a current dataset. This term often
implies nonparametric bootstrapping: generating samples with replacement
from an existing dataset. Another approach, less common, is parametric bootstrapping: simulating new datasets with a model based on your existing dataset.
Bootstrap approaches are typically used to estimate uncertainty in parameter
estimates from data.
Broadleaf (broad-leaf; broadleaved) an angiosperm plant, typically a dicotyledonous species. It is usually contrasted with needle-leaf plants, like conifers, or
narrow leaves of graminoids.
Bromeliads Informal name for members of the plant family Bromeliaceae, also
known as the pineapple family.
Glossary