Glossary
[A]
[B] [C]
[D] [E]
[F] [G]
[H] [I]
[J] [K]
[L] [M]
[N] [O] [P] [Q] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [X] [Y] [Z]
[N] [O] [P] [Q] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [X] [Y] [Z]
L
- Leaf area index
- The area of leaves exposed over a unit area of land surface.
- Leptokurtic
- A symmetrical frequency distribution which differs from a normal distribution by deficiency in the shoulders compared to the tails and the top.
- Life cycle
- The sequence of stages through which an organism passes in development from a zygote to the production of progeny zygotes.
- Life form
- Characteristic structure of a plant or animal.
- Life history
- An organism's lifetime pattern of growth, differentiation, storage and reproduction.
- Life table
- A summary of the age- or stage-related survivorship of individuals in a population.
- Light compensation point
- see Compensation point.
- Lignin
- Complex organic material deposited within the cell walls of plants associated with cellulose, especially in wood and fibers.
- Limiting similarity
- The level of similarity between two competing species which cannot be exceeded if the species are to coexist.
- Lipase
- Enzyme(s) that split true fats into alcohols and acids.
- Littoral zone
- The zone at the edge of a lake or ocean which is periodically exposed to the air and periodically immersed.
- Local stability
- The tendency of a community to return to its original state when subjected to a small perturbation.
- Logistic equation
- A much-used equation for the growth of a single-species population without discrete generations under the influence of competition, which is simple and captures the essence of actual examples but very few of the details of actual examples.
- Longevity
- Length of life.
