Glossary:M Words

macroalgae noun

large multicellular algae (green red and brown varieties).

mangrove ( man·grove / ˈmaNGɡrōv ) noun

tree species that grow in non-freezing estuaries. There are about 12 species though the black, red, and white are most common.

• a tree or shrub that grows in chiefly tropical coastal swamps that are flooded at high tide. Mangroves typically have numerous tangled roots above ground and form dense thickets.

Marine Resources Council(MRC)

The Marine Resources Council's mission is "To improve water quality and to protect and restore the fish and wildlife resources of the Indian River Lagoon, coastal waters, inshore reefs, and the watershed by advocating and using sound science, education and the involvement of the public at large."

maritime forest noun

forest dominated by pitch pine and located on the mainland side of a barrier beach or island.

marsh ( märSH ) noun

soft wet land usually characterized by grasses.

• an area of low-lying land which is flooded in wet seasons or at high tide, and typically remains waterlogged at all times.

mean low tide noun

The mean average of all the low tides (high low tides and low low tides) occurring over a certain period of time, usually 18.6 years (one lunar epoch).

mesohaline noun

intermediate levels of salinity, about 15ppt.

• Pertaining to brackish water with a salinity between 3 and 10 parts per thousand.

migration ( mi·gra·tion / mīˈɡrāSH(ə)n ) noun

the movement of living organisms from one biome to another, commonly with changing seasons.

mobile epibenthos noun

bottom-dwelling animals that move on top of sediments: crabs, shrimp, snails, amphipods, isopods.

mollusks ( mol·lusk / ˈmäləsk ) noun

soft bodied, shelled animals such as clams, oysters, nudibraches and octopi (the latter two have either small remnant shell within their bodies or an embryonic shell).

monitoring noun

sampling of environment (air, water, soil, vegetation, animals) that is compared with baseline samples to see if any changes have occurred.

monitoring station noun

an instrument that makes in situ measurements in the environment.

Mosquito Lagoon Aquatic Preserve(MLAP)

A 4,700 acre State of Florida aquatic preserve located between Edgewater and New Smyrna Beach in the northernmost portion of Mosquito Lagoon, an "Outstanding Florida Water".

muck ( mək ) noun

Muck is the black ooze accumulating on the bottom of the lagoon. Silt, sediment, and other fine particles carried in by tributaries, canals, and storm drains accumulate and break down on the bottom, forming the thick black ooze.

mudflat ( mud·flat / ˈmədˌflat ) noun

part of benthic (bottom) zone exposed at low tide and comprised of extremely fine sediments.

mutualism ( mu·tu·al·ism / ˈmyo͞oCHo͞oəˌlizəm ) noun

form of relationship in which both species involved gain from the interaction.