Glossary - The Pollination Biology of North American Orchids: North of Florida and Mexico - page 188

Dolabriform In the shape of an axe-head.
Dorsal The outer or underside of leaves, bracts, and floral parts, synonymous with
abaxial.
Drift See genetic drift.
Emarginate Having a notch at an obtuse apex, usually in reference to leaves and
floral parts, synonymous with retuse.
Embryo In plants a young individual in early stages of development following
differentiation of the proembryo into suspensor and embryo.
Embryo sac The female gametophyte in angiosperms, containing the egg cell and
a number of other haploid cells.
Endemic An organism with a restricted distribution native to a certain geographic
area.
Entire A margin that is continuous, smooth, and undivided, lacking lobes or teeth,
said of leaves and perianth parts.
Entomogamy, entomogomous The floral syndrome based on insect pollination.
Entomophilous Pollinated by insects; cf. entomogamy.
Ephemerals A plant or flower that is short-lived.
Epichile The distal (terminal) part of a labellum differentiated into a hypochile,
(mesochile), and epichile.
Epiphytic The condition of a plant attached to and growing on another plant or
object but not parasitic.
Erose A margin that is irregularly eroded, notched, or jagged, as if it had been
chewed.
Ethological isolation Barrier to pollen exchange based on behavioral differences
of the pollinators.
Evolution A process of genetic change in biological populations in response to
environmental changes (see natural selection).
Extrafloral nectaries A sugar secreting gland outside the flower.
Fecundity The production or the capacity to produce offspring in abundance.
Female fitness The differential contribution of the female to the production of
viable offspring; the relative reproductive success of genes contributed by ovules
as compared to pollen.
Female function Seed production.
Fen An open plant community on flat land generally growing on alkaline or neutral
wet peat.
Fidelity A constancy where a pollinator is particularly attracted to a narrowly
adapted type of flower.
Filiform Thread-shaped.
Fitness A measure of differential reproductive success among members of the
same species in their contribution to the gene pool of the next or to succeeding
generations.
Food-flower mimic A usually unrewarding flower that mimics the appearance of
flowers that provide a reward such as nectar and/or pollen.
Founder effect (Founder) The proposition that a small, pioneer community
established in genetic isolation from the main population will possess only a
small fraction of the genetic variation present in the parent population.