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pangolins – (Pholidota spp.) The 7 species of scaly anteaters of Africa and southeast Asia. They feed on ants and termites.
páramo – A plant community of shrub heath, mosses, fern meadows and grasslands above tree line in the Andes of South America.
parthenogenetic – Reproduction from an unfertilized gamete, which occurs especially among lower plants and invertebrates (a form of asexual or self- reproduction).
peat swamp forests – Forests formed in areas where litter fails to decay in ground that is waterlogged, salty or high in sulfide. The litter continues to build up into a deep organic, yet infertile, layer. The importance of peat swamps include flood mitigation, water supply, providing habitats for many endemic plants and animals, and as a sink for organic carbon. Some peat swamps occur in the neotropics (including the pegass swamps of Guyana), and to a limited extent in Africa, but peat swamps are most common in Southeast Asia.
permeable – Allowing substances, especially liquids, to pass through.
phytogeographic – Plant communities that are defined by landscape or geographic characteristics. For example, low and high elevation forests can be divided by the 1000 meter contour line.
plants – A group of single or multicellular organisms that typically lack the ability of movement. Many plants are able to photosynthesize (convert carbon dioxide into organic compounds, mostly sugars, using the energy of the sun.) The majority of plants contain chlorophyll in their cells, a green pigment used in photosynthesis.
Pleistocene Epoch – The geologic epoch of 1.8 million - 8,000 years ago – the earliest epoch of the Quaternary, also known as the "Great Ice Age."
poaching – Illegal harvest of wildlife, including plants. For example, illegally collecting bushmeat or medicinal plants.
pochard – (Aythya innotata) A freshwater diving-duck found only in Madagascar. It is thought to be found only in Lake Alaotra, if it is not already extinct.
pollinate – To transfer pollen from one flower to another so that plants can make seeds.
predator – An animal that lives by capturing and feeding on other animals.
pristine – Pure and unspoiled.
prosimian – Primates that appear in the fossil record before monkeys, apes and humans. Prosimians include lemurs, lorises, galagos, pottos and tarsiers.
protea – A family of 115 species of woody shrubs or trees found in South Africa, commonly known as sugarbushes. More than half (69 spp.) are found only in the fynbos. Flowers have large heads and plenty of nectar.
protected area – A clearly defined geographical space, recognized, dedicated and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values.
pudu – (Pudu spp.) The two species of pudu deer are found only in Argentina and Chile. They are the world's smallest deer (65 centimeter length, 10 kilograms). They live in the savannah and in the forest, and they are threatened by habitat destruction.
puna – The grass-dominated vegetation of the drier, southern high Andes. The climate is cold and dry. Many of the species are endemic to the puna. Agriculture and grazing are the major threats.