Definition: A taxon is Near Threatened when it has been evaluated against the criteria but does not qualify for Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable now, but is close to qualifying for or is likely to qualify for a threatened category in the near future
Definition: The marine benthic biome (benthic meaning 'bottom') encompasses the seafloor and includes such areas as shores, littoral or intertidal areas, marine coral reefs, and the deep seabed.
Comment: "Small" is ambiguous. For details on "Small rivers" (e.g. the Salween river) see http://worldwildlife.org/biomes/small-river-ecosystems. This class will be replaced with a less ambiguous class.
Definition: A mangrove biome is a terrestrial biome which includes, across its spatial extent, mangrove plants (Rhizophoraceae). Mangrove plants are able to withstand high levels of salinity as well as regions of anoxia and frequent tidal inundation. Mangrove biomes often occur near tropical and sub-tropical estuaries and depositional marine coastal environments where fine sediments (often with high organic content) collect in areas protected from high energy wave action.
Comment: Preliminary definition. Depending on whether mangrove trees or shrubs are present, this class could be a child of shrubland biome or woodland biome. Consider creating the appropriate classes.
Definition: National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution (USNM), Washington, District of Columbia, USA.\r\nNMNH and USNM both refer to the National Museum of Natural History. Collections are associated with one or the other acronym. US, the US National Herbarium, is a collection within the National Museum of Natural History. URL for main institutional website, http://www.mnh.si.edu/rc/\r\nURL for institutional specimen catalog, http://collections.mnh.si.edu/