Ecology Glossary Terms Chapter 3 Ms.Day

  1. Protect
    Def: To guard a certain type of species that might be endangered, threatened, or need special concern.
  2. Biodiversity
    Def: The number and variety of organisms and species found in a certain and specific area or region, this includes the number and variety of many different ecosystems within and beyond that region.

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  3. Community
    Def: All of the populations a variety and many different species that interact within an area or ecosystem.

    E.g. A forest of trees and undergrowth plants, inhabited by animals and rooted in soil containing bacteria and fungi, constitutes a community.
  4. Biodiversity Hotspot
    Def: An area or ecosystem where there is an enormously large number of species in a relatively small area.
  5. Dominant Species:
    Def: Species that are high in number and contain the highest biomass of any community member.
  6. Keystone Species
    Def: Species that play a huge role in an ecosystem, because they can greatly affect population numbers and the overall health of the ecosystem.
  7. Captive Breeding
    Def: The breeding of endangered or rare species in a controlled setting to help increase population.
  8. Ecosystem Engineer
    Def: A species that can cause dramatic changes to the landscapes so much so that it ends up creating a brand new ecosystem entirely. 

    E.g. A beaver makes dams which makes changes to the landscape and makes an ecosystem and a habitat for animals like frogs and toads.
  9. Succession 
    Def: A series of changes that occurs over a period of time, followed by a disturbance.
  10. Habitat Loss
    Def: The loss of a habitat caused by destruction, often caused by humans.

    E.g. Trees and forests being cut down by humans (logging) forcing many different wildlife to lose their habitat, panda`s losing habitat (bamboo).

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  11. Deforestation
    Def: The act of cutting and cleaning out forests for human use and never restoring or replanting them.

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  12. Alien Species
    Def: A species that is either accidentally or intentionally introduced to a foreign ecosystem or a new location.

    E.g Asian ladybugs, zebra mussels
  13. Invasive Species
    Def: A species that takes  over the habitat of the native species.

    E.g. Asian beetle
  14. Overexploitation
    Def: The heavy use or extraction of a resource until it is completely depleted.
  15. Extinction
    Def: The death of every single individual of a species, often caused by humans.

    E.g. The Dodo bird, Passenger Pigeon, Dinosaurs, Tasmanian Tiger.
  16. Biodiversity Crisis
    Def: The current accelerated rate of extinction of species.
  17. Restoration Ecology
    Def: The renewal of degraded or destroyed ecosystems through active human intervention and action.
  18. Biocontrol
    Def: Control of pests by disrupting their ecological status, through the use of other organisms that are their natural predators, parasites, or pathogens.
  19. Reforestation
    Def: The process of planting new trees in areas where they have been removed by cutting or destroyed by fire, disease, etc.

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  20. Bioremediation
    Def: The process of using living organisms to clean up contaminated area in a natural way.

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  21. Bioaugmentation
    Def: The use of organisms to add essential nutrients to depleted soils to respond to process fluctuations or to degrade certain compounds, resulting in improved treatment.
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Ecology Glossary Terms Chapter 3 Ms.Day
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glossary terms for chapter SNC1DW
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