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ecotourism
- a form of tourism that is sensitive to the health of an ecosystem and involves recreational activities provided by sustainable ecosystems.
- eg, hiking, biking,whale watching
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competition
when two or more organsims compete for the smae resource in the same location at the same time.
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sustainible use
use that does not lead to long-term depletion or a resource or affect the diversity of the ecosystem from which the resource is obtained.
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limiting factors
- a factor that limits the growth, distribution or amount of a population in an ecosystem.
- (not enough resources)
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ecosystem services
- the benefits experienced by organisms, including humans, that are provided by sustainable ecosystems.
- e.g.eg Pollination, cycling of nutrients
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population
All the individuals of a species that occupy a particuar geographic area at a certain time.
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doubling time
the period of time that is required for a population to double in size.
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carrying capacity
the size of a population that can be supported indefinetly by the available resources and services of an ecosystem.
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prey
- An organism that is eaten as food by a predator.
- e.g. mouse is hunted by eagle
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desertification
the change of non-desert land into a desert, which may result from climate change or from unsustainable farming or water use.
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sustainibility
use of earths resources, including land and water, at levels that can continue forever.
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unsustainible
- a pattern of activity that leads to a decline in the function of an ecosystem.
- (using up too many resouces)
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ecological footprint
- a measure of the impact of an individual or a population on the environment in terms of energy consumption, land use and waste production.
- measured in hectares/person
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ecological niche
The way in which an organism occupies a posistion in an ecosystem, including all the necessary biotic and abiotic factors.
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mutualism
- a symbiotic relationship between two species in which both species benefit from the relationship.
- eg. Algae in coral
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predator
- An organsim that kills and consumes other organisms.
- e.g. eagle eats mouse
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exponential growth
Accelerating growth that produces a J shaped curve when the population is graphed against time.
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parasite
- An organism whose niche is dependant on a close association with a larger host organism.
- eg. larval worm in a white-tailed deer
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