| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Artificial selection | conscious and unconscious genetic selection practiced by humans on species of plants and animals |
| Blitzkrieg Theory of Pleistocene Overkill | P.S. Martin's hypothesis of how a geographically expanding front of prehistoric human colonists led to the extinction of many large mammals in North and South America |
| Clovis points | an elongated stone point with a fluted base that is accepted by many archaeologists as representing the earliest tradition of tool making in North America. Most points of this type date from around 11,000 years ago |
| Environmental determinism | the premise that human cultures and changes in culture are driven mainly by the natural environment and changes in environment |
| Historic extinctions | the recent episode of extinctions (starting around 1600 AD) caused by the combination of European colonization and socioeconomic expansion, and the rapid global increase in human population |
| Megafauna | large birds and mammals that are greater than about 44 kg in weight |
| Mesoamerica | an archaeological term that refers to southern Mexico and northern central America |
| Overkill | extinction of a prey species caused by overhunting by predators, and particularly by humans |
| Prehistoric extinctions | extinctions caused by the initial prehistoric geographic expansion of human beings from Africa and Eurasia |
| Sixth extinction | the widespread episode of extinctions over the past 10,000 years or so that has been caused by humans |
| Human revolution | a rapid expansion 50,000 years ago of Homo sapiens within and out of Africa. These modern hominids created art, practiced ritual burials, and displayed other indications of sophisticated |
| Industrial revolution | the rapid development of new technologies and the shift of the socioeconomic system away from an agrarian base towards a techno-industrial base that has occurred since about 1800 |
| island naivity | condition of islands not used to or prepared for predators |
| forest | 70% closed canopy |
| dry forest | most endangered forest type, shorter canopy, some deciduous trees, richer soils, can burn dry trees, always colonized first, most damaged |
| Mediterranean biodiversity hotspots | Central Chile, South Africa, Australia, California, the Mediterranean |
| biodiversity hotspot | place where an exceptional concentration of endemic species are undergoing an exceptional loss of habitat |
| parallel evolution | common ancestor but now geographically isolated, but developed similar traits, spindle cells in humans and whales |
| convergent evolution | same traits, geographically isolated, but never related |
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