| Term | Definition |
|---|
| agriculture | the practice of cultivating the land or raising stock |
| monoculture | farming strategy in which large fields and planted with a single crop, year-after-year |
| green revolution | the introduction of pesticides and high-yield grains and better management during the 1960s and 1970s which greatly increased agricultural productivity |
| renewable resource | a resource that can be replaced or used over and over again (ex. soil, water, plants, animals) |
| nonrenewable resources | resources such as fossil fuels, which can not be made again. |
| sustainable development | use of natural resources in a way that allows them to renew themselves and be available for the future |
| soil erosion | the washing away of soil by the flow of water |
| desertification | When good land is turned into a desert through farming, overgrazing, and/or drought |
| deforestation | the removal of trees |
| aquaculture | raising of aquatic animals in controlled conditions |
| smog | air pollution by a mixture of smoke and fog |
| pollutant | harmful material that can enter the biosphere through air, land, or water |
| acid rain | precipitation that contains nitric and/or sulfuric acids |
| biodiversity | the diversity of plant and animal life in a particular habitat |
| ecosystem diversity | variety of habitats, living communites, and ecological processes in the living world |
| species diversity | the variety of organisms in a community |
| genetic diversity | number of different genes present in a population or species |
| extinction | no longer in existence |
| endangered species | a species whose numbers are so small that the species is at risk of extinction |
| habitat fragmentation | separation of wilderness areas from each other |
| biological magnification | increasing levels of a harmful substance in organisms at higher trophic levels in a food chain or food web |
| invasive species | species that enter new ecosystems and multiply, harming native species and their habitats |
| conservation | the preservation and careful management of the environment and of natural resources |
| ozone layer | a layer of ozone gas in the atmoshpere that screens out much of the Sun's UV rays |
| global warming | A gradual increases in average global temperature. |
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