 | Term | Definition |
| |
acid precipation |
rain, snow, sleet or fog with a pH below 5.6; causes the deterioration of forests, lakes, statues and buildings |
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biodiversity |
variety of life in an area; usually measured as the number of species that live in an area |
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edge effect |
different environmental cnditions that occur along the boundries of an ecosystem |
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endangered species |
a species in which the number of individuals falls so low that extinction is possible |
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exotic species |
nonnative species in an area; make take over niches of native species in an area and eventually replace them |
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extinction |
the disappearance of a species when the last of its members dies |
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habitat degradation |
damage to a habitat by air, water and land pollution |
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habitat fragmentation |
separation of wilderness areas from each other; may cause problems for organisms that need large areas for food or mating |
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ozone layer |
layer of the atmosphere that helps to protect living organisms on Earth's surface from damaging doses of ultraviolet radiation from the sun |
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threatened species |
when the population of a species is likely to become endangered |
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captivity |
when members of a species are held by people in zoos or other conservation facilities |
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conservation biology |
field of biology that studies methods and implements plans to protect biodiversity |
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habitat corridors |
natural strips of land that allow the migration of organisms from one wilderness area to another |
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natural resources |
parts of the environment that are useful or necessary for living organisms |
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reintroduction programs |
programs that release organisms into an area where their species once lived in hopes of reestablishing naturally reproducing populations |
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sustainable use |
philosophy that promotes letting people use resources in wilderness areas in ways that will not damage the ecosystem |
| Add or remove terms from this set |
