Biodiversity

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Air pollution

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the presence in or introduction into the air of a substance which has harmful or poisonous effects.

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Biodiversity hotspot

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A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region that is both a significant reservoir of biodiversity and is threatened with destruction. The term biodiversity hotspotspecifically refers to 25 biologically rich areas around the world that have lost at least 70 percent of their original habitat.

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Biodiversity

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the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

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Biological magnification

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Biological magnification often refers to the process whereby certain substances such as pesticides or heavy metals move up the food chain, work their way into rivers or lakes, and are eaten by aquatic organisms such as fish, which in turn are eaten by large birds, animals or humans.

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Bionics

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the study of mechanical systems that function like living organisms or parts of living organisms.

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Carbon sequestration

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a natural or artificial process by which carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and held in solid or liquid form.

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Desertification

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the process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically as a result of drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture.

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Ecosystem diversity

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Ecological diversity is a type of biodiversity. It is the variation in the ecosystemsfound in a region or the variation in ecosystems over the whole planet. Ecological diversity includes the variation in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

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Ecosystem services

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Regulating services include:Pollination.Decomposition.Water purification.Erosion and flood control.Carbon storage and climate regulation.

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Ecosystem

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a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

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Endangered species

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An Endangered (EN) species is a species which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List as likely to become extinct. "Endangered" is the second most severe conservation status for wild populations in the IUCN's schema after Critically Endangered (CR).

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Endemic

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(of a disease or condition) regularly found among particular people or in a certain area."areas where malaria is endemic"

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Epiphyte

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An epiphyte is a plant that grows harmlessly upon another plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, and sometimes from debris accumulating around it.

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Exotic (alien) species

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An introduced, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its native distributional range, which has arrived there by human activity, either deliberate or accidental.

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Extinct

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(of a species, family, or other larger group) having no living members.

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Extirpation

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extirpated, extirpating. 1. to remove or destroy totally; do away with; exterminate.

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Genetic diversity

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Genetic diversity is the total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species. It is distinguished from geneticvariability, which describes the tendency of genetic characteristics to vary. Genetic diversity serves as a way for populations to adapt to changing environments.

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Genetic pollution

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the spread of altered genes from genetically engineered organisms to other, nonengineered organisms, especially by cross-pollination.

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Germ-plasma bank

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germ cells, collectively.

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Global warming

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Global warming is the term used to describe a gradual increase in the average temperature of the Earth's atmosphere and its oceans, a change that is believed to be permanently changing the Earth's climate.

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Greenhouse effect

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The greenhouse effect is the process by which radiation from a planet's atmosphere warms the planet's surface to a temperature above what it would be without its atmosphere. If a planet's atmosphere contains radiatively active gases (i.e., greenhouse gases) the atmosphere will radiate energy in all directions.

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Keystone species

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a species on which other species in an ecosystem largely depend, such that if it were removed the ecosystem would change drastically.

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Mass extinction

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An extinction event (also known as a mass extinctionor biotic crisis) is a widespread and rapid decrease in the biodiversity on Earth.

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Monoculture

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the cultivation of a single crop in a given area.

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Natural resources

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materials or substances such as minerals, forests, water, and fertile land that occur in nature and can be used for economic gain.

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Poaching

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is when an animal is killed illegally. It usually occurs when an animal possesses something that is considered valuable (i.e. the animal's fur or ivory). Many countries believe that the rhino horn is an important ingredient for many medicines.

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Pollution

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the presence in or introduction into the environment of a substance or thing that has harmful or poisonous effects.

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Salination

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Soil salinity is the salt content in the soil; the process of increasing the salt content is known as salinization. Salts occur naturally within soils and water. Salination can be caused by natural processes such as mineral weathering or by the gradual withdrawal of an ocean.

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Species diversity

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Species diversity refers to the measure of diversity in an ecological community. Species diversity takes into consideration species richness, which is the total number of different species in a community. It also takes into account evenness, which is the variation of abundance in individuals per species in a community.

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Sustainable forest

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A sustainable forest is a forest that is carefully managed so that as trees are felled they are replaced with seedlings that eventually grow into mature trees. This is a carefully and skilfully managed system.

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Sustainable use

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Sustainable use means the use of components of biological diversity in a way and at a rate that does not lead to the long-term decline of biological diversity, thereby maintaining its potential to meet the needs and aspirations of present and future generations.

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Threatened species

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Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants, fungi, etc.) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of critical depensation, a mathematical measure of biomass related to population growth rate.