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17 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Trophic Levels
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Parallel levels of energy assimilation and transfer within ecological food webs; in terrestrial ecosystems, photosynthetic plants form the base trophic level, followed “up” the web by herbivores and successive levels of carnivores
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Apex Predators
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Also known as “top carnivores,” the animals in any ecosystem occupying the top trophic level; apex predators do not have any natural predators
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Biodiversity
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The total variability and variety of life forms in a region, ecosystem, or around the world; typically used as a measure of the health of an environmental system
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Niche
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In ecology, the location of an organism or species within a larger ecosystem, typically fulfilling an ecological function
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Ethics/Ethical
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The branch of philosophy dealing with morality, or, questions of right and wrong human action in the world
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Sustainable/Sustainability
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The conservation of land and resources so as to secure their availability to future generations
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Ecocentrism
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An environmental ethical stance that argues that ecological concerns should, over and above human priorities, be central to decisions about right and wrong action (compare to anthropocentrism)
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Anthropocentrism
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An ethical standpoint that views humans as the central factor in considerations of right and wrong action in and toward nature (compare to ecocentrism)
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Rewilding
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The restoration of natural ecological functioning and evolutionary processes to ecosystems; rewilding often requires the reintroduction or restoration of large predators to ecosystems
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Conservation Biology
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A branch of scientific biology dedicated to exploring and maintaining biodiversity and plant and animal species
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Extinction Crisis
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The current era of anthropogenically induced plant and animal extinction, estimated to be between one thousand and ten thousand times the historical average, or background extinction rate
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Background Extinction Rate
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Usually given in numbers of plant and animal species per year, the estimated average rate of extinction over long-term, geologic time, not counting mass extinction events
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Stakeholders
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Individuals or groups with a vested interest in the outcome of disputed actions
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Natural Resource Management
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Both the academic discipline and professional field dedicated to the management of environmental conditions, goods, or services for social goals, which may range between instrumental human utility to ecological sustainability
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Maximum Sustainable Yield
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The largest seasonal or annual amount of any particular natural resource (e.g., timber, fish) that can be harvested indefinitely
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NEPA
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The National Environmental Policy Act of 1970 commits the US government to protecting and improving the natural environment; after NEPA, the federal government is required to write environmental impact statements (EIS) for government actions that have significant environmental impact
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Masculinity
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The socially agreed upon characteristics of behavior associated with men in any society; these may vary significantly between cultures, locations, and periods of history
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