Biology Vocabulary Chapter 5 Glencoe

Front 1

acid precipitation

Back 1

rain, shnow, sleet, or fog with a pH below 5.6; causes the deterioration of forests, lakes, statues, and buildings

Front 2

biodiversity

Back 2

variety of life in an area; usually measured as the number of species that live in an area

Front 3

edge effect

Back 3

different environmental conditions that occur along the boundaries of an ecosystem

Front 4

endangered species

Back 4

a species in which the number of individuals falls so low that extinction is possible

Front 5

exotic species

Back 5

nonnative species in an area; may take over niches of native species in an area and eventually replace them

Front 6

extinction

Back 6

the disappearance of a species when the last of its members die

Front 7

habitat degradation

Back 7

damage to a habitat by air, water, and land pollution

Front 8

habitat fragmentation

Back 8

separation of wilderness areas from each other; may cause problems for organisms that need large areas for food or mating

Front 9

ozone layer

Back 9

layer of the atmosphere that helps to protect living organisms on Earth's surface from damaging doses of ultraviolet radiation from the sun

Front 10

threatened species

Back 10

when the population of a species is likely to become endangered

Front 11

captivity

Back 11

when members of a species are held by people in zoos or other conseration facilities

Front 12

conservation biology

Back 12

field of biology that studies methods and implements plans to protect biodiversity

Front 13

habitat corridors

Back 13

natural strips of land that allow the migration of organisms from one wilderness area to another

Front 14

natural resources

Back 14

parts of the environment that are useful or necessary for living organisms such as sunlight, water, air and plant and animal resources

Front 15

reintroduction programs

Back 15

programs that release organisms into an area where their species once lived in hopes of reestablishing naturally reproducing populations

Front 16

sustainable use

Back 16

philosophy that promotes letting people use resources in wilderness areas in ways that will not damage the ecosystem