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Definition
| A group of more or less distinct organisms that are capable of interbreeding with one another in the wild but do not interbreed with other organisms |
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| Biological diversity (biodiversity) |
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Definition
| The number and variety of Earth's organisms; consists of three components: genetic diversity, species richness, and ecosystem diversity |
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Definition
| Biological diversity that encompasses the genetic variety among individuals within a single species |
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Definition
| Biological diversity that encompasses the variety among ecosystems, such as forests, grasslands, deserts, lakes, estuaries, and oceans |
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Definition
| Important environmental benefits, such as clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, and fertile soil in which to grow crops, that ecosystems provide |
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Definition
| The elimination of a species from Earth; occurs when the last individual member of a species dies |
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Definition
| The continuous, low-level extinction of species that has occurred throughout much of the history of life |
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Definition
| The extinction of numerous species during a relatively short period of geological time |
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Definition
| A species whose numbers are so severely reduced that it is in imminent danger of becoming extinct in all or a significant part of its range |
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Definition
| The area of Earth in which a particular species occurs |
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Definition
| A species in which the population is so low enough for it to be at risk of becoming endangered in the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range |
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Definition
| Localized, native species that are not found anywhere else in the world |
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Definition
| The division of habitats that formerly occupied large, unbroken areas into smaller areas by roads, fields, cities, and other land-transforming activities |
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Definition
| The temporary or permanent clearance of large expanses of forests for agriculture or other uses |
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Definition
| The evolution of a large number of related species from an unspecialized ancestral organism |
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Definition
| Relatively small areas of land that contain an exceptional number of endemic species and are at high risk from human activities |
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Definition
| The introduction of a foreign species into an ecosystem in which it did not evolve |
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Definition
| Foreign species that spread rapidly in a new area where they are free of predators, parasites, or resource limitations that may have controlled their population in their native habitat |
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Definition
| The act in which the United States banned the importation of Caulerpa |
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Term
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Definition
| The collection of a live organism from nature |
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Term
| Wild Bird Conservation Act |
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Definition
| The 1992 act that imposed a moratorium on importing rare bird species |
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Term
| Bellwether species (sentinel species) |
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Definition
| An organism that provides an early warning of environmental damage. Examples include lichens, which are very sensitive to air pollution, and amphibians, which are sensitive to pesticides and other environmental contaminants. |
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Term
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Definition
| The scientific study of how humans impact organisms and of the development of ways to protect biological diversity |
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Definition
| Conservation efforts that concentrate on preserving biological diversity in the wild |
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Term
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Definition
| Conservation efforts that involve conserving biological diversity in human-controlled settings |
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Definition
| The study of the historical condition of a human-damaged ecosystem, with the goal of returning it as close as possible to its former state |
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Term
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Definition
| A technique in which sperm collected from a suitable male of a rare species is used to artificially impregnate a female (perhaps located in another zoo in a different city or even in another country) |
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Term
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Definition
| A technique in which a female of a rare species is treated with fertility drugs, which cause her to produce multiple eggs; some of these eggs are collected, fertilized with sperm, and surgically implanted into a female of a related but less rare species, which later gives birth to offspring of the rare species |
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Term
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Definition
| The more than 100 seed collections around the world that collectively hold more than 3 million samples at low temperatures |
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Term
| Endangered Species Act (ESA) |
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Definition
| The 1973 act in the United States that authorized the FWS to protect endangered and threatened species in the US and abroad |
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Term
| Habitat conservation plans (HCPs) |
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Definition
| Plans that provide a way to resolve conflicts between protection of endangered species and development interests on private property |
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Term
| World Conservation Strategy |
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Definition
| The detailed plan for managing and preserving the biological diversity of that specific country |
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Term
| Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES): |
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Definition
| The convention that bans the hunting, capturing, and selling of endangered or threatened species and regulates the trade of organisms listed as potentially threatened |
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Term
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Definition
| Established routes for birds |
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Definition
| Pollutants present at low concentrations in ocean water |
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Definition
| People pay to visit natural environments to view native species |
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