Chapter 55 Key Terms Flashcards
biodiversity hot spot
A relatively small area with an exceptional concentration of endemic species and a large number of endangered and threatened species.
biological augmentation
An approach to restoration ecology that uses organisms to add essential materials to a degraded ecosystem.
bioremediation
The use of living organisms to detoxify and restore polluted and degraded ecosystems.
conservation biology
The integrated study of ecology, evolutionary biology, physiology, molecular biology, genetics, and behavioral biology in an effort to sustain biological diversity at all levels.
ecosystem services
Functions performed by natural ecosystems that directly or indirectly benefit humans.
effective population size
An estimate of the size of a population based on the numbers of females and males that successfully breed; generally smaller than the total population.
endangered species
A species that is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.
extinction vortex
A downward population spiral in which positive-feedback loops of inbreeding and genetic drift causes a small population to shrink and, unless reversed, become extinct.
introduced species
A species moved by humans, either intentionally or accidentally, from its native location to a new geographic region; also called an exotic species.
landscape ecology
The study of past, present, and future patterns of landscape use, as well as ecosystem management and the biodiversity of interacting ecosystems.
minimum viable population (MVP)
The smallest population size at which a species is able to sustain its numbers and survive.
movement corridor
A series of small clumps or a narrow strip of quality habitat (usable by organisms) that connects otherwise isolated patches of quality habitat.
overexploitation
Harvesting by humans of wild plants or animals at rates exceeding the ability of populations of those species to rebound.
population viability analysis (PVA)
A method of predicting whether or not a population will persist.
restoration ecology
A goal-directed science that applies ecological principles in an effort to return degraded ecosystems to conditions as similar as possible to their natural, predegraded state.
