Glossary Flashcards
Biomimetics
The study of living organisms so the knowledge gained can be applied to engineering or technological developments
Teratology
The study of the causes of birth defects
Indigenous species
Species that are native to an area
Gene pool
The total variety of different genes in all the members of a population
Vavilov centre
An area of the world identified by the russian zoologist nikolai vavilov where crop plants were first domesticated and where wild varieties are still found
CITES
The convention on international trade in endangered species (of flora and fauna)
Niche
The niche of species is the role it plays in t’s habitat which includes how it makes use of the resources and responds to other species in its habitat
Endemic
An endemic species is indigenous to a particular area and is not naturally found elsewhere
Wildlife and countryside act
A UK act of parliament that provides protection for many wildlife species and designated protected areas
SSSI
Site of special scientific interest
NNR
National nature reserve
SPA
Special protection area
SAC
Special area of conservation
MNR
Marine nature reserve
Ramsar site
A wetland site designated to protect it’s biodiversity
International whaling commission
IWC
An international organisation that aims to ensure the sustainable exploitation of whales
EU common fisheries policy
The european union agreement to manage fishing and aquaculture.
It attempts to balance the needs of the member states and their fishing industries with sustainable exploitation of the environment
Inbreeding
Describes breeding between closely related individuals
Inbreeding increases the risk of recessive genes producing offspring with disadvantageous characterstics
Cryopreservation
The preservation of material by freezing
Eg. the freezing of semen for artificial insemination
Artificial insemination
A form of selective breeding where semen is collected from a chosen male and is inserted artificially into the chosen female to cause a pregnancy
Embryo transfer
The transfer of fertilised eggs or embryos from a female of a rare species into females of a closely related more common species to enable more young to be produced than could be achieved naturally.
Also used in livestock breeding
Micro-propagation
A tissue culture method where large numbers of plants can be produced from a tissue sample from an original plant without the need for seeds.
The young may be raised on agar under sterile conditions
RSPB
Royal society for the protection of birds
Environmental stewardship scheme
ESS
An agri-environmental scheme where farmers receive payments for farm management practices that benefit wildlife and the environment.
Higher payments are available for organic famrs
