| A | B |
|---|
| biodiversity hot spot | relatively small area with an exceptional concentration of endemic species and a large number of endangered and threatened species |
| biological augmentation | uses organisms to add essential materials to a degraded ecosystem. |
| bioremediation | use of living organisms to detoxify and restore polluted and degraded ecosystems |
| conservation biology | 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 | 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 | species that is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range |
| extinction vortex | 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 | species moved by humans either intentionally or accidentally from its native location to a new geographic region |
| landscape ecology | 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) | smallest population size at which a species is able to sustain its numbers and survive |
| movement corridor | 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) | method of predicting whether or not a population will persist |
| restoration ecology | pplies ecological principles in an effort to return degraded ecosystems to conditions as similar as possible to their natural predegraded state |
| sustainable development | long-term prosperity of human societies and the ecosystems that support them |
| zoned reserve | extensive region of land that includes one or more areas undisturbed by humans surrounded by lands that have been changed by human activity and are used for economic gain |
