| A | B |
|---|
| poaching | illegal hunting |
| gene | segment of DNA that codes for a specific trait |
| endangered species | any species likely to become extinct if it's not protected |
| habitat conservation plan | plan to protect one or more species in large tract of land |
| ecotourism | tourist experiences among life forms and ecosystems |
| keystone species | any species that is essential to the health of an ecosystem |
| threatened species | species with a declining population |
| germ-plasm bank | storage for germ cells of organisms that may become endangered |
| biodiversity | number & variety of species on Earth |
| Biodiversity Treaty | treaty drawn up at Earth Summit that protects species diversity |
| 1972 Clean Water Act | law designed to improve water quality |
| potable | bottled water |
| point-source pollution | leaking gasoline tank |
| recharge zone | area above an aquifer |
| watershed | land that drains into a river |
| pathogen | bacteria |
| artificial eutrophication | phosphates in laundry detergent |
| residential and industrial | global uses of fresh water |
| soot from smoke | primary pollutant |
| ground-level ozone | secondary pollutant |
| VOCs | organic chemicals that vaporize readily |
| scrubber | works by dissolving pollutants in water |
| electrostatic precipitator | works by giving dust particles an electrical charge |
| noise pollution | can lead to stress and high blood pressure |
| ozone | involved in the formation of smog |
| sick-building syndrome | can lead to allergic reactions to fungi and mold |
| asbestos | can lead to difficulty breathing and heart failure |
| light pollution | leads to energy waste |
| DNA damage | result of high UV radiation at Earth's surface |
| surface ocean currents | caused by wind and influenced by Earth's rotation |
| equatorial regions | vertical sunlight |
| CO2 | a greenhouse gas added to the atmosphere when fossil fuels are burned |
| El Nino | winds push warm water eastward in the Pacific Ocean |
| La Nina | water is cooler than normal in the eastern Pacific Ocean |
| prevailing winds | trade winds, westerlies, and polar easterlies |
| Montreal Protocol | international limits on CFC production to protect the ozone layer |
| greenhouse effect | process by which the atmosphere traps heat radiated up from Earth's surface |
| ozone molecules | decomposed by chlorine atoms |
| urban crisis | result of cities growing too rapidly and can't provide for all citizens |
| overgrazing | excessive use of a grazing area |
| ecosystem services | resources provided by natural or artificial ecosystems |
| wilderness area | area where the land and its ecosystems are protected from exploitation |
| urban sprawl | rapid expansion of a city into the surrounding countryside |
| selective cutting | method of harvesting trees in which certain trees are removed |
| deforestation | clearing trees without replacing them |
| urban area | area with at least 2,500 people and has a governing body |
| infrastructure | structures such as roads, schools, and power lines built by cities for public use |
| geographic information system | land-use planning tool |
| resistance | pests develop ability to tolerate particular pesticides |
| erosion | loss of fertile soil when it is blown away by wind or washed away by water |
| topsoil | upper layer of soil consisting of rock particles, water, air, and organic matter |
| yield | the amount of crop produced per hectare (or acre) |
| malnutrition | health problem caused by not eating enough necessary nutrients |
| famine | widespread food shortage that results in many people not having enough food |
| farmland becomes desertified | effects of overgrazing, overharvesting, or erosion |
| use organic fertilizer instead of chemical fertilizer | a good way to reduce salinization |
| contributes to erosion | driving farm machinery over fields |
| arable land | land on which it is possible to grow crops |
| overgrazing | not a result of urban sprawl |
| Grand Canyon | example of land used as a protected area to preserve the scenery and ecosystems |
| atmospheric conditions on a given day | weather is a region's |
| compresses and warms | as cold air sinks, it |
| nitric acid | not a primary air pollutant |
| electricity production | largest producer of primary air pollutants in the US |
| fresh water | 3% of the world's water resources are found as |
| activities on land | most of the pollutants in the ocean come from |
| tankers in US waterways be double hulled by the year 2015 | the 1990 Oil Pollution ACt requires that all |
| Mississippi River | The largest watershed in the United States is the |
| in danger of extinction | An endangered species is |
| insects and fungi | groups that most unknown species belong to |
