| A | B |
|---|
| Extinction | When an entire species permanently disappears from the biosphere: when the last member of the species dies. |
| Biodiversity | The variety of life in an area that is determined by the number of different species in that area. |
| Genetic diversity | The variety of genes or inheritable characteristics that are present in a population. |
| Species diversity | The number of different species and the relative abundance of each species in a biological community. |
| Ecosystem diversity | The variety of ecosystems that are present in the biosphere. |
| Background extinction | The gradual process of a species becoming extinct. |
| Mass extinction | An event in which a large percentage of all living species become extinct in a relatively short period of time. |
| Natural resources | All materials and organisms found in the biosphere, including minerals, fossil fuels, nuclear fuels, plants, animals, soil, clean water, clean air, and solar energy. |
| Overexploitation | One of the factors that is increasing the current rate of extinction: excessive use of species that have economic value. |
| Habitat fragmentation | The separation of an ecosystem into small pieces of land. |
| Edge effects | Different environmental conditions that occur along the boundaries of an ecosystem. |
| Biological magnification | The increasing concentration of toxic substances in organisms as trophic levels increase in a food chain or food web. |
| Eutrophication | Occurs when fertilizers, animal waste, sewage, or other substances rich in nitrogen and phosphorus flow into waterways causing extensive algae growth. |
| Introduced species | Nonnative species that are either intentionally or unintentionally transported to a new habitat. |
| Renewable resources | Resources that are replaced by natural processes faster than they are consumed. |
| Nonrenewable resources | Resources that are found on Earth in limited amounts or that are replaced by natural processes over an extremely long period of time. |
| Sustainable use | The using of resources at a rate at which they can be replaced or recycled while preserving the long-term environmental health of the biosphere. |
| Endemic | Species that are only found in a specific geographic region. |
| Bioremediation | The use of living organisms, such as prokaryotes, fungi, or plants, to detoxify a polluted area. |
| Biological augmentation | The adding of natural predators to a degraded ecosystem. |
