ESS Topic 3 - Vocab

i hate everything!

Species Richness

The number of different species within an area

Species Evenness

How different species are distributed within an area

Habitat Diversity

The variety of habitats within an area

Species Diversity

The number of species within an area

Biodiversity

The variety of life on earth

Resilience

A systems ability and/or capacity to withstand stressors

Habitat Destruction

When a habitat is damaged with no support

Habitat Degradation

When a habitat’s condition declines

Air pollution

Harmful changes in the air’s physical/chemical characteristics

Light Pollution

the excessive use of artifical light outdoors

Noise Pollution

unwanted or/and harmful sound in an environment

Soil Pollution

when harmful substances contaminate soil

maximum sustainible yield

the largest amount can be sustainably taken (think fish1)

IUCN Red List

a list that categorizes different species (plants & animals) extinction risk

conservation biology

sustainible use and management of natural resources

preservation biology

attempts to exclude human activity in areas have not yet encroached

flagship species

an animal or plant used as a symbol to raise awareness of an issue

keystone species

an organism that has a disproportionately large impact on its environment