APES Unit 2: Biodiversity

adaptation

inherited trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce in its environment`

background extinction

the normal, natural rate of species loss over geologic time

biodiversity hotspot

a region with a high number of endemic species that has lost at least 70 percent of its original natural vegetation

biomagnification

the increase in concentration of a substance in the tissues of organisms at successively higher levels in a food chain

climax community

little major change occurs under the climate conditions

ecological resoration

active human management to help a degraded ecosystem recover (such as replanting, soil repair, habitat reconnection)

ecological tolerance

the range of conditions, such as temp, salinity, flow rate, and sunlight that an organism can endure before injury or death results

ecotourism

nature-based tourism that turns conservation into a paycheck

edge effect

the changes in environmental conditions and species composition that occur at the boundary between two different habitats (forest and field)

endemic species

a species found exclusively in one geographic region, often an isolated island, and nowhere else on Earth

founder effect

generalist species

genetic drift

global extinction

habitat corridors

habitat fragmentation

habitat island

indicator species

intrinsic value

keystone species

pioneer species

poaching

population bottleneck

precautionary principle

primary succession

range of tolerance

secondary succession

specialist species

speciation

species evenness

species richness

the number of different species found in an ecosystem

transpiration

Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species (CITES)

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Marine Mammal Protection Act

U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA)

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)

U.S. Forest Service

U.S. National Park Service