APES - Unit 8 - Sustaining Terrestrial and Aquatic Biodiversity

ecological restoration

Deliberate alteration of a degraded habitat or ecosystem to restore as much of its ecological structure and function as possible.

old-growth forest

complex forest that has developed over a long period of time and is relatively untouched by human activity

Overgrazing

Destruction of vegetation caused by too many grazing animals consuming the plants in a particular area so they cannot recover

pastures

managed grasslands or enclosed meadows usually planted with domesticated grasses or other forage

clear-cutting

The process of cutting down all the trees in an area at once

Bycatch

The unintentional catch of nontarget species while fishing

Overfishing

capturing fish faster than they can reproduce

fishprint

the area of ocean needed to sustain the fish consumption of an average person, a nation, or the world

fishery

An area with a large population of valuable ocean organisms

tree plantation

a large area typically planted with a single rapidly growing tree species

Rangelands (U.S.)

dry, open grasslands (used primarily for cattle grazing, semiarid ecosystems, particularly susceptible to fires/other disturbances)

reconciliation ecology

Science of inventing, establishing, and maintaining habitats to conserve species diversity in places where people live, work, or play.

selective cutting

cutting down only some trees in a forest and leaving a mix of tree sizes and species behind

mitigation banking

current policy in which wetlands must have zero "net loss," which means some wetlands can be destroyed as long as equal amount is created or restored

Threats to forests

1. Humans

2. Acid Rain

3. Insects and disease

4. non-native species

5. forest fires

ecological services of forests

-support energy flow and chemical cycling

-reduce soil erosion

-absorb and release water

-purify water and air

-influence local and regional climate

-store atmospheric carbon

-provide numerous wildlife habitats

strip cutting

A variation of clear-cutting in which a strip of trees is clear-cut along the contour of the land, with the corridor narrow enough to allow natural regeneration within a few years. After regeneration, another strip is cut above the first, and so on.

deforestation

The removal of trees faster than forests can replace themselves.

results of deforestation

Decreased soil fertility

Uncontrolled soil erosion

Increased sedimentation of waterways

Formation of deserts

Extinction of species

Global climate changes (release of C02 and loss of absorption)

ecological tipping point

Point at which an environmental problem reaches a threshold level, which causes an often irreversible shift in the behavior of a natural system.

ground fires

a forest fire that burns the humus and usually does not appear at the surface

surface fires

fires that typically burn only the forest's underbrush and do little damage to mature trees. Surface fires can serve to protect the forest from more harmful fires by removing underbrush and dead materials that would burn quickly and at high temperatures.

Crown Fires

an extremely hot fire that leaps from treetop to treetop, burning whole trees, usually occurs in areas that haven't had small fires in a long time

Sustanability

The ability to keep in existence or maintain. A sustainable ecosystem is one that can be maintained

sustainable forestry

The use and management of forest ecosystems in an environmentally balanced and enduring way

threats to grasslands

Overgrazing

•When too many animals graze for too long

•Damages grasses/roots

•Exceeds carrying capacity of rangeland

•Reduces grass cover

•Compacts soil and exposes it to erosion

•Encourages invasion of once-productive rangeland species that cattle don't eat

Erosion

rotational grazing

cattle are confined by portable fencing to one area for a short time and then moved to a new location

National Parks

One form of reserve that is intended to protect natural and scenic areas of national or international significance for scientific, educational and recreational use

Great Pacific Garbage Patch

patch of solid waste the size of Texas floating in the currents of the North Pacific, mostly consisting of plastics.

sea levels rising

-higher temperatures cause sea water to expand and ice to melt

-lead to flooding and loss of habitats

ocean acidification

decreasing pH of ocean waters due to absorption of excess atmospheric CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels

trawlers

Fishing boats that pull large nets through the water (called "trawls"), catching everything that is too big to escape through the mesh of the nets.

Offshore fishing

fishing far from the shore, typically 20-30 miles out, in waters hundreds and thousands of feet deep.

marine sanctuaries

Marine areas where human activity is limited are called: coral reefs, coastal zones, ocean parks, or marine sanctuaries.

maximum sustainable yield

The maximum amount of any resource that can be produced without limiting the population.

optimum sustained yield

the largest economical yield of a renewable resource achievable over a long time period without decreasing the ability of the population or its environment to support the continuation of this level of yield.

multispecies management

An approach which takes into account a number of species competitive and predator-prey interactions.

Watershed

An ecosystem where all water runoff drains into a single body of water

National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act

protects rivers with due to aesthetic, recreational, wildlife, historical, or cultural reasons.