sustaining ecosystems

Abiotic

A non-living feature of an ecosystem

Active layer

The upper layer of permafrost which thaws during the summer.

Adaptation

A characteristic of an organism trhat makes it more likely to survive and reproduce in a specific habitat.

Afforestation

Planting trees to create more forest.

Agroforestry

Growing crops and trees together.

Albedo Effect

The amount a surface reflects the suns rays back into space.

Antarctic Treaty System

A global sustainable management scheme for Antarctica which aims to preserve the best interests of Antarctica as an environmental and historical site.

Atmosphere

Gases surrounding earth.

Biodiversity

Variety of plant and animals species in the world or in a particular habitat, a high level of which is usually considered to be important and desirable.

Biomass

The mass of living matter (plants and animals).

Biomes

A large-scale ecosystem characteristic of a specific part of the world.

Biotic

A living feature of an ecosystem

Bottom Up Development/Aid

Aid/development funded and carried out by NGOs in co-operation with local communities.

Carbon Sinks

An area, such as a rainforest, that uses up carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Carnivore

An animal that eats meat or flesh only.

Omnivore

An animal that feeds on both plants and other animals.

Climate

Average weather conditions (precipitation + weather + sunlight + wind etc.) of an area based upon data collected over 30 years.

Condensation

Conversion of water vapour into liquid.

Consumers

An organism that obtains its energy by eating other organisms.

Convectional Rainfall

Rainfall, often heavy, that occurs when thick clouds form because of warm air rising quickly.

Dams

A barrier constructed to hold back water/raise water level.

Decomposers

Organisms (like bacteria + fungi) that decay/breakdown dead organic matter.

Decomposition

The process by which dead organic material is broken down.

Deforestation

The clearing of trees to transform forest into cleared land.

Ecosystem

A biological community of interacting organisms (plants, micro-organisms, animals) and their physical environment.

Ecotourism

Travel that aims to conserve the natural environment and local communities.

Evaporation

Conversion of liquid water into a vapour.

Evapotranspiration

The evaporation of water from plants (by transpiration) and soil (by evaporation).

Fauna

All animals in an area

Flora

All plants in an area

Food Chain

Shows the flow of energy from the sun through the feeding relationships between organisms- producers and consumers- in an ecosystem.

Food Web

A network of food chains, showing how they all link together in an ecosystem.

Global (Atmospheric) Circulation System

The movement of air around the world.

Herbivore

An animal that feeds only on plants.

Ice Sheet

Thick ice covering a land surface.

Ice Shelf

Thick ice floating on the ocean.

Iceberg

A mass of ice floating on the ocean that has broken off of an ice shelf/glacier.

Indigenous People

People who originated in a particular place.

Interception

When leaves and branches of a plant intercept precipitation falling to the ground.

Interdependent

Different components of an ecosystem depend on each-other.

Leaching

Water washes away nutrients inside the soil.

Litter

Rotting plant material (leaves) on the ground.

Logging

Felling of trees for resources- usually for timber.

Nutrients Cycle

The stores and flows of nutrients in an ecosystem.

Organic Materials/Matter

Decomposed animals/plants.

Permafrost

Ground that is frozen throughout the year.

Pesticides

Chemical used to kill insects.

Photosynthesis

A chemical process used by plants to make glucose and O2¬ from CO2 + H2O, using light energy.

Precipitation

Essentially rainfall (also snow, hail etc.).

Producers

Plants that begin food chains by making energy from photosynthesis.

Sea Ice

Ice that forms by low temperatures (in winter) freezing seawater.

Selective Logging

Trees are felled only when they are of a certain height and young trees are matured enough to maintain the height of the canopy.

Shifting Cultivation

A sustainable way to farm in the rainforest by moving from one area to another.

Soil

Mixture of weathered rock and organic matter (decomposed plants + animals)

Subsistence Farming

When farmers grow crops and animals to feed their own families.

Surface Run-Off

Water washes away nutrients from the soil surface.

Sustainable Development

Economic, social and environmental development which meets people's needs now without comprising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

Sustainable Management

Using resources carefully so that future generations can also use them to meet their needs.

Transpiration

Evaporation of water from plants through the stomata.

Trophic levels

Each level of a food chain.

Water Cycle

The stores and flows of water in an ecosystem.

Weathering

Breakdown of rock "in situ"- adds nutrients to the soil.