Conservation Biology Chapter 11

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts in restoration ecology, including restoration practices, approaches, and considerations for different ecosystems.

Ecological restoration

The practice of restoring species and ecosystems to a site they previously occupied but were damaged or destroyed.

Restoration ecology

The science of restoration; the research and scientific study of restored populations, communities, and ecosystems.

Reference sites

Comparison sites that provide explicit restoration goals and allow quantitative measures of a project's success.

Passive restoration

Letting an ecosystem recover on its own.

Rehabilitation

Replacing a degraded ecosystem with a different but productive ecosystem type.

Partial restoration

Restoring at least some of the ecosystem functions and some of the original, dominant species.

Complete restoration

Actively restoring an area to its original species composition and structure through site modification and species reintroduction.

Bioremediation

The use of an organism to clean up pollutants.

Biological control

The use of one type of organism, such as an insect, to manage another, undesirable species, such as an invasive plant.

Novel ecosystems

A mixture of native and non-native species coexisting in a community.

Moss-layer transfer technique

A restoration approach for peatlands where they are harvested for horticultural peat.

Eutrophication

A serious man-made consequence in aquatic systems that can be reversed by reducing mineral nutrients entering the water.