Science Unit Test Chapter 3 Glossary Terms

The number and variety of organisms found within a specific area

• To legally guard from harm (i.e. hunting, poaching), am endangered, threatened or a species of concern
• i.e. ban all fishing in a lake with a dwindling fish population

• An relatively small area where the number of species present is exceptionally large
• i.e. The island of Madagascar has many species found nowhere else on the planet

All the populations of different species that interact within their specific ecosystem or area

• The species with the most amount of biomass in their ecosystem
• i.e. grass

• A species that can greatly affect the population numbers and health of an ecosystem
• i.e. The wolves of Yellowstone Park

The breeding of rare or endangered species in captivity to boost population numbers

• A species that can changes an ecosystem or a piece of land so drastically that it creates a new ecosystem all together
• i.e. Beavers build a dam that provide shelter for species, but also change the amount of trees and the flow of the river

The series of changes over time in an ecosystem following a disturbance

• The destruction of habitats, usually as a result of human activities
• i.e. Clear cutting a forest for farm land, leaving all the organisms without shelter or food

The removal of forest from land, resulting in the loss of habitat. Caused by human activities, like logging. It becomes severe if the forests are never replanted

• A species accidentally or deliberately introduced to an area that it is not native to. Usually due to human actions.
• i.e. Jellyfish travelling in ship ballast tanks, escaping to other bodies of water

• A species that can take over the habitat of native species or invade their bodies
• i.e. The Asian carp is dominating American rivers, having all the other fish species go down in population

The use or extraction of a resource until it is depleted

The death of all the members of a species

• The current accelerated rate of extinctions on Earth
• 

• The renewal of destroyed ecosystems through active human intervention
• i.e. Returning a deforested area to its former forested appearance

The act of planting seeds or trees in deforested areas with the hope of restoring the ecosystem

• The use of a species to control the population or spread of an undesirable species
• i.e. The use of weevils to destroy a weed population that prevents fishing on Lake Victoria

• The use of living organisms to clean up contaminated areas naturally
• i.e. The use of bacteria to clean oil spills

The use of organisms to add essential chemical nutrients to depleted soils to restore the ecosystem