Question | Answer |
Natural Resources | Anything in the environment that is used by humans |
Renewable Resources | always available or replaced bin a relitavely short time frame |
nonrenewable resources | natural resources that are not replaced in a useful time frame |
pollution | the contamination of earths land, water, and air ecosystems |
environmental science | the study of natural processes in the environment and how people affect them |
Clear cutting | the process of cutting down all the trees in an area at once |
selective cutting | cutting down only some trees in a forest and leaving a mix of tree sizes and species behind |
biodiversity | the number of differant species in an an area |
keystone species | a species that influences the survival of many other species in an ecosystem |
gene | the structure of an organisms cells that carry its herenditry infromation |
extinction | the disappearance of all members of a species on earth |
endangered species | a species in danger of becoming extinct in the near future |
threatened species | a species in danger of becoming endangered in the near future |
habitat destruction | the loss of natural habitat |
habitat fragmentation | breaking larger habitats into smaller pieces or fragments |
poaching | the illegal killing or removal of wildlife from their habitat |
captive breeding | the mating of animals in zoos or wildlife preserves |
sustainable yield | an amount of a renewable rescource that can be harvested regularly without reducing the future supply |
fishery | an area with a large population of valuable resources |
aquaculture | the practice of raising fish and other water dwelling organisms for food |