Question | Answer |
natural resource | anything in the environment that is used by humans |
renewable resource | either always available or naturally replaced in a relatively short time frame |
nonrenewable resource | Natural resources that are not replaced in a useful time frame |
Pollution | the contamination of earth's land, water or air |
environmental science | is the study of natural processes in the environment and how humans can affect them |
clear-cutting | is the process of cutting down all the trees in one area at once |
selective cutting | cutting down only some trees in a forest and leaving a mix of tree sizes and species behind |
sustainable yeild | is an amount of a renewal resource such as trees that can be harvested regularly without replacing the future supply |
fishery | an area with a large population of valuable ocean organisms |
aquaculture | the practice of raising fish and other water dwelling organisms for food |
biodiversity | the number of different species in an area |
keystone species | a species that influences the survival of many other species in an ecosystem |
gene | the structures in an organism cell that carries its hereditary infirmation |
extinction | the disappearance of all members of a species from the earth. |
endangered species | species in dander of becoming extinct in the near future |
threatened species | species that could become endaangered |
habitat destruction | the loss of a natural habitat |
habitat fragmentation | breaking larger habitat into smaller habitat |
poaching | the illegal killing or removal of wildlife from their habitat |
captive breeding | the mating of animals in zoos or wildlife preserves |
taxol | the substance that protects the pacific yew tree |