vocab ch.2

• Abiotic factors

  Physical factors such as light, temperature and water
• Acidification

  A process in which the ph decreases as the conditions become more acidic
• Acidophile

  An organism that thrives under acidic conditions

  -> many are bacteria or archaea
• Afforestation

  Planting trees to increase the area of a forest
• Antarctic Treaty (1959)


  An international agreement signed by many countries to protect and manage Antarctica.
• Aphotic zone

  Deeper layers of water that receive no sunlight because they are absorbed by shallower layers
• Artificial Insemination

  A form of selective breeding
• Biodiversity

  A measure of the variety and abundance of wildlife species
• Biological control

  The control of pests using living organisms, usually predators and pathogens
• Biological corridor

  A habitat that links other habitats so that animals can move between them
• Biomimetics

  The study of living organisms so the knowledge gained can be applied to engineering or other technological developments
• Captive breeding and release programmes

  A method of boosting wild populations.
• Centre of diversity

  A geographical region with a high plant biodiversity
• Convention on the International Trade in Endangered species (CITES)

  An international agreement that controls the international trade in certain species of plants and animals and their products
• Convention on the International trade in Endangered Species (CITES) 


  CITES is an international agreement that controls international trade in certain species of plants, animals and the animals products.
• Coppicing

  process of regularly cutting down tree branches close to ground level.

  -> regrowth produces thin straight branches for fence panels
• Crop Wild Relatives (CWR)

  these are wild plant varieties or species that are closely related to domesticated crops
• CSS

  Countryside Stewardship Scheme
• Debt for nature swaps

  agreements whereby an organisation agrees to pay part of a country's debt in return for a commitment to a wildlife conservation programme
• Deforestation

  the action of removing trees, resulting in a reduction in forest area
• eDNA

  eDNA is DNA detected in environmental samples such as water, to confirm the presence of the species that produced it
• Endemic

  an endemic species is indigenous to a particular area and is not naturally found anywhere else
• Eradication

  The reduction of the population of a species by removal or culling
• European Union Common Fisheries Policy

  (EU CFP)

  This is a set of regulations intended to ensure the sustainable management of fish stocks within the EU
• Evolutionary Distinct and Globally Endangered

  (EDGE) species

  species that are threatened with extinction and have few relatives that are genetically similar.
• Exoskeleton

  a skeleton on the outside of an organism, as found in insects and crustaceans
• Ex-situ Conservation

  The conservation of a species in an area which is not its natural habitat
• Flagship species

  High-profile species that can be used to raise support for the conservation of their habitat
• Habitat

  The place where an organism, species or population lives
• Hard release

  the release of animals from captivity that arent provided with post-release support such as food
• In-situ conservation

  the conservation of species in its natural environment
• Salinity

  measure of the salt concentration of a solution
• Re-wilding

  process of creating habitats that are similar to the conditions present before the natural habitat was changed by human actions
• Soft-release

  release of animals from captivity that get provided post-release support such as food
• topography

  3d shape of the land surface
• vavilov centre

  area of the world where crop plants were domesticated and where wild varieties are still found
• international whaling commission (IWC)

  international organisation which aims to ensure the sustainable exploitation of whales
• keystone species

  species that have much more important ecological functions within their ecosystem
• local nature reserve (LNR)

  areas controlled by local authorities for their local importance for wildlife, geology + education

  ->designated under the national parks and access to the countryside act (1949)
• marine conservation zone (MCZ)

  designated under UK law to protect nationally important marine wildlife, habitats and geology in english and welsh offshore waters