Biologist: A scientist who studies living organisms, often in the context of their environment.

 

Biome: An area defined by its average rainfall, temperature, geography, flora, and fauna. An example of a biome is alpine forest.

 

Biotic Potential: The capacity of a population of organisms to increase in numbers under optimum environmental conditions.

 

Captive Breeding: Some or all of the wild individuals of a critically endangered species are collected for breeding in captivity, with the aim of reintroducing the offspring into the wild.

 

Corporation: A company or group of people authorized to act as a single entity (legally a person) and recognized as such in law.

 

Crown Fire: A forest fire that spreads from treetop to treetop. Burns hotter and bigger than surface fires.

 

Ecological Niche: The role and position a species has in its environment.

 

Ecosystem: One or more communities of different species interacting with one another and with the chemical and physical factors making up their nonliving environment.

 

Ecotourism: Tourism directed toward exotic, often threatened, wildlife and plants. Can serve as an important economic stimulus.

 

Endangered Species: A species seriously at risk of extinction.

 

Endangered Species Act: An act passed by the U.S. government in 1973 allowing the designation of endangered and threatened species along with their protection under federal law.

 

Endemic Species: Species that is found in only one area.

 

Environment: The surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates.

 

Environmentalist: Someone who is concerned with or advocates for protection of the environment.

 

Environmental Resistance: The sum of all of the environmental factors that tend to restrict the biotic potential of an organism.

 

Extinction: When no members of a species are left on Earth, it has suffered extinction. Any and all dinosaur species are extinct.

 

Fish and Wildlife Service: An agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior dedicated to protecting the U.S.’s land based species and habitats (including lakes and rivers and their inhabitants).

 

Food Web: Complex network of many interconnected food chains and feeding relationships.

 

Functional Diversity: A component of biodiversity that concerns the range of things that organisms do in their ecosystems.

 

Genetic Diversity: The total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species.

 

Genetic Variability: Describes the naturally occuring genetic differences amoung individuals in the same species.

 

Habitat: The area a given species or organism naturally lives in. For example, deer live in forests.

 

Habitat Loss: When a given habitat is rendered unable to support the species living in it, habitat loss has occurred. An example of habitat loss is the clear cutting of forests.

 

Hectare: equal to about 2.5 acres or 10,000 square meters.

 

Improved Pasture: Sown pastures that includes introduced pasture species, such as cattle, usually made out of grasses and often legumes.

 

Incubation Period: The period over which eggs, etc. are incubated.

 

Keystone Species: A species that is important to an ecosystem’s ability to function. The loss of a keystone species can prove catastrophic.

 

K-Strategists: Species whose populations increase more slowly. 

 

Lobbying: The act of attempting to influence the decisions of government officials. An example of lobbying is when logging companies try to get government officials to vote against laws regulating logging.

 

Migrate: When an animal, typically a bird or fish, moves from one region or habitat to another, especially regularly according to the seasons.

 

Omnivore: An aanimal that can use both plants and other animals as food sources.

 

Palmetto: A low-growing palm tree with leaves shaped like fans.

 

Parasitism: When a parasitic species benefits from a host species, at the host’s expense. An example of a parasite is the mosquito.

 

Population: A group of individuals of the same species.

 

Prairie: Temperate grassland biome. Florida’s prairie is home to the florida grasshopper sparrow.

 

Premature Species Extinction: The extinction of a species occurring earlier than it would naturally occur, usually effected/caused by humans.

 

Respiratory System: The organs inside the body that help you breathe.

 

Restricted Range: The population of a species is limited to a certain area or region.

 

Ripple Effect: The continuing and spreading results of an event or action.

 

Sanctuary: A nature reserve.

 

Self-Sustaining: Maintaining or able to maintain oneself or itself by independent effort.

 

Specialist Species: Can only thrive in a narrow range of environmental conditions or has a limited diet.

 

Surface Fire: A forest fire that burns only surface litter and undergrowth.