Abiotic - Physical rather than biological; not derived from living organisms.

 

Abundance - A very large quantity of something.

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Aesthetic Value - the value that an object, event or state of affairs possesses in virtue of its capacity to elicit pleasure.

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Bequest Value - the idea that we have a responsibility to leave the planet better than we came into it and make a better world for future generations.

 

Biodiversity - The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

 

Biodiversity Hotspot - A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with significant levels of biodiversity that is threatened by human habitation. 

 

Biotic - Relating to or resulting from living things, especially in their ecological relations.

 

Breed - Mate and then produce offspring.

 

Broods - A family of young animals, especially of a bird, produced at one hatching or birth.

 

Cattle Grazing - Method of animal husbandry whereby domestic livestock are used to convert grass and other forage into meat, milk, wool and other products, often on land unsuitable for arable farming.

 

Cattle Ranching - An extensive farm, especially in the western United States, on which large herds of cattle, sheep, or horses are raised. 

 

Coastal Dunes - A hill of loose sand built by aeolian processes (wind) or the flow of water.

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Coevolution - The influence of closely associated species on each other in their evolution.

 

Ecological Threats - Occurs when changes to the environment of a species or population destabilize its continued survival. Some of the important causes include: Degradation of an abiotic ecological factor (for example, increase of temperature, less significant rainfalls) Increased pressure from predation.

 

Ecosystems - A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

 

Ecotourism - Tourism directed toward exotic, often threatened, natural environments, intended to support conservation efforts and observe wildlife.

 

Endangered - Seriously at risk of extinction.

 

Endangered Species Act - The purpose of the ESA is to protect and recover imperiled species and the ecosystems upon which they depend. It is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) and the Commerce Department's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).

 

External Threats - A threat to external validity is an explanation of how you might be wrong in making a generalization from the findings of a particular study.

 

Extinct - (of a species, family, or other larger group) having no living members.

 

Extinction - The state or process of a species, family, or larger group being or becoming extinct.

 

Extirpated - Root out and destroy completely.

 

Gene Pool - The stock of different genes in an interbreeding population.

 

Genetic Diversity - Total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species. It is distinguished from genetic variability, which describes the tendency of genetic characteristics to vary.

 

Genetic Relationship - Relationship of biology concerned with the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity between organisms.

 

Genetic Variability - The presence of, or the generation of, genetic differences.

 

Global Economy - The world economy or global economy is the economy of all humans of the world, considered as the international exchange of goods and services that is expressed in monetary units of account.

 

Habitat - The natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or another organism.

 

Habitat Degradation - A decline in species-specific habitat quality that leads to reduced survival and/or reproductive success in a population e.g. related to changes in food availability cover or climate.

 

Host Plant - A plant upon which an organism (such as an insect or mildew) lodges and subsists.

 

Human Habitation - The state of humans living somewhere.

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Intrinsic Value - The value that an entity has in itself.

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Instrumental Value - The value of being viewed as economically important

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Invasive Species - An invasive species is a species that is not native to a specific location, and that has a tendency to spread to a degree believed to cause damage to the environment, human economy or human health. 

 

Larvae - The active immature form of an insect, especially one that differs greatly from the adult and forms the stage between egg and pupa, e.g. a caterpillar or grub.

 

Malfunction - (of a piece of equipment or machinery) fail to function normally or satisfactorily.

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Metamorphosis -  (in an insect or amphibian) the process of transformation from an immature form to an adult form in two or more distinct stages.

 

Mutualism - The ecological interaction between two or more species where each species has a net benefit. 

 

Migratory - Denoting an animal that migrates.

 

Native Plants - Native plants are plants indigenous to a given area in geologic time. This includes plants that have developed, occur naturally, or existed for many years in an area.

 

Natural Integration -  When separate people or things are brought together.

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Non-Native Plants - A species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived there by human activity, either deliberate or accidental.

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Neonicotinoids - a systemic agricultural insecticide resembling nicotine.

 

Overgrazing - Excessive grazing which causes damage to grassland.

 

Pesticides - A substance used for destroying insects or other organisms harmful to cultivated plants or to animals.

 

Pollen - A fine powdery substance, typically yellow, consisting of microscopic grains discharged from the male part of a flower or a male cone. Each grain contains a male gamete that can fertilize the female ovule, to which pollen is transported by the wind, insects, or other animals.

 

Pollinator - A pollinator is an animal that moves pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma of a flower. This helps to bring about fertilization of the ovules in the flower by the male gametes from the pollen grains.

 

Pollinator Friendly Pesticides - Pesticides that don’t hurt pollinators.

 

Population Growth - In biology or human geography, population growth is the increase in the number of individuals in a population. 

 

Prairie Habitat - Grassland habitat with a wide variety of plant life, which in turn provides cover and food for a wide variety of animal life.

 

Recovery Plan - Documented, structured approach with instructions for responding to unplanned incidents. 

 

Rehabilitation - The action of restoring someone to health or normal life through training and therapy after imprisonment, addiction, or illness.

 

Reproduce - Produce again.

 

Single Brooded - Bringing forth young once annually; having but one annual generation, or one brood a year, as an insect, bird, or another animal.

 

Stamen - The male fertilizing organ of a flower, typically consisting of a pollen-containing anther and a filament.

 

Stigma - The part of a pistil that receives the pollen during pollination.

 

Territory - An area of land under the jurisdiction of a ruler, state, or population.

 

Urbanization - The process of making an area more urban.

 

Vegetation - Plants considered collectively, especially those found in a particular area or habitat.

 

Vulnerable - Susceptible to physical or emotional attack or harm.