the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.

Species with a narrow ecological niche. They may be able to live in only one type of habitat, tolerate only a narrow range of climatic and other environmental conditions, or use only one type or a few types of food.

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

the number of different species in a community

the relative proportion of different species in a given area

is a biogeographic region with a significant reservoir of biodiversity that is under threat from humans

The process by which natural environments provide life-supporting resources

products obtained from ecosystems

benefits obtained from the regulating of ecosystems (flood prevention, water filtration, erosion control)

Non-material benefits obtained from ecosystems, intrinsic value

ecosystem services necessary for all other ecosystem services

Human-induced changes on the natural environment

demonstrates the dual importance of habitat size and distance in determining species richness

Species with a broad ecological niche. They can live in many different places, eat a variety of foods, and tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions. Examples are flies, cockroaches, mice, rats, and human beings. Compare specialist species.

A species, often introduced by humans, that takes hold outside its native range.

Species that normally live and thrive in a particular ecosystem

are an invasive exotic species that clogs water intake pipes at factories, power plants, and wastewater treatment facilities

the range of conditions in which a species can survive

The total amount of dissolved salts in a water sample.

The volume of fluid that moves through a system in a given period of time.

Range of chemical and physical conditions that must be maintained for populations of a particular species to stay alive and grow, develop, and function normally

the measurement of time from the formation of Earth to the present

The average weather conditions in an area over a long period of time

Movement from one habitat to another

inherited characteristic that increases an organism's chance of survival

the variety of genes within a given species

Change in a kind of organism over time; process by which modern organisms have descended from ancient organisms.

A process in which individuals that have certain inherited traits tend to survive and reproduce at higher rates than other individuals because of those traits.

Formation of new species

a reduction in the genetic diversity of a population caused by a reduction in its size

A series of predictable and orderly changes within an ecosystem over time.

A species that influences the survival of many other species in an ecosystem

An ecological succession that begins in an area where no biotic community previously existed (bare rock)

Succession following a disturbance that destroys a community without destroying the soil

Species that specialize in invading newly vacated habitats

First species to populate an area during primary succession

stable, mature ecological community with little change in the composition of species

A species that could become endangered in the near future

A species in danger of becoming extinct in the near future

when a species has no members that are still alive; the population of that species no longer exists

environmental resistance factors affect which individuals survive and reproduce

Ability of an organism to survive and reproduce in its environment

Illegal hunting of protected animals

normal extinction of various species as a result of changes in local environmental conditions

event in which many types of living things become extinct at the same time

(1973) identifies threatened and endangered species in the U.S., and puts their protection ahead of economic considerations

A 1973 treaty formed to control the international trade of threatened plants and animals

all the animal life in a particular region

plants of a region

Practice of harvesting or hunting to such a degree that remaining individuals may not be able to replenish the population

the process of selecting organisms with desired traits to be parents of the next generation

Habitat destruction, Invasive Species, Population growth, Pollution, Climate Change, Overexploitations

Splitting of ecosystems into small fragments

different environmental conditions that occur along the boundaries of an ecosystem

to make less severe

protected strips of land that allow the migration of organisms from one wilderness area to another

an area of land set aside to protect animals and other living things

an example of this is growing crops among native plants rather than on cleared land