Oran Donohue
1/8/13
SEA DISC
Glossary
Aesthetic value- the value of a species appealing to its visual beauty
Animal sanctuaries- a facility where animals are brought to live and be protected for the
rest of their lives
Apex predators (top consumer)- predators with no predators of their own, residing at
the top of their food chain
Biodiversity- degree of variation of life forms within a given species, ecosystem, biome,
or an entire planet
Biological extinction- when a species is no longer found anywhere on earth
Biome- a complex biotic community characterized by distinctive plant and animal
species and maintained under the climatic conditions of the region
Bird migration- is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds
Brood- is the offspring or children in a family
Buffer zone- an area of land designated for environmental protection
Climate- the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind,
precipitation, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental
measurements
Driftnet- a fishing technique where nets, called drift nets, are allowed to drift free in a
sea or lake
Ecosystem- a community of living organisms (plants, animals, and microbes) in
conjunction with the nonliving components of their environment
Endangered Species- a species of organisms facing a very high 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
Endemism- ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an
island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type
Environment- the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or
operates
Feral animals- in a wild state, especially after escape from captivity or domestication
Fledglings- (of a young bird) Develop wing feathers that are large enough for flight
Food web- depicts feeding connections (what-eats-what) in an ecological community
Habitat- an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species of
animal, plant, or other type of organism
Incubation- the process by which certain egg-laying animals hatch their eggs, and to the
development of the embryo within the egg
Indicator species- biological species that defines a trait or characteristic of the
environment
Intrinsic value- refers to the value an animal possesses in its own right, as an end-initself, often financial
Keystone species- a species that has a disproportionately large effect on its environment
relative to its abundance
K-strategists- reproduce small amounts of offspring, but concentrate on the survival of
their offspring
Long line fisheries- also known as a trot line is a commercial fishing technique that uses
many baited hooks hanging from a single line
Native Species- indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is
the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention
Niche- the way of life of a species, the role each species plays in an ecosystem, each
species is thought to have a separate, unique niche
Non-native- An introduced, alien, exotic, non-indigenous species, a species living
outside its native distributional range
Nutrient cycling- the movement and exchange of organic and inorganic matter back into
the production of living matter
Predators- An animal that naturally preys on others
Prey- an animal hunted and killed by another for food
Population- all the organisms of the same group or species who live in the same
geographical area and are capable of interbreeding
Range- geographical area within which that species can be found
Specialists- a species with a narrow niche
Species Extinction- when a species comes to an end or completely dies out
Species diversity- effective number of different species that are represented in a
collection of individuals
Species richness- the number of different species represented in an ecological
community, landscape or region
Trophic levels- the position an organism occupies in a food chain
(The Science Dictionary, 2012)