
Channelization – Reducing the length of a channel by constructing it to have
straight cuts rather than a windy path

Ecosystem - A biological community of interacting organisms and their
physical environment

Hatchery - A fish hatchery is a place where large numbers of fish eggs are
artificially fertilized and are hatched in an enclosed environment

Impoundment – a body of water, such as a reservoir, made by impounding

Indicator species- species that serve as early warnings that a community or
ecosystem is being degraded

Intrinsic value- value of organism, species, ecosystem, or the earth’s
biodiversity based on its existence, regardless of whether it has any
usefulness to humans

K-selected species- species that produce a few, often fairly large offspring but
invest a great deal of time and energy to ensure that most of those offspring
reach reproductive age

Genetic diversity- variability in the genetic makeup among individuals within
a single species

Niche- total way of life or role of a species in an ecosystem. It includes all
physical, chemical, and biological conditions that a species needs to live and
reproduce in an ecosystem

Predator – An animal that naturally preys on others

Reproduction rate – frequency of production of offspring by one or more
parents

Self-Sustaining – Able to provide for your own needs without help from
others

Spawning Areas – Places in which the species reproduces

Species diversity- number of different species combined with the relative
abundance of individuals within each of those species in a given area

Species evenness- relative abundance of individuals within each of the
species in a community
Miller, G.T. Spoolman, S.E. (2011) Living in the Environment, pp. G1-G19, Belmont:
Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning