Ecosystems

An informal term for the most recent period in Earth’s history during which human activities have had significant impact on climate and ecosystems.

The normal rate at which species go extinct in the absence of human factors.

One of several areas that contains an especially great diversity of endemic species facing a high risk of extinction.

The variety of genes, species and ecosystems found in a particular area.

A bird that lays its eggs in the nest of another bird, which then cares for the offspring.

Activity to maintain biodiversity and ecosystem function in a particular area.

A legal agreement in which a landowner retains ownership of their property but permanently relinquishes the right to build on or develop the property, often in exchange for financial or tax benefit.

The act of returning a buried stream to the surface and allowing it to flow aboveground.

The removal of a formerly endangered species from the list of endangered species.

Activity to assist the recovery of degraded biodiversity and ecosystem function in a particular area.

Altered environmental conditions that impact organisms living near the edge of a fragmented habitat.

A species considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future.

The breaking up of a habitat patch into two or more smaller pieces, usually by human activities such as agriculture, urban development, or roads.

The gradual loss of genetic variation in a small population due to random events.

A species introduced outside its normal distribution which increases in abundance at the expense of native species, interfering with an ecosystem’s normal functioning.

A nonprofit organization that works to acquire land, to help others acquire land or conservation easements, and to provide stewardship.

The addition of a species considered to be facing a high risk of extinction to a list of endangered species such as the international IUCN Red List or the lists maintained by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service, mandated by the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

A collection of local populations of the same species linked by some degree of migration; a " population of populations."

Small-scale variations in the shape of the surface of the land, resulting in a diversity of microhabitats.

A mechanism in which a damaged habitat is rehabilitated or an intact habitat area is set aside to compensate for habitat that is destroyed elsewhere.

Species that developed in the place where they live and are adapted to conditions there.

The action of predators who eat juvenile birds in the nest.

A self-organizing ecosystem composed of species and their interactions that differ from those that prevailed historically, resulting from human influence.

The study of the growth, decline, and changes in populations of organisms.

An approach to restoration that deliberately shares the places where humans live with other species.