| Glossary | Ch01 Ch02 Ch03 Ch04 Ch05 Ch06 Ch07 Ch08 Ch09 Ch10 Ch11 Ch12 Ch13 Ch14 |
| Chapter 8 | |
| adaptive radiation | Process in which numerous new species evolve to fill vacant and new ecological niches in changed environments, usually after a mass extinction or mass depletion. Typically, this takes millions of years. |
| bioaccumulation | An increase in the concentration of a chemical in specific organs or tissues at a level higher than would normally be expected. Compare biomagnification. |
| biological amplification | See biomagnification. |
| biomagnification | Increase in concentration of DDT, PCBs, and other slowly degradable, fat-soluble chemicals in organisms at successively higher trophic levels of a food chain or web. Compare bioaccumulation. |
| drift-net fishing | Catching fish in huge nets that drift in the water. |
| endangered species | Wild species with so few individual survivors that the species could soon become extinct in all or most of its natural range. Compare threatened species. |
| endemic species | Species that is found in only one area. Such species are especially vulnerable to extinction. |
| fishery | Concentrations of particular aquatic species suitable for commercial harvesting in a given ocean area or inland body of water. |
| flyway | Generally fixed route along which waterfowl migrate from one area to another at certain seasons of the year. |
| game species | Type of wild animal that people hunt or fish for, for sport and recreation and sometimes for food. |
| gap analysis | Scientific method used to determine how adequately native plant and animal species and the existing network of conservation lands protects natural communities. Species and communities not adequately represented in existing conservation lands constitute conservation gaps. The idea is to identify these gaps and then eliminate them by establishing new reserves or changing land management practices. |
| habitat fragmentation | Breakup of a habitat into smaller pieces, usually as a result of human activities. |
| maximum sustainable yield | See sustainable yield. |
| population viability analysis (PVA) | Use of mathematical models to estimate a population's risk of extinction. See minimum viable population. |
| rare species | Species that (1) has naturally small numbers of individuals, often because of limited geographic ranges or low population densities, or (2) has been locally depleted by human activities. |
| threatened species | Wild species that is still abundant in its natural range but likely to become endangered because of a decline in numbers. Compare endangered species. |
| wildlife management | Manipulation of populations of wild species (especially game species) and their habitats for (1) human benefit, (2) the welfare of other species, and (3) the preservation of threatened and endangered wildlife species. |