The Biodiversity Crisis

Endemic

(of a disease or condition) regularly found among particular people or in a certain area.

Extinct

(of a species, family, or other larger group) having no living members.

Biodiversity hotspot

A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region that is both a significant reservoir of biodiversity and is threatened with destruction.

Air pollution

Air pollution occurs when harmful or excessive quantities of substances including gases, particulates, and biological molecules are introduced into Earth's atmosphere.

Endangered species

An endangered species is a species which has been categorized as very likely to become extinct. Endangered (EN), as categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, is the second most severe conservation status for wild populations in the IUCN's schema after Critically Endangered (CR).

Mass extinction

An extinction event is a widespread and rapid decrease in the biodiversity on Earth. Such an event is identified by a sharp change in the diversity and abundance of multicellular organisms

Exotic (alien) species

An introduced species (alien species, exotic species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species) is a species living outside its native distributional range, which has arrived there by human activity, either deliberate or accidental. Non-native species can have various effects on the local ecosystem.

Biological magnification

Biomagnification, also known as bioamplification or biological magnification, is the increasing concentration of a substance, such as a toxic chemical, in the tissues of tolerant organisms at successively higher levels in a food chain.

Ecosystem diversity

Ecosystem diversity deals with the variations in ecosystems within a geographical location and its overall impact on human existence and the environment.

Genetic diversity

Genetic diversity is the total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species. It is distinguished from genetic variability, which describes the tendency of genetic characteristics to vary. Genetic diversity serves as a way for populations to adapt to changing environments.

Germ-plasma bank

Germplasm Research. The Genetic Resources Program manages CIMMYT's gene bank — also known as a germplasm bank — the Seed Health Unit, Biometrics & Statistics Unit, and Data Management Unit.

Extirpation

Local extinction or extirpation is the condition of a species (or other taxon) that ceases to exist in the chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere. Local extinctions are contrasted with global extinctions.

Salination

Soil salinity is the salt content in the soil; the process of increasing the salt content is known as salinization. Salts occur naturally within soils and water.

Species diversity

Species diversity is the number of different species that are represented in a given community.

Sustainable forest management

Sustainable forest management is the management of forests according to the principles of sustainable development. Sustainable forest management has to keep the balance between three main pillars: ecological, economic and socio-cultural.

Sustainable use

Sustainable use means the use of components of biological diversity in a way and at a rate that does not lead to the long-term decline of biological diversity, thereby maintaining its potential to meet the needs and aspirations of present and future generations.

Ecosystem services

There, ecosystem services are grouped into four broad categories: provisioning, such as the production of food and water; regulating, such as the control of climate and disease; supporting, such as nutrient cycles and crop pollination; and cultural, such as spiritual and recreational benefits.

Threatened species

Threatened species are any species which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future.

Ecosystem

a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

Global warming

a gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth's atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and other pollutants.

Carbon sequestration

a natural or artificial process by which carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and held in solid or liquid form.

Epiphyte

a plant that grows on another plant but is not parasitic, such as the numerous ferns, bromeliads, air plants, and orchids growing on tree trunks in tropical rainforests.

Keystone species

a species on which other species in an ecosystem largely depend, such that if it were removed the ecosystem would change drastically.

Poaching

cook (an egg), without its shell, in or over boiling water.

Natural resources

materials or substances such as minerals, forests, water, and fertile land that occur in nature and can be used for economic gain.

Monoculture

the cultivation of a single crop in a given area.

Pollution

the presence in or introduction into the environment of a substance or thing that has harmful or poisonous effects.

Desertification

the process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically as a result of drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture.

Genetic pollution

the spread of altered genes from genetically engineered organisms to other, nonengineered organisms, especially by cross-pollination.

Bionics

the study of mechanical systems that function like living organisms or parts of living organisms.

Greenhouse effect

the trapping of the sun's warmth in a planet's lower atmosphere due to the greater transparency of the atmosphere to visible radiation from the sun than to infrared radiation emitted from the planet's surface.

Biodiversity

the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.