Environment, ABB-CIV

Biological diversity is key to a healthy ecosystem, whether it’s a small biological community or the global biosphere. Ecology, which studies the relationships between organisms and their environment, is an invaluable science that helps us understand what allows an ecological community to thrive.
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Environment Encyclopedia Articles By Title

Abbey, Edward
Edward Abbey was an American writer whose works, set primarily in the southwestern United States, reflect an uncompromising......
abyssal zone
abyssal zone, portion of the ocean deeper than about 2,000 m (6,600 feet) and shallower than about 6,000 m (20,000......
Acadia National Park
Acadia National Park, national park on the Atlantic coast of Maine, U.S., astride Frenchman Bay. It has an area......
acid rain
acid rain, precipitation possessing a pH of about 5.2 or below primarily produced from the emission of sulfur dioxide......
Adamson, Joy
Joy Adamson was a conservationist who pioneered the movement to preserve African wildlife. Following an education......
Addo Elephant National Park
Addo Elephant National Park, national park in Eastern Cape province, South Africa. It has an area of 208 square......
Agarwal, Anil Kumar
Anil Kumar Agarwal Indian journalist and scholar best known for his work as one of the country’s most prominent......
Agate Fossil Beds National Monument
Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, natural “depository” of an extinct animal community on the Niobrara River......
age distribution
age distribution, in population studies, the proportionate numbers of persons in successive age categories in a......
air pollution
air pollution, release into the atmosphere of various gases, finely divided solids, or finely dispersed liquid......
Algonquin Provincial Park
Algonquin Provincial Park, wilderness area, southeastern Ontario, Canada. It lies about 140 miles (225 km) northeast......
Allee, Warder Clyde
Warder Clyde Allee was a zoologist and ecologist noted for his research on social behaviour, aggregations, and......
Alvarez, Walter
Walter Alvarez American geologist and expert on plate tectonics and mountain formation, best known for the so-called......
Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization
Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO), international organization founded to promote the preservation of......
Amboseli National Park
Amboseli National Park, national park, southern Kenya, eastern Africa. Amboseli was originally established as a......
amensalism
amensalism, association between organisms of two different species in which one is inhibited or destroyed and the......
American Samoa, National Park of
National Park of American Samoa, tropical preserve of rainforest and coral reef in the south-central Pacific Ocean......
Angel, Roger
Roger Angel British-born American astronomer whose lightweight mirror designs enabled the construction of some......
Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve
Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve, large wilderness area in southwestern Alaska, U.S., on the southern shore......
animal rights
animal rights, moral or legal entitlements attributed to nonhuman animals, usually because of the complexity of......
antagonism
antagonism, in ecology, an association between organisms in which one benefits at the expense of the other. As......
apex predator
apex predator, in ecology, any flesh-eating animal that has no natural predators or enemies. Apex predators hold......
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, scenic archipelago in extreme northern Wisconsin, U.S., at the southwestern......
Aransas National Wildlife Refuge
Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, coastal habitat conservation area in southern Texas, U.S., located about 50 miles......
Arches National Park
Arches National Park, desert area of sandstone formations in eastern Utah, U.S., on the Colorado River just north......
Arctic Council
Arctic Council, intergovernmental body that promotes research and facilitates cooperation among Arctic countries......
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, vast natural area occupying the northeastern corner of the U.S. state of Alaska.......
Arusha National Park
Arusha National Park, Preserve, northern Tanzania. Established in 1960, the park contains a rich variety of flora......
Asian brown cloud
Asian brown cloud, a large atmospheric brown cloud that occurs annually from about November through May over eastern......
atmospheric brown cloud
atmospheric brown cloud, a layer of air pollution containing aerosols such as soot or dust that absorb as well......
Audubon Society, National
National Audubon Society, U.S. organization dedicated to conserving and restoring natural ecosystems. Founded in......
Australian region
Australian region, one of the six major land areas of the world defined on the basis of its characteristic animal......
autecology
autecology, the study of the interactions of an individual organism or a single species with the living and nonliving......
autotroph
autotroph, in ecology, an organism that serves as a primary producer in a food chain. Autotrophs obtain energy......
autumn
autumn, season of the year between summer and winter during which temperatures gradually decrease. It is often......
aviculture
aviculture, raising and care of wild birds in captivity, for the breeding of game stock, the perpetuation of declining......
baby boom
baby boom, in the U.S., the increase in the birth rate between 1946 and 1964; also, the generation born in the......
Badlands National Park
Badlands National Park, rugged, eroded area of buttes, saw-toothed divides, and gullies in southwestern South Dakota,......
Ballinger, Richard A.
Richard A. Ballinger was the U.S. secretary of the interior (1909–11) whose land-use policy contributed to the......
Banff National Park
Banff National Park, scenic natural and wilderness area in southwestern Alberta, Canada. Established as a national......
Bates, Marston
Marston Bates was an American zoologist whose studies of mosquitoes in the 1930s and ’40s contributed greatly to......
bathyal zone
bathyal zone, marine ecologic realm extending down from the edge of the continental shelf to the depth at which......
bathypelagic zone
bathypelagic zone, Worldwide zone of deep ocean waters, about 3,000–13,000 ft (1,000–4,000 m) below the surface.......
Baun, Aleta
Aleta Baun Indonesian conservationist who was awarded the 2013 Goldman Environmental Prize for her successful efforts......
Bering Land Bridge National Preserve
Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, large natural area in northwestern Alaska, U.S. The national preserve occupies......
Berry, Wendell
Wendell Berry American author whose nature poetry, novels of America’s rural past, and essays on ecological responsibility......
Big Bend National Park
Big Bend National Park, remote frontierlike region in southwestern Texas, U.S., 250 miles (400 km) southeast of......
biochemical oxygen demand
biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), the amount of dissolved oxygen used by microorganisms in the biological process......
biodiversity
biodiversity, the variety of life found in a place on Earth or, often, the total variety of life on Earth. A common......
biodiversity loss
biodiversity loss, a decrease in biodiversity within a species, an ecosystem, a given geographic area, or Earth......
biogenic gas
biogenic gas, any gas critical for and produced by living organisms. Biogenic gases in the atmosphere play a role......
biogeochemical cycle
biogeochemical cycle, any of the natural pathways by which essential elements of living matter are circulated.......
Biological Diversity, Convention on
Convention on Biological Diversity, international treaty designed to promote the conservation of biodiversity and......
biological soil crust
biological soil crust, thin layer of living material formed in the uppermost millimetres of soil where soil particles......
biomass
biomass, the weight or total quantity of living organisms of one animal or plant species (species biomass) or of......
biome
biome, the largest geographic biotic unit, a major community of plants and animals with similar life forms and......
biosphere reserve
biosphere reserve, in general, a discrete parcel of terrestrial, marine, or coastal ecosystems that is managed......
biotic potential
biotic potential, the maximum reproductive capacity of an organism under optimum environmental conditions. It is......
birth rate
birth rate, frequency of live births in a given population, conventionally calculated as the annual number of live......
Biscayne National Park
Biscayne National Park, area of coral reefs and other marine features in the Atlantic Ocean off the southeastern......
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, natural area in western Colorado, U.S., encompassing a deep, narrow......
Boise National Forest
Boise National Forest, large area of evergreen coniferous forest in southwestern Idaho, U.S., located north and......
Bontebok National Park
Bontebok National Park, national park in Western Cape province, South Africa. It occupies 12 square miles (32 square......
Bookchin, Murray
Murray Bookchin American anarchist, political philosopher, trade-union organizer, and educator best known for his......
bottom water
bottom water, dense, lowermost layer of ocean water that can be distinguished clearly from overlying waters by......
boundary ecosystem
boundary ecosystem, complex of living organisms in areas where one body of water meets another, where one terrestrial......
Braun, Emma Lucy
Emma Lucy Braun American botanist and ecologist best known for her pioneering work in plant ecology and for her......
Brecon Beacons National Park
Brecon Beacons National Park, national park in southern Wales, occupying 519 square miles (1,344 square km) of......
Brown, Bob
Bob Brown Australian politician who served as a member of the Australian Senate (1996–2012) and as leader of the......
Brundtland, Gro Harlem
Gro Harlem Brundtland Norwegian politician who was the first female prime minister of Norway, serving for three......
brush fire
brush fire, fire in vegetation that is less than 1.8 metres (6 feet) tall, such as grasses, grains, brush, and......
Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park, area of spectacular rock formations in southern Utah, U.S., roughly 40 miles (64 km)......
Buck Island Reef National Monument
Buck Island Reef National Monument, tropical marine park in the northeastern Caribbean Sea. It is located off the......
Buffalo Gap National Grassland
Buffalo Gap National Grassland, prairie grassland region of southwestern South Dakota, U.S. It covers an area of......
Burgess, Thornton W.
Thornton W. Burgess U.S. children’s author and naturalist. He loved nature as a child. His first book, Old Mother......
Bustillos García, Edwin
Edwin Bustillos García human rights activist and environmentalist who spent most of his life working to reduce......
California Coastal National Monument
California Coastal National Monument, protected offshore ecosystem extending along the entire 1,100-mile- (1,800-km-)......
cannibalism
cannibalism, in zoology, the eating of any animal by another member of the same species. Cannibalism frequently......
Cantillon, Richard
Richard Cantillon was an Irish economist and financier who wrote one of the earliest treatises on modern economics.......
Canyonlands National Park
Canyonlands National Park, desert wilderness of water-eroded sandstone spires, canyons, and mesas, with Archaic......
Cape Breton Highlands National Park
Cape Breton Highlands National Park, park on Cape Breton Island, in northern Nova Scotia, Canada, that was established......
Cape Krusenstern National Monument
Cape Krusenstern National Monument, undeveloped wilderness area in northwestern Alaska, U.S., on the treeless coast......
Capitol Reef National Park
Capitol Reef National Park, long, narrow area of imposing sandstone formations in south-central Utah, U.S. Established......
Carabias Lillo, Julia
Julia Carabias Lillo Mexican ecologist and environmentalist who served as Mexico’s secretary of the environment,......
carbon cycle
carbon cycle, in biology, circulation of carbon in various forms through nature. Carbon is a constituent of all......
carbon footprint
carbon footprint, amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions associated with all the activities of a person or other......
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Carlsbad Caverns National Park, area of the Chihuahuan Desert in southeastern New Mexico, U.S., near the base of......
carnivore
carnivore, animal whose diet consists of other animals. Adaptations for a carnivorous diet include a variety of......
Carr-Saunders, Sir Alexander
Sir Alexander Carr-Saunders was a sociologist, demographer, and educational administrator who, as vice chancellor......
carrying capacity
carrying capacity, the average population density or population size of a species below which its numbers tend......
Carson, Rachel
Rachel Carson was an American biologist well known for her writings on environmental pollution and the natural......
Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument
Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, biologically diverse forest region located southeast of Ashland, southwestern......
Cedar Breaks National Monument
Cedar Breaks National Monument, a vast natural amphitheatre, with a diameter of more than 3 miles (5 km), eroded......
Center for Science in the Public Interest
Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), U.S. nonprofit organization, founded in 1971, that aims to study,......
Chipko movement
Chipko movement, nonviolent social and ecological movement by rural villagers, particularly women, in India in......
Chiricahua National Monument
Chiricahua National Monument, wilderness of unusual volcanic rock formations—tall and slender pinnacles crowded......
Chobe National Park
Chobe National Park, national preserve, northern Botswana. The preserve, which acquired national park status in......
Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), one of U.S. Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s earliest New Deal programs, established......

Environment Encyclopedia Articles By Title