Environment, CHI-FLI

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.
Back To Environment Page

Environment Encyclopedia Articles By Title

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......
Clark, Helen
Helen Clark is a New Zealand politician who was prime minister (1999–2008). She was the first woman in New Zealand......
Clean Air Act
Clean Air Act (CAA), U.S. federal law, passed in 1970 and later amended, to prevent air pollution and thereby protect......
climax
climax, in ecology, the final stage of biotic succession attainable by a plant community in an area under the environmental......
cloud forest
cloud forest, vegetation of tropical mountainous regions in which rainfall is often heavy and condensation is persistent......
Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies
Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES), U.S. nonprofit organization founded in 1989 to advocate......
coevolution
coevolution, the process of reciprocal evolutionary change that occurs between pairs of species or among groups......
cold desert
cold desert, any large arid area of land that typically receives scant amounts of annual precipitation, which occurs......
Colorado National Monument
Colorado National Monument, scenic wilderness area in west-central Colorado, U.S., just west of the city of Grand......
commensalism
commensalism, in biology, a relationship between individuals of two species in which one species obtains food or......
common-pool resource
common-pool resource, a resource made available to all by consumption and to which access can be limited only at......
Commoner, Barry
Barry Commoner was an American biologist and educator. He studied at Harvard University and taught at Washington......
community
community, in biology, an interacting group of various species in a common location. For example, a forest of trees......
competition
competition, in ecology, utilization of the same resources by organisms of the same or of different species living......
competitive exclusion, principle of
principle of competitive exclusion, (after G.F. Gause, a Soviet biologist, and J. Grinnell, an American naturalist,......
condensation nucleus
condensation nucleus, tiny suspended particle, either solid or liquid, upon which water vapour condensation begins......
Congaree National Park
Congaree National Park, natural area in central South Carolina, U.S., about 20 miles (30 km) southeast of Columbia.......
coniferous forest
coniferous forest, vegetation composed primarily of cone-bearing needle-leaved or scale-leaved evergreen trees,......
Conservation International
Conservation International, organization that works in more than 40 countries, especially developing ones, to protect......
Convention on Biological Diversity
Convention on Biological Diversity, international treaty designed to promote the conservation of biodiversity and......
coppice
coppice, a dense grove of small trees or shrubs that have grown from suckers or sprouts rather than from seed.......
coral bleaching
coral bleaching, whitening of coral that results from the loss of a coral’s symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) or......
Corbett National Park
Corbett National Park, natural area in southern Uttarakhand state, northern India. It was established as Hailey......
Coto Doñana National Park
Coto Doñana National Park, national park on the southwestern coast of Spain, at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River.......
Cowles, Henry Chandler
Henry Chandler Cowles was an American botanist, ecologist, and educator who influenced the early study of plant......
Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve
Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, region of volcanic cones, craters, and lava flows near the......
critically endangered species
critically endangered species, an endangered species that faces an extremely high risk of extinction in wild habitats,......
Crozet Islands
Crozet Islands, archipelago in the southern Indian Ocean, 1,500 miles (2,400 km) off the coast of Antarctica, administratively......
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, National historical park, Tennessee, U.S. Created in 1940 to preserve......
Cumbres de Monterrey National Park
Cumbres de Monterrey National Park, park in the Sierra Madre Oriental, in Nuevo León state, northeastern Mexico.......
Dansereau, Pierre
Pierre Dansereau was a French Canadian plant ecologist who was a pioneer in the study of the dynamics of forests......
Dansgaard-Oeschger event
Dansgaard-Oeschger event, any of several dramatic but fleeting global climatic swings characterized by a period......
Darwin, Charles
Charles Darwin was an English naturalist whose scientific theory of evolution by natural selection became the foundation......
Davis, Kingsley
Kingsley Davis was an American sociologist and demographer who coined the terms population explosion and zero population......
Davis, Margaret Bryan
Margaret Bryan Davis was an American paleoecologist best known for her pioneering work in the science of palynology......
deciduous forest
deciduous forest, vegetation composed primarily of broad-leaved trees that shed all their leaves during one season.......
deep ecology
deep ecology, environmental philosophy and social movement based in the belief that humans must radically change......
deep-scattering layer
deep-scattering layer, horizontal zone of living organisms, usually schools of fish, occurring below the surface......
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Deepwater Horizon oil spill, largest marine oil spill in history, caused by an April 20, 2010, explosion on the......
deforestation
deforestation, the clearing or thinning of forests by humans. Deforestation represents one of the largest issues......
Denali National Park and Preserve
Denali National Park and Preserve, vast region with an unspoiled natural environment of alpine tundra and boreal......
density-dependent factor
density-dependent factor, in ecology, any force that affects the size of a population of living things in response......
density-independent factor
density-independent factor, in ecology, any force that affects the size of a population of living things regardless......
Denver, John
John Denver was an American singer and songwriter who was known for his wholesome, sentimental music that extolled......
depleted uranium
depleted uranium, dense mildly radioactive metal that is primarily used in the production of ammunition and armour......
desert
desert, any large, extremely dry area of land with sparse vegetation. It is one of Earth’s major types of ecosystems,......
desertification
desertification, the process by which natural or human causes reduce the biological productivity of drylands (arid......
detritus
detritus, in ecology, matter composed of leaves and other plant parts, animal remains, waste products, and other......
Devils Tower National Monument
Devils Tower National Monument, the first U.S. national monument, established in 1906 in northeastern Wyoming,......
Devonian extinctions
Devonian extinctions, a series of mass extinction events primarily affecting the marine communities of the Devonian......
Dinder National Park
Dinder National Park, park, southeastern Sudan. The park lies in the clayish floodplain of the Dinder and Rahad......
Dinosaur Provincial Park
Dinosaur Provincial Park, public park located in the badlands of southeastern Alberta, Canada. The nearly 29-square-mile......
dispersion
dispersion, in biology, the dissemination, or scattering, of organisms over periods within a given area or over......
dog days
dog days, periods of exceptionally hot and humid weather that often occur in July, August, and early September......
drainage
drainage, in agriculture, the artificial removal of water from land. Drainage is employed in the reclamation of......
Earth First!
Earth First!, radical environmental group focused on the protection of wilderness and wildlife. Earth First! was......
ecofeminism
ecofeminism, branch of feminism that examines the connections between women and nature. Its name was coined by......
ecological disturbance
ecological disturbance, an event or force, of nonbiological or biological origin, that brings about mortality to......
ecological footprint
ecological footprint (EF), measure of the demands made by a person or group of people on global natural resources.......
ecological resilience
ecological resilience, the ability of an ecosystem to maintain its normal patterns of nutrient cycling and biomass......
ecological restoration
ecological restoration, the process of repairing sites in nature whose biological communities (that is, interacting......
ecological succession
ecological succession, the process by which the structure of a biological community evolves over time. Two different......
ecology
ecology, study of the relationships between organisms and their environment. Some of the most pressing problems......
ecosystem
ecosystem, the complex of living organisms, their physical environment, and all their interrelationships in a particular......
ecosystem services
ecosystem services, outputs, conditions, or processes of natural systems that directly or indirectly benefit humans......
ecosystemic approach
ecosystemic approach, form of environmental governance that places ecosystemic dynamics at the heart of environmental......
ecotone
ecotone, a transitional area of vegetation between two different plant communities, such as forest and grassland.......
Eiseley, Loren
Loren Eiseley was an American anthropologist, educator, and author who wrote about anthropology for the lay person......
electronic waste
electronic waste, various forms of electric and electronic equipment that have ceased to be of value to their users......
elfin woodland
elfin woodland, stunted forest at high elevations in tropical wet areas or temperate coastal areas. Its short gnarled......
Elk Island National Park
Elk Island National Park, park in central Alberta, Canada, 20 miles (32 km) east of Edmonton. Established in 1906......
Elton, Charles
Charles Elton was an English biologist credited with framing the basic principles of modern animal ecology. Elton......
end-Triassic extinction
end-Triassic extinction, global extinction event occurring at the end of the Triassic Period (about 252 million......
endangered species
endangered species, any species that is at risk of extinction because of a sudden rapid decrease in its population......
environment
environment, the complex of physical, chemical, and biotic factors that act upon an organism or an ecological community......
Environmental Defense Fund
Environmental Defense Fund, American environmental organization working on such issues as climate change, pollution,......
environmental justice
environmental justice, social movement seeking to address the inequitable distribution of environmental hazards......
environmental policy
environmental policy, any measure by a government or corporation or other public or private organization regarding......
Environmental Protection Agency
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), agency of the U.S. government that sets and enforces national pollution-control......
environmental science
environmental science, interdisciplinary academic field that draws on ecology, geology, meteorology, biology, chemistry,......
environmental toxicology
environmental toxicology, field of study in the environmental sciences that is concerned with the assessment of......
environmentalism
environmentalism, political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment......
epidemiologic transition
epidemiologic transition, the process by which the pattern of mortality and disease in a population is transformed......
Ethiopian region
Ethiopian region, one of the major land areas of the world defined on the basis of its characteristic animal life.......
eutrophication
eutrophication, the gradual increase in the concentration of phosphorus, nitrogen, and other plant nutrients in......
evapotranspiration
evapotranspiration, Loss of water from the soil both by evaporation from the soil surface and by transpiration......
extinction
extinction, in biology, the dying out or extermination of a species. Extinction occurs when species are diminished......
extremophile
extremophile, an organism that is tolerant to environmental extremes and that has evolved to grow optimally under......
fairy ring
fairy ring, a naturally occurring circular ring of mushrooms on a lawn or other location. A fairy ring starts when......
faunal region
faunal region, any of six or seven areas of the world defined by animal geographers on the basis of their distinctive......
fertility
fertility, ability of an individual or couple to reproduce through normal sexual activity. About 90 percent of......
fertility rate
fertility rate, average number of children born to women during their reproductive years. For the population in......
fire storm
fire storm, violent convection caused by a continuous area of intense fire and characterized by destructively violent......
Flannery, Tim
Tim Flannery is an Australian zoologist and outspoken environmentalist who was named Australian of the Year in......
Flint water crisis
Flint water crisis, human-made public health crisis (April 2014–June 2016) involving the municipal water supply......

Environment Encyclopedia Articles By Title