3. Summary and Vocabulary

Summary

  • There are many causes of habitat destruction, including clearing of land and introduction of invasive species.
  • Slash-and-burn agriculture can lead to desertification, meaning the fertile top soil is lost.

Vocabulary

  • bog: Wetland that accumulates peat, a deposit of dead plant material, often mosses; one of the four main types of wetlands.
  • desertification: Process by which fertile land is depleted of top soil and becomes a desert.
  • extinction: Complete disappearance of a species.
  • habitat: Natural home or environment of an organism; the physical environment in which a species lives.
  • invasive species: Exotic, introduced species that out-competes the native species.
  • non-native species: Exotic species introduced into a new habitat.
  • slash-and-burn agriculture: Clearing of land for agriculture by cutting down and burning forest.
  • wetland: Land area that is saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, with the characteristics of a distinct ecosystem.

 

CK-12 Foundation, Life Science. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/