Invaders Glossary of Terms

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ecological community - Biotic communities that are identified through a distinctive combination of parameters, including species composition, structure and habitat.

ecological footprint - A calculation that estimates the area of Earth's productive land and water required to supply the resources that an individual or group demands, as well as to absorb the wastes that the individual or group produces.

ecological restoration - The process whereby an ecosystem is brought back to health.

ecoregion - A relatively large unit of land or water that is characterized by a distinctive climate, ecological features and plant and animal communities e.g., Everglades Flooded Grasslands, Great Basin Lakes and Streams, and Sonoran Desert.

ecosystem - A community of plants, animals and microorganisms that are linked by energy and nutrient flows and that interact with each other and with the physical environment. Rain forests, deserts, coral reefs, grasslands and a rotting log are all examples of ecosys

endemic - Term for an animal or plant species that naturally occurs in only one specified area or region. For example, the redfin darter is a fish endemic to the rivers of the Ozark forests, the Joshua tree is a plant endemic to the Mojave Desert, and the vaquita is a small porpoise endemic to the northern Gulf of California.

eradication - Application of measures to totally eliminate a pest or weed from an area, where the risk of re-infestation is minimal or zero.

establishment - Refers to the process of a newly arrived alien species successfully producing viable offspring with the likelihood of continued survival.

exotic species - Introduced species not native or endemic to the area in question (alien species).