Land Vocabulary

Genetic Engineering The technology in which genetic material in a living cell is modified for medical or industrial use

Biological Pest Control The use of living organisms to control pests

Chemicals used to kill insects, weeds, Pesticide Chemicals used to kill insects, weeds, and other crop pests

The accumulation of salts in the soil Salinization The accumulation of salts in the soil

Partly decomposed organic material Compost Partly decomposed organic material

Desertification Process by which land in arid or semiarid areas becomes more desert-like because of human activity or climatic changes

The wearing away of rock or soil Erosion The wearing away of rock or soil by wind and water

Land that can be used to grow crops Arable Land Land that can be used to grow crops

Malnutrition A condition that occurs when people do not consume enough Calories or do not eat a sufficient variety of foods to fulfill all of the body’s needs

Widespread starvation caused by Famine Widespread starvation caused by a shortage of food

Wilderness An area in which the land and the ecosystems it supports are protected from all exploitation

Reforestation The process by which trees are planted to re-establish trees that have been cut down on forest land

The clearing of trees from an area without replacing them Deforestation The clearing of trees from an area without replacing them

Allowing more animals to graze in an area than the range can support Overgrazing Allowing more animals to graze in an area than the range can support

Determining in advance how Land-Use Planning Determining in advance how land will be used

Heat Island Area in which the air temperature is generally higher than the temperature of the surrounding rural areas

Rapid expansion of a city into the countryside around the city Urban Sprawl Rapid expansion of a city into the countryside around the city

All of the things that a society builds for public use Infrastructure All of the things that a society builds for public use

Movement of people from Urbanization Movement of people from rural areas to cities

Ecosystem Services Resources that are produced by natural and artificial ecosystems

Rural Land that contains relatively few people and have large areas of open space

Urban Land that is covered mainly with buildings and roads

Agroforesty Agriculture incorporating the cultivation and conservation of trees.

Aquaculture The rearing of aquatic animals or the cultivation of aquatic plants for food.

Polyculture The simultaneous cultivation of several crops or animals.

Traditional Agriculture Based on treating the soil and plants with products that are more than likely produced in a laboratory.

Monoculture The cultivation of a single crop in a given area.

Industrial Agriculture Dominant for food production in the US. It is large scale monoculture and heavy use of fertilizers.

Bioaccumlulation Accumulation of substances such as pesticides or other chemicals in an organism.

Biomagnification The concentration of toxins in an organism as a result of its ingesting of other plants and animals in which toxins are more widely disbursed.

Driftnets A large net for herring or similar fish, kept upright by weights at the bottom & floats at the top and allowed to drift with the tide

Herbicide A substance that is toxic to plants, used to destroy unwanted vegetation.

Fungicide A Biocidal chemical used to kill parasitic fungi or their spores. Causes serious damage in agriculture, resulting in critical losses of yield, quality and profit.

Green Revolution A large increase in crop production in developing countries achieved by the use of fertilizers, pesticides and high-yield crop varieties.

GMO’s Genetically Modified Organisms – living organisms whose genetic material has be artificially manipulated in a lab.

Marine Reserves A type of marine protected area that has legal protection against fishing or development. Less than 1% of the world’s oceans are set aside in marine reserves.

Dead Zone A more common term for hypoxia, which has to due with a reduced level of oxygen in the water. Low oxygen causes animal life to suffocate and die.