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Glossary
* Abiotic (in Estonian: biootiline) – relating to non-living environment.
* Biological diversity (bioloogiline mitmekesisus) – variability among living organisms from all sources (including diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems).
* Biological resources (bioloogilised ressursid) - includes genetic resources, organisms or parts thereof, populations, or any other biotic component of ecosystems with actual or potential use or value for humanity.
* Biology (bioloogia) – scientific study of life.
* Biosafety (bioohutus) – combination of knowledge, technology and applied measures applied to use of materials, substances and organisms that represent biological danger to humans and environment.
* Biosphere (biosfäär) – part of earth, where living organisms are found, synthesis and transformation of organic substances takes place and organic substances affect minerals.
* Biotechnology (biotehnoloogia) – any technological application that uses biological systems or living organisms to produce substances in artificial environment.
* Biotic (biootiline) – relating to, produced by, or caused by living organisms.
* Botany (botaanika) – scientific study of plant life.
* Community (kooslus) – collection of populations of different species interacting with one another.
* Convention (konventsioon) – international agreement.
* Ecology (ökoloogia) – scientific study of the distribution and abundance of living organisms and the interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment.
* Ecosystem (ökosüsteem) – community of organisms interconnected through feeding relationships and the environment with which they interact, which form a functional self-regulated developing system.
* Ecotourism (ökoturism) – responsible travelling, preserving nature and cultural heritage and welfare of local people (definition by Estonian Ecotourism Association).
* Endemic (endeem) - taxon, which is prevalent in a particular, relatively small area. This may be due to the youth of taxon (i.e. taxon has not had opportunity to extend the territory with suitable conditions) or vice versa, the site of taxon has been reduced.
* Environmental protection (keskkonnakaitse) – international, national, political, administrative, social and economical measures intended for reducing and preventing pollution of human environment and for preserving natural objects.
* Ex situ conservation (ex situ kaitse) - the conservation of components of biological diversity outside their natural habitats.
* Fauna (loomastik) – all of the animal life.
* Flora (taimestik) – all plant life.
* Game (uluk) – wild animals, not domesticated birds and mammals, potentially hunted for food.
* Genetic resources (geneetiline ressurss) – genetic material of actual or potential value.
* Genetically modified organism (GMO) (geneetiliselt muundatud organism) – genetically engineered organism. By biotechnological means alien genes are transferred to an organism, thus altering the qualities of the organism.
* Global ecology (globaalökoloogia) - branch of ecology that studies Earth as an integrated system.
* Globalization (globaliseerumine) – tendency towards any process becoming worldwide.
* Greenhouse effect (kasvuhooneefekt) - process in which the transmission of thermal radiation from Earth’s atmosphere to the outer space is blocked by greenhouse gases (mainly CO2 and CH4).
* Habitat (elupaik) – set of abiotic and biotic conditions required for existence and development of a species (population).
* In situ conservation (in situ kaitse) – the conservation of ecosystems and natural habitats and the maintenance and recovery of viable population of species in their natural surroundings. In the case of domesticated or cultivated species in the surroundings where they have developed their distinctive properties.
* Indicator (indikaator) – means or organism used for describing complex evaluation of characteristics or status of environment.
* Landscape protection (maastikukaitse) – measures for preservation, development and maintenance of landscape.
* Natura 2000 network (Natura 2000 võrgustik) – coherent ecological network established pursuant to the nature conservation directives of the European Union for preservation of endangered natural habitats and species in Europe.
* Nature conservation (looduskaitse) - international, national and social measures that have to ensure purposeful use, reproduction and protection of natural resources, preservation and creation of healthy living environment, protection and maintenance of landscape and preservation of valuable natural objects.
* Non-native species (introduced species) (in Estonian: võõrliik) – species introduced from other territories.
* Monitoring (seire) – regular and programmed observation of environmental situation for any changes which may have occurred and potential reasons thereof, in order to use forecasting techniques to take adequate measures in future.
* Organism (organism) – individual living system.
* Plankton (plankton) – set of organisms floating in the waters of seas, rivers, ponds and lakes and having limited or no locomotor powers. Phytoplankton (plants) consists of plants floating in the water (mainly microscopic algae). Zooplankton (animals) consists of animals floating in the water (e.g. Protozoa, Cnidarians, Copepods, Rotifers, Cladocera).
* Population (populatsioon) – collection of individuals of a particular species living in a given area.
* Relict (relikt) - taxon that at an earlier time was abundant in a large area but now occurs at only one or a few small areas.
* Species (liik) – one of the basic units of biological classification. Typological species: species is the smallest unit of classification of organisms, which differs from other species by several features. Biological species: species is the smallest group of organisms that are not able to produce fertile offspring with organisms outside that group.
* Taxon (takson) – group of organisms placed at a particular level in a systematic hierarchy.
* Vegetation (taimkond) – the highest unit of vegetation classification, separate from taxonomy, also the name of vegetation cover type (e.g. forest vegetation)
* Vegetation cover type (taimkattetüüp) – primary characteristic of the classification based on physiognomy or architecture of vegetation.
* Zoology (zooloogia) – study of animals.
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