Definitions

We all have to start somewhere, so we might as well start at the basics. Definitions of words used in the scientific world are often very different from their everyday use. So let's start with the basics, the founding blocks of everything we will be talking about, and define these terms that will pop up so often. I will add to this reference definition list as necessary!

Climate Change: The current state of Earth's climate where average yearly mean temperature is increasing, sea levels are rising, and local weather events becomes more severe, frequent, and unpredictable. Often simplified as "global warming" but in reality while the globe is warming, there's also rising sea levels, ocean acidification, melting polar ice caps, and species extinctions to name a few. Historically the world has warmed and cooled many times over, but always naturally and not caused or exacerbated by humans. We are currently in anthropogenic climate change, because human activities are the main factor and source [source].

Conservation Biology: "The management of nature and of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction and the erosion of biotic interactions." [source] I couldn't have said it better myself, though I often refer to it just as "conservation".

Ecology: Wikipedia sums it up nicely - "the branch of biology which studies the interactions among organisms and their environment". [source]

Ecosystem: "...a community made up of living organisms and nonliving components such as air, water, and mineral soil." [source] Example: white-tailed deer, the forest they live in, and the stream that runs through the forest could be an ecosystem.

Eradication: The complete and utter removal of something. In ecology, to eradicate a species means to remove all individuals of that species from a place. Example: Eradicating (removing) all rats from an island.

Erosion: The natural process where material is removed from one place by wind energy, water energy, or another natural activity. Example: Waves lapping against a shoreline, gradually removing soil and moving it elsewhere is a classic example of erosion. This differs from subsidence in that the material is removed, not compacted.

Herbivory: The eating of plants, generally by animals (deer, nutria, etc).

Invasive: In ecology this is a species that is not native to a location, and spreads prolifically while wreaking havoc on the ecosystem.

Native: Belonging to a specific place. Example: Baldcypress trees are native to Louisiana.

Outdoors: The great wide open; anywhere outside; in nature; free from human built confines; and my happy place. I use this term more broadly to mean anywhere in nature and to encompass all natural features - birds, plants, mountains, geological features, basically anything not man-made. There's no doors here and nothing but adventure and love to be had.

Preservation: The process of protecting something in its existing state.

Species: A group of organisms that can interbreed, have the same features, and are distinct from other groups of organisms. Example: Humans (Homo sapiens), or my favorite bird the Swallow-tailed Kite (Elanoides forficatus).

Stewardship: An ethical and actual responsibility to safeguard, protect, and conserve the natural environment and all its pieces.

Subsidence: The natural process where land gradual gradual compacts and/or sinks, decreasing the overall elevation of the surface. This is a common feature and process in wetland landscapes. This differs from erosion in that the material sinks, but is not removed.

Sustainability: The process of maintaining and sustaining a resource at a viable level in such a way that it causes equilibrium between consumption and renewal. Example: Cutting down 10 trees for timber and planting 10 new ones for future use is sustainable because there's no net loss.

Theory: In science, a theory is well tested, repeatedly proven, and one of the most proven of scientific knowledge. Theories are developed and proven after hypothesis testing and repeated experiment. The US National Academy of Sciences defines theory as: "a comprehensive explanation of some aspect of nature that is supported by a vast body of evidence. Many scientific theories are so well established that no new evidence is likely to alter them substantially." [source]