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An ongoing current event in which a large number of living species are threatened with extinction or are going extinct because of environmentally destructive human activities. The Earth is presently in the midst of a mass extinction event. In the…

The response of corals to environmental stress in which they eject the single-cell algae that live within the transparent coral tissue, making the white coral skeleton visible. Corals (Fig. 1) are animals that live in a partnership (symbiosis) with…

The requirement of high salt (NaCl) concentrations for growth of microorganisms. Microorganisms (mainly bacteria) can be classified by their physiological tolerance to salt (Fig. 1). Most normal bacteria, such as Escherichia coli, and most…

The study of the establishment, spread, and ecological impact of species translocated from one region or continent to another outside their normal range, particularly when the translocation is the result of human activity (intentional or otherwise).…

A species translocated from one region or continent to another outside its normal range, particularly when the translocation is the result of human activity (intentional or otherwise). Many thousands of species, including animals, plants, fungi,…

A substance that acts as a molecular messenger, transmitting information from one member of a species to another member of the same species. A pheromone is a chemical substance secreted by an individual that influences the behavior of other…

The interrelationships between two animals (most often of unlike species) whereby one acts as a predator that ensnares and eats the other (the prey). Predation occurs when one animal (the predator) kills and then eats another living animal (the…

The common name for a number of fish in the family Salmonidae that live in coastal waters of the North Atlantic and North Pacific and breed in rivers tributary to the oceans. Salmon (Fig. 1) are large, predatory fish belonging to the genera…

A harmonious balance of human needs with resource consumption over an extended period of time. Sustainable development is a closely related term to sustainability, described in the 1987 Brundtland Report—issued by the United Nations (UN) World…