Ecology

Definition of reservoir

Reservoir is a term that has multiple uses. Originating from the French word réservoire or the English reservoir, the word is used in the field of biology (epidemiology) to refer to the set of living organisms that chronically possess the germ of a certain disease. The so-called natural reservoir, therefore, […]

Definition of solid waste

A waste is a material that is discarded after it has performed a job or fulfilled its mission. It is, therefore, something useless that becomes garbage and that, for ordinary people, has no economic value. Waste can be disposed of (when destined for landfills or […]

Definition of reserve

Reserve is the custody or custody that is made of something with the intention that it serve its time. A reserve, then, is something that is taken care of or preserved so that it can be used in the future or in case of some contingency. For example: «Luckily we had some money in reserve, […]

Definition of hazardous waste

A hazardous waste is a waste with intrinsic properties that put people's health at risk or that can cause damage to the environment. Some of these properties are the following: flammability, toxicity, corrosivity, reactivity and radioactivity. A waste is a waste produced by man or […]

Definition of residue

The word residue (originating in the Latin residŭum) describes material that loses usefulness after having fulfilled its mission or served to carry out a certain job. The concept is used as a synonym for garbage because it refers to the waste that man has produced. For example: «We ask tourists to […]

Definition of steppe

The stage is the biome of herbaceous vegetation that includes a flat and extensive territory. This biome is common in territories with an arid continental climate with little rainfall (less than 500 millimeters annually) and a wide thermal variation between summer and winter. In the steppe, bushes and low grasses abound […]

Definition of desert

From the Latin desertus, desert is an unpopulated and uninhabited place. The concept can be used in a strict and literal sense (when, in reality, there is no person in a geographical space) or in a symbolic way, to refer to the low attendance at an event, or to the fact that in a given place there are fewer people than expected. […]

Definition of dam

A dam is a work carried out to contain or regulate the flow of water. The concept, coming from the Latin repressus, is used to name the place where the waters are stopped, whether artificially or naturally. The dam or dam consists of a barrier of concrete, stone or other […]

Definition of prey

Prey is a term that refers to actions linked to grabbing, grasping or holding something. The term is also used to name what was captured, according to the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE). For biology and ecology, a prey is an animal species that can be hunted or […]

Definition of conservation

From the Latin conservatĭo, conservation is the action and effect of conserving (maintaining, caring for or saving something, continuing a customary practice). The term has applications in the field of nature, food and biology, among others. Environmental conservation or conservation of species, for example, refers to the protection of […]