Abiotic factors are the non-living physical and chemical elements, such as temperature, sunlight, and soil composition.

Adaptation is the process of adjusting natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climate impacts, reducing harm or exploiting beneficial opportunities.

Aeration is the exchange of gases between soil and the atmosphere.

Aerosols are tiny solid or liquid particles suspended in the atmosphere.

Aesthetic value refers to the beauty and visual appeal of natural landscapes, which inspire art, photography, and personal reflection.

An age-sex pyramid visually represents the composition of a population by age groups and gender.

Albedo refers to how much solar energy is reflected by the Earth's surface.

The appeal to nature fallacy is the assumption that because something is "natural," it must be inherently good or correct, and if something is "unnatural," it must be bad or wrong.

Aquaculture is the controlled farming of aquatic organisms like salmon, tilapia, catfish, oysters and mussels.

Artificial selection, unlike natural selection, is a human-driven process in which specific traits are chosen for breeding in plants and animals.

Autotrophs are organisms that can synthesize their own food from inorganic sources of carbon (typically carbon dioxide, CO₂) and other essential elements.

Bioaccumulation refers to the process by which the concentration of non-biodegradable pollutants increases in an organism over time.

Biocapacity refers to the ability of a biologically productive area (such as forests, croplands, and fisheries) to regenerate renewable resources (e.g., food, water, timber, and fiber) and absorb waste (e.g., CO₂ absorption by forests).

Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) is a key water quality parameter that measures the amount of dissolved oxygen required by microorganisms to break down organic material in water.

Biodegradability refers to the ability of a substance to be broken down into simpler, harmless substances by natural processes, typically through the action of microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, etc.).

Biodiversity refers to the variety of life in an ecosystem, encompassing different levels of biological organization.

Biogeochemical cycles are the natural pathways through which essential elements like carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus circulate between the biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) components of Earth.

Biological mixing is the movement of soil particles and organic matter by organisms.

Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) measures the amount of dissolved oxygen required by microorganisms to decompose organic matter in water.

Biomagnification refers to the process by which the concentration of non-biodegradable pollutants increases as you move up trophic levels in a food chain or food web.

Biomass is the total mass of living organisms in a given area or volume.

Dry mass is the mass of an organism after all water has been removed.

A biome is a group of ecosystems that share similar climatic conditions, regardless of their geographic location.

The biosphere is the global ecological system that includes all living organisms and their interactions with the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere.

Biotic factors are the living components of an ecosystem, such as plants, animals, and microorganisms, as well as their interactions.

A bromeliad is a type of tropical plant belonging to the Bromeliaceae family, which includes over 3,000 species.

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is a technology that captures CO₂ emissions from industrial processes or power plants and stores it underground in geological formations, such as depleted oil and gas fields or deep saline aquifers.

Carbon neutrality (or climate neutrality) refers to achieving a net-zero carbon footprint by balancing the amount of carbon dioxide emitted with the amount removed from the atmosphere, typically through carbon offset initiatives like reforestation or carbon capture and storage.

Carbon sequestration is the process of capturing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) and storing it in solid or liquid form.

A carbon tax is a financial charge placed on the carbon content of fuels, encouraging businesses and individuals to reduce their carbon footprint.

Carnivores are secondary or tertiary consumers that feed on other animals.

Carrying capacity is the maximum number of individuals of a species that an environment can sustainably support over time.

Cellular respiration is the process by which organisms break down glucose (a type of sugar) into energy that can be used by cells to carry out various active processes.

Chemoautotrophs are organisms that use inorganic chemical reactions to obtain energy, typically through exothermic reactions, to drive the process of chemosynthesis.

The circular economy is an economic model that decouples economic growth from resource consumption by keeping materials, products, and resources in use for as long as possible.

Citizen science is the involvement of the general public in scientific research, particularly in collecting, analyzing, and reporting data on environmental systems.

A clade is a group of organisms that includes a common ancestor and all its descendants.

Cladistics is a method of classification based on evolutionary history rather than just physical similarities.

Classification is the systematic arrangement of organisms into groups based on shared characteristics.

Climate describes the average weather conditions in a region over a long period, typically 30 years or more.

Closed systems are systems that exchange energy but not matter with their surroundings.

A community is different populations living together and interacting.

Consequentialist ethics is a moral theory that judges the morality of an action based solely on its consequences.

Consumers are organisms that obtain chemical energy by consuming other organisms or organic material.

Cultural value encompasses the tangible and intangible aspects of nature that shape traditions, languages, and knowledge systems.

Decarbonization refers to the process of reducing or eliminating carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from energy production, transportation, industry, and other sectors.

Decomposers, such as fungi and bacteria, are organisms that break down organic matter into simpler substances.

Decomposition is the breakdown of organic nitrogen in dead organisms and waste products into ammonium (NH₄⁺).

Denitrification is the conversion of nitrates (NO₃⁻) back into nitrogen gas (N₂), which is released into the atmosphere.

Density-dependent factors are biotic elements that intensify as population density increases.

The dependency ratio is a measure of the proportion of dependents (people under 15 and over 64) to the working-age population (15–64 years). It is calculated as:

Desalination is the process of removing salt and other impurities from seawater to produce freshwater.

Detritivores are organisms that feed on dead organic matter, such as decaying plants and animals.

The Dichotomous Key is a step-by-step decision-making tool that helps classify an organism based on observable characteristics.

Dissolved Oxygen is the amount of oxygen dissolved in water, essential for aquatic organisms.

The Doughnut Economics model, proposed by economist Kate Raworth, offers a framework to address these challenges by balancing human needs with planetary boundaries.

Eco-economic decoupling refers to the process of separating economic growth from environmental degradation.

Ecological economics is an interdisciplinary field that studies the relationship between economic systems and the environment, recognizing that the economy operates within the Earth's ecological limits.

Ecological efficiency refers to the percentage of energy that is transferred from one trophic level to the next in an ecosystem.

An ecological footprint is the measure of the amount of land and water area required to provide all resources a population consumes and absorb waste and emissions (e.g., CO₂ absorption by forests)

An ecological niche is the unique set of abiotic and biotic conditions and resources that a species requires to survive, grow, and reproduce.

Ecological pyramids are graphical representations used to show the relative numbers, biomass, or energy at different trophic levels in an ecosystem.

Economic growth refers to the increase in the total market value of goods and services produced in a country over time.

Economic sustainability refers to the development of economic structures and systems that allow for the long-term production and consumption of goods and services in a way that meets human needs without depleting natural resources or causing irreversible environmental damage.

Economic value refers to the monetary worth of natural resources and the ecosystem services they provide.

Economics is the study of how humans produce, distribute, and consume goods and services, both at an individual and collective level.

Ecosystem is a geographic area where plants, animals and other organisms, as well as weather and landscape, work together to form a bubble of life

Ecosystem resilience refers to an ecosystem’s ability to recover from disturbances and return to its original state or adapt to a new equilibrium.

Ecosystem services or intangible natural capital are nature’s "free services" that support life and human well-being.

The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle is a natural climate phenomenon characterized by fluctuations in wind patterns and sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the tropical Pacific Ocean.

Emergent properties are characteristics or behaviors that arise when individual components interact but are not present in the components themselves.

Energy security refers to a country’s ability to access affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy sources without major disruptions.

Entropy refers to the measure of disorder or randomness within a system. Systems in nature tend to move towards greater disorder unless energy is added to maintain organization.

Environmental accounting (also called green accounting) is the process of assigning economic value to natural resources, environmental degradation, and ecosystem services.

Environmental constitutionalism refers to the integration of environmental rights, responsibilities, and protections into a nation's constitution.

Environmental ethics is a branch of ethical philosophy that deals with the moral relationship between humans and the environment.

An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a critical tool for ensuring that development projects are sustainable and that their potential environmental, social, and economic impacts are fully considered before they are approved and implemented.

Environmental justice is the principle that all people, regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic status, or nationality, have the right to live in a clean, healthy environment and have fair access to natural resources.

Environmental migration refers to the movement of people caused by changes in the environment, which can be either sudden or gradual.

Environmental sustainability refers to the use and management of natural resources in a way that ensures they can be replenished, and ecosystems can recover and regenerate over time.

An environmental value system (EVS) is a framework that shapes how individuals or groups perceive and respond to environmental issues.

Equilibrium refers to a state of balance within a system.

Erosion is the removal of soil particles by wind or water.

Ethics is a branch of philosophy that examines moral principles and determines what behaviors are right or wrong.

Eutrophication is a process where excess nutrients—primarily nitrates and phosphates—enter aquatic ecosystems, triggering a cascade of ecological changes.

Eutrophication is a process where excess nutrients, primarily nitrates and phosphates, enter aquatic ecosystems, triggering a cascade of ecological changes.

Evolution is the cumulative change in the heritable characteristics of a population over generations.

Flows are the processes that move energy, matter, or information within a system.

A food chain is a linear sequence that shows how organic matter and energy flow from one organism to another.

Food security is defined as the physical and economic availability of food, ensuring all individuals can access the balanced diet necessary for a healthy and active life.

Food webs are networks of interconnected food chains that show how energy and matter flow through an ecosystem.

Fossils are preserved remains, traces, or imprints of ancient organisms found in sedimentary rocks.

The fundamental niche is the full range of conditions and resources a species could theoretically use if there were no competition, predators, or other limiting factors.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is a common indicator of economic development that measures the monetary value of all final goods and services produced within a country over a specific period.

Genetic diversity is the variety of genes within a species, allowing for adaptation to environmental changes.

Green architecture refers to the design, construction, and operation of buildings in an environmentally responsible and resource-efficient manner throughout their life cycle.

Green GDP is a measure of economic development that adjusts traditional GDP by subtracting environmental costs, such as deforestation and air pollution.

Greenwashing (or "green sheen") refers to misleading marketing strategies used by companies to appear more environmentally friendly than they actually are.

Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given time period (usually a year).

Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) refers to the total amount of energy captured by producers (typically plants and algae) through photosynthesis.

Gross Productivity (GP) refers to the total amount of biomass produced by an organism or a trophic level over a given period of time.

Groundwater flow is the horizontal movement of water through saturated soil or rock layers.

A habitat is the physical location where a species lives and interacts with its environment.

Habitat diversity is the range of different habitats present in an ecosystem or within a geographical area.

Half-life is a scientific term used to describe the time it takes for half of a given quantity of a substance to degrade or transform into another substance.

Health value refers to the benefits nature provides for human health, both physically and mentally.

Herbivores are animals that feed primarily on plants or algae.

Heterotrophs are organisms that cannot synthesize their own food. Instead, they obtain carbon compounds (such as glucose, proteins, and lipids) by consuming other organisms—either autotrophs (plants and algae) or other heterotrophs (animals, fungi, etc.).

Humus is a dark, crumbly substance that retains waterand nutrients, improving soil fertility.

Identification in taxonomy means determining the species of an individual organism using various tools and methods.

Indicator species are organisms whose presence, absence, or abundance provides information about environmental conditions, particularly pollution levels.

An individual is a single organism, such as a lion, a pine tree, or a bacterium.

Infiltration is the process by which water enters the soil from the surface.

Intrinsic value refers to the worth of something independent of its usefulness to humans.

Instrumental value refers to the usefulness of an entity for humans. This value is based on how nature benefits humans directly or indirectly.

Invasive alien species are non-native organisms that, when introduced to a new ecosystem, can cause significant harm to local biodiversity.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is the global authority on the conservation status of species.

Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) are sites that have been prioritized for conservation due to their exceptional ecological value.

A keystone species is an organism that has a disproportionately large impact on its ecosystem relative to its population size.

A kite diagram is a graphical representation of species distribution along a transect.

Laws are rules that govern human behavior and are enforced by social or governmental authority.

Leaching is the downward movement of dissolved minerals and nutrients through the soil.

Legal personhood refers to the capacity to have legal rights, to sue, and to be sued in a court of law.

Limiting factors are conditions that restrict population growth.

The Lincoln Index is a mathematical formula used to estimate the size of a population based on a capture-mark-release-recapture method.

Macrophytes are large aquatic plants visible to the naked eye.

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are designated regions of the ocean where human activities, such as fishing and resource extraction, are restricted or prohibited to conserve marine ecosystems and biodiversity.

Mass extinctions are catastrophic events that lead to the widespread loss of species, dramatically reshaping ecosystems.

Maximum sustainable yield (MSY) is the largest amount of biomass that can be harvested from an ecosystem without depleting its resources, ensuring long-term sustainability.

The Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) is the highest possible annual catch that can be harvested indefinitely without depleting a fish population.

Methane clathrates are ice-like structures that trap methane molecules within a lattice of water molecules.

Microplastics are small plastic particles, typically less than 5 millimeters in diameter, that result from the breakdown of larger plastic waste or are intentionally manufactured at that size.

A model is a simplified representation of reality used to understand how a system works and predict how it will respond to change.

Moral standing refers to the idea that an entity (whether living or non-living) has moral significance and should be considered when making decisions about how we interact with it.

A mutation is a random change in DNA that introduces new genetic variants (alleles).

A mutualistic nitrogen-fixing relationship is a symbiotic interaction between plants and nitrogen-fixing bacteria, where both organisms benefit.

Natural capital refers to the total stock of natural resources (both renewable and non-renewable) that provide ecosystem services benefiting humans and the environment.

Natural resources are materials and energy sources found in nature that humans use to meet their needs.

Natural selection is the process by which populations evolve over generations due to genetic variation, competition, and differential survival and reproduction.

Natural selection is the primary mechanism behind evolutionary change, shaping species over time and leading to the incredible biodiversity we see on Earth today.

Negative feedback loops are processes where the output of a system acts to reduce or reverse changes, helping the system maintain stability.

Net Primary Productivity (NPP) refers to the amount of carbon that is captured by plants through photosynthesis and is available for growth and reproduction after subtracting the energy used by the plants for cellular respiration.

Net Productivity (NP) is the amount of biomass remaining after the losses due to cellular respiration have been subtracted from the gross productivity.

A niche describes the role of a species in its environment, including how it interacts with biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) factors.

Nitrification is the conversion of ammonia (NH₃) to nitrates (NO₃⁻).

Nitrogen fixation is the conversion of nitrogen gas (N₂) from the atmosphere into ammonia (NH₃).

$NO_x$ refers to a group of gases consisting of nitrogen dioxide ($NO_2$) and nitric oxide ($NO$).

Non-commercial cropping refers to farming practices that are not focused on profit but on self-sufficiency and local community needs.

Non-renewable natural capital is a resource that exists in finite amounts and cannot be replenished within a human lifespan.

Nutrient cycling is the movement of nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon through the soil, plants, and atmosphere.

Nutrient loading refers to the addition of nutrients (natural or human-induced) into a water body, affecting productivity.

Ocean acidification is the process by which the ocean becomes more acidic due to increased levels of dissolved carbon dioxide.

Omnivores consume both plants and animals, allowing them to occupy multiple trophic levels.

Open systems are systems that exchange both energy and matter with their surroundings.

The Passive House (Passivhaus) concept is an architectural approach that significantly reduces energy consumption for heating and cooling by maximizing natural insulation, ventilation, and solar gain.

Percentage frequency measures how often a species appears in the sampled quadrats.

Percolation is the downward movement of water through soil layers.

Permaculture is a holistic farming system designed to mimic natural ecosystems.

A perspective is how a situation is viewed and understood by an individual.

pH measures hydrogen ion concentration, influencing chemical reactions in water.

Photoautotrophs are organisms that use light as their external energy source to synthesize carbon compounds (e.g., glucose) through the process of photosynthesis.

Photochemical smog is a type of air pollution that forms when primary pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), undergo chemical reactions in the presence of sunlight, resulting in the creation of harmful secondary pollutants like peroxyacyl nitrates (PANs) and tropospheric ozone.

Phytoplankton are microscopic organisms capable of photosynthesis

Plagiomax is an ecosystem that is arrested in an earlier stage of succession due to human interference.

A population is a group of individuals of the same species in an area.

Population distribution refers to how individuals of a species are spread across their habitat.

Population momentum refers to continued population growth even if the fertility rate declines.

Positive feedback loops are processes that exacerbate the effects of a small disturbance.

Primary productivity refers to the rate at which energy is converted by primary producers (autotrophs like plants, algae, and photosynthetic bacteria) into biomass using external energy sources (such as sunlight or chemicals) and inorganic sources of carbon (typically CO₂) and other elements (like nitrogen, phosphorus, and water).

Primary productivity refers to the rate at which phytoplankton and aquatic plants convert sunlight and nutrients into organic matter through photosynthesis.

Producers, also known as autotrophs, are organisms that can produce their own food using photosynthesis (or chemosynthesis in some cases).

Pumped hydroelectric storage is a method used to store energy by moving water between two reservoirs at different elevations.

A rainforest is a dense, lush forest characterized by high rainfall (typically over 2,000 mm per year) and rich biodiversity.

A realized niche is the actual conditions in which a species exists due to competition, predation, and environmental constraints.

Renewable natural capital is a resource that regenerates naturally over time and provides ongoing benefits.

Residence time is the average duration that a carbon atom remains in a particular store before moving to another part of the carbon cycle.

Resilience is a system’s ability to resist disturbances, recover, and maintain stability instead of reaching a tipping point that leads to a new equilibrium.

Resource security refers to the availability of natural resources in sufficient quantities to meet the needs of a population while ensuring long-term sustainability.

Rewilding is a conservation strategy aimed at restoring natural processes and ecosystem functions by reducing human intervention and allowing nature to regenerate.

Rights-based ethics (also known as deontological ethics) evaluates morality based on whether an action respects the rights of individuals or entities, rather than its consequences.

Rural–urban migration is the movement of people from rural areas (countryside) to urban areas (cities and towns) in search of better opportunities.

The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that in any energy transformation, some of the energy is lost as heat and becomes less available to do useful work.

Secondary productivity refers to the gain in biomass by consumers (such as herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores) through the assimilation of carbon compounds from the food they ingest.

A seral community (sere) is a stage in the process of succession, where one community modifies the environment, making it more suitable for the next community.

Simpson’s Reciprocal Index (D) is a quantitative measure of species diversity, used to: compare biodiversity between different ecosystems, monitor changes in biodiversity over time within a specific area and assess ecosystem health,

A sink is a location in an ecosystem where a chemical element is accumulated or stored over time, leading to a net increase in that element in that location.

Social mix refers to creating urban areas where people from different social, economic, and cultural backgrounds live and interact.

Social sustainability refers to the development and maintenance of structures and systems that support human well-being, ensuring that societies remain stable, inclusive, and resilient over time.

Soil is a dynamic system that interacts with the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and lithosphere.

A soil profile is a vertical section of soil that reveals distinct horizons, each formed by long-term interactions of organic and inorganic materials.

Soil texture refers to the proportion of sand, silt, and clay in the soil.

Soil texture refers to the relative proportions of sand, silt, clay, and humus in a soil sample.

Solar Radiation Management (SRM) is a form of geoengineering designed to reflect sunlight away from the Earth to reduce warming.

Solid Domestic Waste (SDW) refers to non-liquid waste generated from households and residential areas.

A source is a location or process in which a chemical element is released into the environment, leading to a net increase in the amount of the element in the atmosphere or other parts of the ecosystem.

Density is the number of individuals per unit area.

Speciation is the process by which new species evolve from an existing population due to isolation and adaptation.

A species is a group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring under natural conditions.

Abundance refers to the total number of individuals of a species within a quadrat.

Species diversity is the variety of species in an ecosystem, including both species richness (the number of species) and species evenness (the relative abundance of each species).

Species evenness is the relative abundance of each species in a community.

Species richness is the total number of different species present in a community.

Stability is the ability of an ecosystem to maintain structure and function over time, even in the face of stress or disturbances.

The standard lapse rate refers to the rate of temperature decrease with height.

Stores are components in the ecosystem where elements are held for relatively long periods.

Stratification is a common phenomenon in aquatic ecosystems, where water forms distinct layers due to differences in temperature and density.

A strong sustainability model is a sustainability model that depicts the environment as a foundation that supports both society and the economy.

Suburbanization is the movement of people from dense urban centers to lower-density areas on the outskirts of cities, known as suburbs.

Succession is the gradual process of change in ecosystems, where one community replaces another due to shifts in biotic and abiotic conditions.

Sustainability refers to practices that ensure the long-term viability of a system.

Sustainability indicators are quantitative measures that help us assess the health and viability of systems across environmental, social, and economic dimensions.

Sustainability models are simplified representations of reality that help us understand how environmental, social, and economic factors interact in sustainable development.

Sustainable development refers to meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

The sustainable yield is the maximum amount of water that can be withdrawn from the system without reducing its capacity to regenerate.

A system is a set of interacting or interdependent components that work together to form a functional whole.

A systems approach is a way of looking at complex situations by focusing on the interactions and interdependencies between different components within a system.

A system diagram is a visual representation that shows how different components of a system interact with each other.

Technological value refers to the potential of natural resources to inspire innovations and advancements.

The Haber process is an industrial method used to produce ammonia (NH₃) from atmospheric nitrogen (N₂) and hydrogen (H₂).

A tipping point is a critical threshold where small changes trigger dramatic, often irreversible shifts in an ecosystem.

A tipping point is the minimum change in a system that destabilizes it and shifts the regime to a new equilibrium or stable state.

The tragedy of the commons is a concept that describes the overexploitation of shared resources due to the tension between individual self-interest and the collective good of sustainable management.

A transect is a straight line or path across an environmental gradient along which samples are taken at regular intervals.

Transfers involve the movement of matter or energy from one place to another without changing its form.

Transformations involve a change in the chemical nature, state, or energy type of matter or energy.

The tricellular model of atmospheric circulation explains the global movement of air and how it influences temperature, precipitation, and the distribution of biomes.

Tropical cyclones are rapidly rotating storm systems that develop over warm ocean waters in the tropics.

Turbidity measures water transparency based on suspended particles (sediments, plankton, pollutants).

The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is a comprehensive international treaty that governs the use and management of the world's oceans.

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of 17 global goals established in 2015 to address social, economic, and environmental challenges by 2030.

Upwelling refers to the vertical movement of deep, cold, nutrient-rich water to the surface due to the displacement of surface waters by wind.

An urban area is a built-up region characterized by high population density, extensive infrastructure, and concentrated human activities.

Urban planning is the process of designing and managing land use in cities and towns to ensure they meet the needs of their populations while promoting sustainable development.

Urbanization refers to the population shift from rural to urban areas, leading to an increase in the proportion of people living in cities and towns.

Values are qualities, principles, or standards that individuals and communities consider important in life.

Values surveys are structured questionnaires designed to explore the beliefs, priorities, and attitudes of individuals or groups.

Virtue ethics is an ethical theory that emphasizes the character and moral virtues of the individual making the decision, rather than focusing on the consequences of their actions or their adherence to specific rules.

VOCs are a diverse group of organic chemicals that easily vaporize into the atmosphere.

A water footprint refers to the total volume of freshwater used to produce goods and services consumed by an individual, community, or nation.

Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies by harmful substances, making them unsafe for humans, wildlife, and ecosystems.

Water quality is a measure of the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of water, determining its suitability for human consumption, agriculture, industry, and aquatic ecosystems.

The water quality index is a weighted average of different water quality parameters.

Water scarcity refers to the limited availability of water to meet the needs of human societies.

Water security is the availability of an adequate quantity and quality of water to meet the needs of people and ecosystems.

Water stress is defined as a situation in which the clean, accessible water supply falls below 1,700 cubic meters per year per capita.

A weak sustainability model is a sustainability model that shows overlapping relationships between the three pillars—environment, society, and economy.

Weather refers to the temporary state of the atmosphere in a specific place and time.

Weathering is the process of breaking down rocks and minerals into smaller particles, forming the inorganic component of soil.

A worldview is a shared framework of beliefs, values, and assumptions that shapes how a group of people understands and interacts with the world.

Zero tillage (or no-till farming) is a method of farming where the soil is left undisturbed, except for minimal planting.

Zonation refers to the gradual change in species composition along an environmental gradient.