Key+Terms

Home **Key Terms and Meanings ** **Do you understand what it is you need to research? ** 

These words will help you to understand information about the Murray-Darling Basin.

They will also help you locate information;


 * on the inquiry terminals in the library.
 * in non-fiction books.
 * on the World Wide Web.

__**Aboriginal:**__ Used as an adjective in refernece to the original inhabitants of Australia. The term may be associated with people, points of view, cultures and communities. The term should always commence with a capital when referring to Aboriginal peoples within Australia.

__**Basin:**__ A topographic region in which all water drains to a common area **__Bio-diversity:__** "Biological diversity is the variety of all life forms - the different plants, animals and micro organisms, the genes they contain, and the ecosystems of which they form a part" (Commonwealth of Australia 1996) Usually three levels of biodiversity are considered - genetic, species and ecosystem diversity. **Genetic diversity** refers to the genetic information contained in the genes of all living things. **Species diversity** refers to the variety of all species of organisms. **Ecosystem diversity** is the variety of habitats, living communities and ecological processes. __**Catchment:**__ The area of land from which rainwater or snow melt drains into a reservoir, pond, lake, river or stream. __**Dreaming:**__ The Dreaming is a term used by Aborigines to describe the relations and balance between the spiritual, natural and moral elements of the world. __**Eco-system:**__ A complex and self-sustaining natural system where there are dynamic interactions between the living organisms, and between the community of living organisms and their non-living environment. Australia has a wide range of ecosystems such as rainforests, wetlands, grasslands, deserts, seas and estuarine ecosystems. Each has its own special characteristic species and physical environment. Each ecosystem may contain a range of terrestrial and aquatic habitats. __**Endangered:**__ An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__Environment:__** May refer to, **Natural environment**, all living and non-living things that occur naturally on Earth. **Built environment**, constructed surroundings that provide the setting for human activity, ranging from the large-scale civic surroundings to the personal places. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">__**Habitat:**__ The environment where an organism (plant, animal or micro-organism) lives for all or part of its life. It includes the territory needed to find food, water and shelter, and to reproduce. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">__**Murray-Darling Basin:**__ Is a geographical area in the interior of Southeastern Australia, which spans parts of the states of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">__**Regeneration:**__ Recovery of natural flora and fauna following degradation such as land clearing or disturbance such as fire. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">__**River:**__ Is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing toward an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">__**Topograph:**__ Is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those of planets, moons, and asteroids. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">__**Tributaries:**__ Is a stream or river which flows into a main stem (or parent) river. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea, ocean, or lake. Tributaries and the mainstem river serve to drain the surrounding drainage basin of its surface water and groundwater by leading the water out into an ocean or some other large body of water. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">__**Wetlands:**__ Is an area of land whose soil is saturated with moisture either permanently or seasonally. Such areas may also be covered partially or completely by shallow pools of water. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Next Page - Library Resources