Prey selection is exhibited by predator populations that kill a prey species disproportionate to its availability, or alternatively, individual predators that select prey disproportionate to the mean selection exhibited by their populations. Prey selection is a simple calculation when one can determine prey availability; however, measuring prey availability is challenging. (L. Mark Elbroch, Patrick E. Lendrum, Hugh Robinson, and Howard B. Quigley. 2016. Population- and individual-level prey selection by a solitary predator as determined with two estimates of prey availability. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 94(4): 275-282. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjz-2015-0092)
Colibacillosis is a disease caused by Escherichia coli in a variety of animals, including humans. (Saravia M, Segovia C, Valderrama K, Santander J (2017) Colibacillosis in a New Zealand white rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). J Infect Dev Ctries 11:203–206. doi: 10.3855/jidc.8807)
A condition produced by dietary or metabolic deficiency. The term includes all diseases caused by an insufficient supply of essential nutrients, i.e., protein (or amino acids), vitamins, and minerals. It also includes an inadequacy of calories. (MeSH. 2025. Deficiency Diseases. https://meshb.nlm.nih.gov/record/ui?ui=D003677)
The organization of an activity around the goal of making a profit. (Elwell, F. 2013. Glossary of Sociology. In Sociocultural Systems. Principles of Structure and Change. https://read.aupress.ca/read/sociocultural-systems-principles-of-structure-and-change/section/b9d25a9e-9550-4871-a7f1-59f5add30d2f)
The term “defoliant” means any substance or mixture of substances intended for causing the leaves or foliage to drop from a plant, with or without causing abscission. (Cornell Law School, 2024. Legal Information Institute. 7 U.S. Code § 136 - Definitions https://www.law.cornell.edu/definitions/uscode.php)
Decline in quality or performance; the process by which the decline is brought about. (NIST. 2025. Degradation https://csrc.nist.gov/glossary/term/degradation)
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Chemical or physical decomposition of a compound, a product or material; for the environment use <34821>
Improved germplasm is any material that has had one or more desirable features introduced into it by scientific selection or intentional crossing. (Yali, Werkissa. (2022). Germplasm, conservation and its potential role in crop improvement. International Research Journal of Natural Sciences. 10. 1-17. 10.37745/irjns.13/vol10n2pp117.)
Dehiscence is the splitting, at maturity, along a built-in line of weakness in a plant structure in order to release its contents, and is common among fruits, anthers and sporangia. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dehiscence_(botany))
Oysters of family Pteriidae (Pinctada spp.) used in pearl culture for the "artificial" production of pearls. Characterized by a shell made of aragonite instead of calcite. (Dictionnaire de l'océan. Index anglais-français, allemand-français, espagnol-français. Paris, Conseil international de la langue française, 1989)
A state in which body tissues do not have enough water to function normally. (Buonfiglio, G. & Lovatelli, A. 2023. A practical guide on safe hookah diving – Diving for sea cucumbers and other marine organisms. Rome, FAO. https://doi.org/10.4060/cc3789en)
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Excessive loss of water due to physiological phenomena; for the process of removing water from materials or products use <2402>
