| A | B |
|---|
| Ecosystem | All the organisms living together in an area with their physical environment. |
| Biotic factor | The living components of an ecosystem |
| Abiotic factor | The non-living components of an ecosystem (minerals, water, atmosphere, energy) |
| Organism | An individual living thing. |
| Species | A group of organisms that are so similar that they can produce viable offspring. |
| Population | All of the members of a species in a particular area (valley, etc.). |
| Community | All living organisms that interact in a particular geographical region. |
| Habitat | The place where an organism prefers to live. |
| Natural selection | The natural process by which certain individuals have greater survivability and reproduction based on specific physical traits or behaviors. |
| Evolution | A change in the genetic characteristics of a population from one generation to the next (usually driven by environmental pressure). |
| Adaptation | An inherited trait that increases an individual’s chance of survival and reproduction in a certain environment. |
| Artificial selection | The selective breeding or preservation of certain individuals based on traits desirable to humans. |
| Resistance | The ability of an organism to tolerate certain conditions or substances that kill other similar organisms. |
| Bacteria | Microscopic single celled organisms capable of living in a variety of conditions (some very harsh). They are able to reproduce asexually and may be autotrophic or heterotrophic. |
| Fungus | Organisms that may be single celled or multicellular heterotrophs. These organisms are saprophytic decomposers. |
| Protist | A diverse group of organisms that may be single celled or muliticellular, many are photosynthetic and aquatic. |
| Gymnosperms | Woody non-flowering plants. An example is a pine tree. |
| Angiosperms | Modern flowering and fruit bearing plants. |
| Invertebrates | Animals lacking backbones. Many of these animals live attached to hard surfaces or have protective coverings. |
| Vertebrates | Animals having backbones- including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, etc. |
