| A | B |
| Ecosystem | a community of living organisms that depend upon each other for survival. |
| Ecological Niche | the place a plant or animal has in it's habitat. |
| Food Chain | the nutrtional relationship between organisms in a community. |
| Biome | a community of plants and animals living together in a particular climate. each of the six biomes is made up of many different ecosystems. |
| Biodiversity | the variety of plant and animal species in an environment. |
| Flora | plants of a given area |
| Fauna | animals of a given area |
| Native Species | plants or animals that occur naturally in an area. |
| Introduced Species | plants or animals that are brought by people on purpose to an area where they are not native. |
| Endemic Species | a plant or animal that is found only in a particular place and nowhere else. |
| Alien Species | plants or animals that do not occur naturally in an area or place and whose presence disrupts the balance of an ecosystem. |
| Invasive Species | plants or animals that do not occur naturally in an area or place and whose presence destroys the balance of an ecosystem. |
| Feral | an adjective describing wild animals that are decended from tame animals. |
| Extinction | the elimiation of species |
| Extinction Rate | the rate or speed at which species become extinct. |
| Leeward | located away from the wind |
| Windward | located in the path of the wind or moving towards the direction from which the wind is blowing. |
| Theory | a general idea that explains facts or events. a ______ is an idea that is the starting point for a scientific investagation. |