Biodiversity glossary

Definitions of the scientific and conservation terms used across Biosphere.

Adaptation — An inherited characteristic that helps an organism survive and reproduce in its environment — or the evolutionary process that produces…
Amphibian — A cold-blooded vertebrate, such as a frog, toad or salamander, that usually begins life in water and can often live on land as an adult.
Binomial nomenclature — The two-part system for naming species, made of the genus name followed by the species epithet — for example Balaenoptera musculus, the…
Biodiversity — The variety of life at every level — genes, species and ecosystems — in a particular place or across the whole planet.
Biodiversity hotspot — A region with at least 1,500 endemic vascular plant species that has lost at least 70% of its original habitat.
Biome — A large region of the world defined by its climate and its dominant type of vegetation, such as tropical rainforest, desert, savanna or…
BioQuest — Biosphere’s species exploration game: a guided journey, a daily mystery species, four quiz games built from real catalog data, a Field…
Biosphere — All the parts of Earth where life exists — on land, in water and in the air — together with the living things themselves.
Bird — A warm-blooded vertebrate with feathers, a beak and wings, which lays hard-shelled eggs. Most birds can fly, but some, such as penguins…
Camouflage — Colours, patterns or shapes that help an organism blend into its surroundings, making it harder for predators or prey to see.
Carnivore — An animal that feeds mainly on other animals.
Carnivorous plant — A plant that traps and digests insects or other small animals to obtain nutrients, usually because it grows in nutrient-poor soil.
Carrying capacity — The largest population of a species that an environment can support over the long term, given the food, water, space and other resources…
Climate change — Long-term changes in temperatures and weather patterns. Since the 1800s, human activities — mainly burning fossil fuels — have been the…
Conservation — The protection, management and restoration of species, habitats and ecosystems so that they can persist into the future.
Consumer — An organism that gets its energy by eating other organisms. Herbivores, carnivores and omnivores are all consumers.
Coral reef — An underwater structure built over long periods by colonies of tiny animals called coral polyps, which lay down limestone skeletons.
Deciduous — Describes trees and shrubs that shed their leaves every year, usually before a cold or dry season.
Decomposer — An organism, such as a fungus or bacterium, that breaks down dead plants and animals and returns their nutrients to the soil or water.
Ecological niche — The role a species plays in its ecosystem, including what it eats, where it lives and the conditions it needs to survive.
Ecology — The scientific study of how living things interact with each other and with their environment.
Ecosystem — A community of living organisms interacting with each other and with their physical environment, such as water, soil, light and air.
Ecosystem services — The benefits people obtain from ecosystems, such as clean water, pollination of crops, climate regulation and food.
Endangered species — In the IUCN Red List, a species facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild. In everyday language, the term is often used for any…
Endemic species — A species that occurs naturally in only one geographic area, such as a single island, mountain range or lake.
Epiphyte — A plant that grows on another plant, such as a tree, for support, without taking nutrients from it. Many orchids and bromeliads are…
Evolution — Change in the inherited characteristics of populations over successive generations.
Explorer profile — Your Biosphere account page, showing your explorer level, XP, discoveries and achievements.
Extinction — The permanent disappearance of a species. A species is extinct when no individuals remain anywhere.
Fish — A cold-blooded vertebrate that lives in water and breathes mainly through gills. Most fish have fins and scales.
Food chain — A single sequence showing who eats whom, from a producer such as a plant to the animals that eat it and the predators that eat them.
Food web — The network of interconnected food chains in an ecosystem, showing all the feeding relationships between its organisms.
Genetic diversity — The variety of genes within a species or population.
Genus — A rank in biological classification that groups closely related species. It is the first part of a species’ scientific name.
Habitat — The natural environment where a species lives and finds the food, shelter and conditions it needs to survive and reproduce.
Habitat loss — The destruction or degradation of a natural habitat so that it can no longer support the species that lived there.
Herbivore — An animal that feeds mainly on plants, algae or other photosynthetic organisms.
Hibernation — A state of greatly reduced activity, body temperature and metabolism that some animals enter to survive cold seasons when food is scarce.
Insect — An invertebrate with a body divided into three parts (head, thorax and abdomen), six legs and usually one or two pairs of wings as an adult.
Invasive species — A species introduced by people outside its natural range that spreads and causes harm to the environment, the economy or human health.
Invertebrate — An animal without a backbone, such as an insect, spider, snail, octopus or coral. Most animal species are invertebrates.
Juvenile — A young animal that has not yet reached adult size or the ability to reproduce.
Keystone species — A species that has a much larger effect on its ecosystem than its abundance alone would suggest; removing it can change the whole community.
Larva — An early, immature stage in the life of many animals that looks very different from the adult form, such as a caterpillar or a tadpole.
Lichen — A composite organism formed by a fungus living in partnership with algae or cyanobacteria, which make food through photosynthesis.
Mammal — A warm-blooded vertebrate that has hair or fur at some stage of life and feeds its young with milk.
Migration — The regular, often seasonal, movement of animals from one area to another, usually to find food, better conditions or places to breed.
Mutualism — A relationship between two species in which both benefit.
Native species — A species that lives in an area naturally, without having been introduced there by people.
Natural selection — The process by which individuals with inherited traits better suited to their environment tend to survive and reproduce more, so those…
Omnivore — An animal that regularly eats both plants and animals.
Organism — Any individual living thing, such as an animal, plant, fungus or bacterium.
Photosynthesis — The process by which plants, algae and some bacteria use light energy to make sugars from carbon dioxide and water, releasing oxygen.
Pollination — The transfer of pollen from the male part of a flower to the female part, which allows the plant to produce seeds.
Population — A group of individuals of the same species living in the same area at the same time.
Predator — An animal that hunts and eats other animals.
Prey — An animal that is hunted and eaten by another animal.
Producer — An organism that makes its own food, usually through photosynthesis. Plants, algae and some bacteria are producers.
Quadrat — A square frame of a known size, often one metre on each side, placed on the ground to count or estimate the plants and slow-moving animals…
Reintroduction — Releasing a species back into an area where it once lived but had disappeared, with the aim of re-establishing a wild population.
Reptile — A cold-blooded vertebrate with dry, scaly skin, such as a lizard, snake, turtle or crocodile. Most reptiles lay eggs on land.
Species — A group of living organisms that share common characteristics and can usually interbreed to produce fertile offspring.
Species discovery — In Biosphere, adding a species to your personal field journal after learning about it or identifying it in BioQuest.
Symbiosis — A close, long-term relationship between two different species. It can benefit both, benefit one without affecting the other, or benefit…
Taxonomy — The science of naming, describing and classifying organisms into groups such as kingdom, family, genus and species.
Threatened species — In the IUCN Red List, a species assessed as Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable — the categories with a high risk of…
Ungulate — A mammal with hooves, such as a deer, horse, giraffe, antelope or pig.
Vertebrate — An animal with a backbone. Fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals are vertebrates.
Wetland — An area where water covers the soil or keeps it saturated for at least part of the year, such as a marsh, swamp, bog or mangrove.
XP (experience points) — Points that measure your progress in BioQuest and set your explorer level. They are added only when the Biosphere server records the…
Yolk sac — A sac attached to a developing embryo that holds yolk, a store of fats and proteins that nourishes the embryo — and, in many fish, the…
Zoology — The scientific study of animals, including their structure, behavior, evolution, classification and distribution.
Zooplankton — Small animals and animal-like organisms that drift in oceans, lakes and rivers, carried mostly by currents. They include krill, copepods…