Biodiversity (bye-oh-duh-vurs-it-ee)
The rich variety of life on earth: “bio” means “life,” and “diversity” means "variety."

DNA (dee en ay)
The molecule that carries the genetic code that gives living things their special characteristics

Ecosystem (ee-koh-siss-tuhm)
A community of animals and plants interacting with their environment

Extinct (ek-stingkt)
A species of animal or plant that is no longer living

Heredity (her-red-uh-tee)
The passing on of traits from parents to children through the genes

Mutant (myoot-uhnt)
A living thing that has developed a new characteristic different from its parents’ genes. Mutations are rare.

Natural Selection (nach-ur-uhl sul-lek-shuhn)
The process in nature where animals or plants better suited to their environment produce more offspring than less well-adapted plants and animals

Trait (trate)
A quality or characteristic that makes one person or thing different from another

Variation (vair-ee-ay-shuhn)
A difference between individuals of the same species