Where an individual, population, or species exists or can exist. For example, the habitat of the Joshua tree is the Mojave Desert of Southern California.
biological diversity
Used loosely to mean the variety of life on Earth, but scientifically typically has 3 components: 1)genetic diversity; 2)species diversity; 3)habitat or ecosystem diversity. See the text for additional information.
migration
The movement of an individual, population, or species from one habitat to another or more simply from one geographic area to another.
obligate symbionts
A symbiotic relationship between two organisms in which neither by themselves can exist without the other.
mutation
Stated most simply, a chemical change in a DNA molecule. It means that the DNA carries a different message than it did before, and this change can affect the expressed characteristics when cells or individual organisms reproduce.
symbiont
Each partner in symbiosis.
biological evolution
The change in inherited characteristics of a population from generation to generation, which can result in new species.
symbiosis
An interaction between individuals of 2 different species that benifits both. For example, lichens contain an alga and a fungus that require each other to persist.
natural selection
A process by which organisms whose biological characteristics better fit them to the environment are represented by more decendants in future generation than those whose characteristics are less fit for the environment.
gene
A single unit of genetic information comprised of a complex segment of the four DNA base-pair compounds.
