Useful Vocabulary
adaptation – a trait that allows an organism to better
survive in its environment
example: A bird’s wings are an adaptation that
allow it to fly.
aquatic - living in the water
example: Fish are aquatic animals
biodiversity – the variety of life in an area
example: All the different types of plants, animals,
and microorganisms that live in the Baldwin Hills
make up the area’s biodiversity.
data – observations and measurements that can be
used to help answer a question
example: Measuring the length of different fish might
give you data on how big a fish can grow.
dunes - hills made of sand
example: We saw many different plants growing on
the dunes by the ocean.
dispersal – the movement of animals away from
each other
example: When school is done for the day, all the
students disperse.
flyway – a route usually followed by migrating birds
forage – to search for and eat food
example: When a deer eats leaves off a plant, it is
foraging.
habitat - place where a microorganism, plant or
animal lives
example: Your neighborhood is your habitat
because it provides you with food, water, and
shelter.
hypothesis – an educated guess that might be true
and is testable by observation and experimentation
example: If your hypothesis is that only 5 cookies will
fit in a jar, then you would need to do an experiment
to prove that you are right.
intertidal zone - the area along a shoreline that is
repeatedly covered and uncovered by ocean tides.
example: You can find a variety of birds and
invertebrates using the intertidal zone to find food.
invertebrate – an animal lacking a backbone
example: butterfly, squid, snail
migration – the movement of individuals and even
whole populations
example: Many birds migrate south in the winter.
native – originating, grown, or produced in a
particular region
example: The California quail is native to the state of
California.
observation - to watch carefully, especially with
attention to details or behavior
example: When you watch a bird to see what it eats
and what kind of tree it likes to perch in, you have
made an observation.
organism – any individual living thing
example: a beetle, a hawk, or a tree
population – a group of living things
example: Everyone at your school makes up a
population of students.
predator – an organism that consumes other
organisms
example: A wolf is a predator that eats rabbits.
prey – an individual who is eaten by another
example: A rabbit might be prey to a wolf.
terrestrial – living on the ground
example: Dogs and cats are terrestrial.
vegetation - plant life or total plant cover
example: trees, shrubs, and flowering plants
vertebrate – an animal that has a backbone
example: dog, bird, human, mouse
wrack - seaweed cast up on the sand by the ocean
tides
example: Kelp is a kind of seaweed found in wrack.
wrackline - the area on the beach where the
seaweed is cast up by the tide
example: I saw several birds foraging along the
wrackline.
introduced – any plant or animal that was brought
to an area by humans
example: Ice plant was introduced to the coast of
California.
Snowy Plover Docent Program
Los Angeles Audubon