Aggressive species: Any species, native or non-native, that spread quckly and out-compete other species, often due to human disruption of an ecosystem.
Carnivore: An organism that primarily eats animal flesh. Carnivores can be almost exclusively meat-eaters, such as members of the cat family, or can eat predominantly meat but supplement their diets with non-flesh foods, such as bears eating honey and berries.
Consumer: An organism that must eat other organisms because it cannot create its own food. Also known as a predator.
Cosmopolitan: An organism whose range is widespread across the planet where there are appropriate habitats for it. Domesticated animals such as cattle, swine, horses, dogs, and cats are cosmopolitan.
Cryptogenic: Refers to a species that is so entrenched for so long in its ecosystem that no one knows if it was native or introduced--species that have no clear or known place of origin.
Decomposer: An organism that breaks down dead matter (plant and/or animal) into smaller particles and new compounds in ways that recycle the dead matter into materials that can be consumed by producers again. Decomposers help to clean up organic waste in an ecosystem so that the system isn't overwhelmed by biological "trash".
Endemic: A plant or animal species found only in its native range.
Extirpated: A species that has become extinct in a particular area (often part of its native range) but continues to exist outside of that area. Gray wolves were once native to Indiana but were hunted to extinction in the state; they are now considered extirpated in Indiana, but can still be found in other areas of the world.
Herbivore: An organism that feeds primarily or exclusively upon plants.
Indigenous: Organisms that are native to a specific area or geographic location. Organisms can be indigenous in one area but introduced into another. For this project, an indigenous animal must be native to Indiana.
Insectivore: An animal that eats primarily or exclusively insects and other invertebrates.
Invasive species: An organism that is introduced into an ecosystem and flourishes to the point of taking over the ecosystem from the native species if left unchecked. Invasive species can out-compete native species and hoard resources to the point where they can alter the habitat completely.
Native: A species found within a certain ecosystem due to a natural process or distribution and not because of human intervention.
Non-native: A species that was introduced to an ecosystem, either accidentally or purposefully, by human intervention. Non-natives can be invasive, but not all are.
Pollinator: An organism that helps to spread pollen from the male parts of a plant to the female parts of a plant, thus aiding in plant reproduction. Pollinators may take pollen from one flower on a plant to another on the same plant, but more often spread the pollen to other plants, thus allowing for cross-pollination within species.
Prey: An organism that is hunted or killed by another organism (predator) for food. This sometimes includes other predators that are lower on the food chain.
Producer: An organism that creates its own food and energy, sometimes called an autotroph. Producers are the start of any food chain or web, as all other classes of organisms depend on them in one way or another.
Trophic level: The position an organism occupies on the food chain. There are five levels starting with producers:
1. Producers
2. Primary consumers (those that eat the producers)
3. Secondary consumers (those that eat the primary consumers)
4. Tertiary consumers (those that eat secondary consumers)
5. Decomposers (those that break down dead matter)
Naturalized: Species that are non-native but adapt well to an ecosystem or habitat outside of their native area, reproducing for several generations until they become common to that area.
Nativar: A native plant species that has been cultivated by humans specifically for use in landscaping.