Ecosystem - A functional unit that consists of all the living organisms in a particular area, as well as the nonliving, physical components in the environment—such as air, soil, water, and sunlight—with which the organisms interact, and how natural and human-made changes affect these interactions.⏎
Climate Change - The process of shifting from one prevailing state in regional or global climate to another. Climate change is typically the preferred term over “global warming” because it helps to convey that the characteristics of climate change are not limited to rising temperatures.⏎
Egg Cell - The female gamete, or sex cell, which carries the hereditary material of the female parent and unites with the male sperm cell during sexual reproduction.⏎
Cytokine - A type of protein secreted by cells in the immune system that carries signals that facilitate cell-to-cell communication and help regulate the way the immune system responds to inflammation and infection.⏎
Gene - The physical and functional unit of heredity made up of DNA. Every individual has two copies of each gene, one inherited from the mother and the other from the father.⏎