8. Glossary

Biodiversité ordinaire; ordinary biodiversity

Biodiversity is the diversity of genes, species or ecosystems and the interrelationships between species and their biotope. For the ecologist, biodiversity therefore completely implies notions of functioning. We call it "ordinary" when it corresponds to the species that surround us and are abundant. Conversely, we speak of "remarkable" or "emblematic" biodiversity when we refer to rare species deemed to be of community interest.

Biotope; biotope

The biotope is a living environment characterized by a set of geographical, climatic, pedological and chemical factors. To sum up, biotope is the set of abiotic (non-living) characteristics of a site, and biocenosis is the set of species living there.

Chaîne alimentaire; food chain

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