| BIODIVERSITY | The variety of plant and animal life in the world or in a particular habitat (12) |
| RAINFOREST | Area of high rainfall with rich variety of plant and animal life (10) |
| BIOTAS | All the plant & animal life in a region have boron traces (6) |
| BORED | Uninterested in the world or in bed (5) |
| ECOTYPE | Distinct species (in a particular habitat) |
| FAUNA | Derived from the name of the sister of a Roman god of forests, a word for the assemblage of all animal life in a particular region or time (5) |
| WHITE | One of the most powerful and dangerous predatory sharks in the world, or the usual colour of natural chalk (5) |
| HUMIC | Of, or relating to, natural organic compounds in the soil, formed from the decomposition of plant and animal residues (5) |
| BIOTA | The plant and animal life of a particular region or period (5) |
| FOSSIL | Prehistoric souvenirs of plant and animal life, permanently set in stone |
| NATURE | Phenomena including plant and animal life as distinct from human creations; unspoiled scenery or countryside; or, course of life (6) |
| ROOF | A thatch; the metaphoric top of the world; or, part of a cave from which a stalactite hangs (4) |
| BIOME | Community of plant and animal life |
| NATURAL | - history; scientific study of plant and animal life (7) |
| HUMUS | Natural organic compounds in the soil, formed from the decomposition of plant and animal residues (5) |
| MTEREBUS | Southernmost active volcano in the world ... or a cryptic hint to certain squares in this puzzle |
| COSMOS | The world or universe; or, a plant with pink or white dahlialike flowers in summer (6) |
| POLE | One of two in the world, or many in Europe (4) |
| VIEW | The range of the eye, as in a large garden perhaps, as well as the variety of daylily: 'Inner'___ (4) |
| LALLANS | Literary version of the variety of English spoken and written in the Lowlands of Scotland (7) |
