Endangered species and threatened species are, to many people, just different ways of describing the same thing — plants or animals that are at risk of extinction.
In the New Zealand Threat Classification System, these terms mean two different things.
The term 'Threatened' is used as an umbrella category that group the following four conservation statuses: Threatened - Nationally Critical, Threatened - Nationally Endangered, Threatened - Nationally Vulnerable and Threatened - Nationally Increasing.
The term 'Endangered' is used to name one of specific conservation status: Threatened - Nationally Endangered.
The main difference between these two terms is that migrants come here regularly, while vagrants are when fewer than 15 individuals arrive by chance.
An example of a vagrant is the yellow-bellied sea snake (Hydrophis platurus), which is normally found in warm waters, but will sometimes end up in Aotearoa New Zealand. Or our green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas), which occasionally turns up in the warmer shores of Tasmania. Because neither reptile can adapt to the temperature differences, they are unable to establish a population.
Meanwhile the leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) migrates through Otago each year. Otago waters are full of jellyfish providing a plentiful food source, but the turtles don't breed in New Zealand.
Vascular plants are what you probably think of when someone says "plant". They have a system of tubes which connect all parts of the plant (roots, shoots, and leaves) to transport water and nutrients from one part of the plant to another, much like the circulatory system in humans. The main groups of vascular plants are flowering plants, conifers, ferns, and club mosses.
Non-vascular plants are plants that grow from spores rather than seed, and do not have roots or leaves. They are non-vascular because they don't have the system of tubes to transport water and nutrients. Plants in the algae, lichen and moss families are all non-vascular.
The main difference between these the terms indigenous/native and endemic is that indigenous species occur naturally in a region but are also found elsewhere, while endemic species are unique to one specific location and found nowhere else in the world.
An example of an indigenous species in Otago is the New Zealand falcon (kārearea), which naturally lives in Otago but is also found throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, from forests to mountain ranges. Another example is the pūkeko (Porphyrio melanotus), a bird that thrives in wetlands across New Zealand but is also found in parts of Australia and other Pacific islands. Or Amanita muscaria, the iconic red and white toadstool which is native to temperate forests worldwide, including New Zealand, Europe, and North America.
Meanwhile, the Otago skink (Oligosoma otagense) is endemic to Otago, living only in a few rocky areas of the region. This species cannot be found anywhere else on the planet, making it a true local treasure.