In this task, you are given two sentences in the English language (Sentence 1 and Sentence 2). Your task is to identify the connecting word between the two sentences.
Q: Sentence 1:Thus , plants found in these environments have the adaptive ability to grow , despite these conditions . Sentence 2:Furthermore , such an extreme environment facilitates the high rate of endemism found , as few species are able to dominate a serpentine plant community .
A:
furthermore