Science Unit 3

Front 1

Abiotic Factor

Back 1

A nonliving part of an ecosystem.

Front 2

Adaptation

Back 2

an inherited modification of structure or function that allows an organism to survive and reproduce in its environment

Front 3

Autotroph

Back 3

an organism that is able to capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce its own food

Front 4

Biogeography

Back 4

the study of the past and present geographical distribution of species found throughout the world

Front 5

Biomass

Back 5

the sum of all mass making up the organisms in an ecosystem

Front 6

Biome

Back 6

a group of ecosystems with similar climates and organisms

Front 7

Biosphere

Back 7

the group of all living things on Earth

Front 8

Biotic Factor

Back 8

a living or once-living part of an organism’s habitat

Front 9

Boreal Forest

Back 9

dense forest of evergreens located in the upper regions of the Northern Hemisphere

Front 10

Canopy

Back 10

a leafy roof formed by tall trees in a rain forest

Front 11

Carnivore

Back 11

a consumer that obtains energy by eating only animals

Front 12

Chlorophyll

Back 12

a green photosynthetic pigment found in the chloroplasts of plants, algae, and some bacteria

Front 13

Climate

Back 13

the general representative conditions of temperature, precipitation, winds, and clouds in an area

Front 14

Community

Back 14

all the different populations that live together in a particular area

Front 15

Condensation

Back 15

the change in state from a gas to a liquid

Front 16

Coniferous Tree

Back 16

a tree that produces its seeds in cones and that has needle-shaped leaves coated in a waxy substance to reduce water loss

Front 17

Consumer

Back 17

an organism that obtains energy by feeding on other organisms

Front 18

Continental Drift

Back 18

theory that the continents of today drifted apart from a large supercontinent that existed long ago

Front 19

Deciduous Tree

Back 19

a tree that sheds its leaves during a particular season and grows new ones each year

Front 20

Decomposer

Back 20

an organism that gets energy by breaking down biotic wastes and dead organisms, and returns raw materials to the soil and water

Front 21

Deep Zone

Back 21

marine ecosystem 100 meters and below; characterized by very low light levels

Front 22

Denitrification

Back 22

chemical conversion of biologically useful nitrogen to nitrogen gas

Front 23

Desert

Back 23

a dry region that on average receives less than 25 centimeters of precipitation per year

Front 24

Dispersal

Back 24

distribution of individuals in a population to geographical locations far away from the population’s original location

Front 25

Ecology

Back 25

the study of how organisms interact with each other and their environment

Front 26

Ecosystem

Back 26

the community of organisms that live in a particular area, along with their nonliving environment

Front 27

Emergent Layer

Back 27

the tallest layer of the rain forest that receives the most sunlight

Front 28

Energy Pyramid

Back 28

a diagram that shows the amount of energy that moves from one feeding level to another

Front 29

Estuary

Back 29

a kind of wetland formed where fresh water from rivers mixes with salty ocean water

Front 30

Eutrophication

Back 30

degradation of a body of water brought on by an excess of nutrients

Front 31

Evaporation

Back 31

the process by which molecules at the surface of a liquid absorb enough energy to change to a gas

Front 32

Exotic Species

Back 32

a nonnative species

Front 33

Fertilizer

Back 33

mixture of chemical compounds applied to soil that increases the amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to plants.

Front 34

Food Chain

Back 34

a series of events in an ecosystem in which organisms transfer energy by eating and by being eaten

Front 35

Food Web

Back 35

the pattern of overlapping feeding relationships or food chains among the various organisms in an ecosystem

Front 36

Freshwater

Back 36

water that does not contain significant concentrations of dissolved salts

Front 37

Grassland

Back 37

an area populated mostly by grasses and other nonwoody plants that gets 25 to 75 centimeters of rain each year

Front 38

Groundwater

Back 38

water located below the surface of the Earth

Front 39

Habitat

Back 39

an environment that provides the things a specific organism needs to live, grow, and reproduce

Front 40

Herbivore

Back 40

a consumer that obtains energy by eating only plants

Front 41

Heterotroph

Back 41

an organism that cannot make its own food and gets food by consuming other living things

Front 42

Hydrosphere

Back 42

all water on Earth

Front 43

Infiltration

Back 43

movement of water from the surface down into and below the ground

Front 44

Intertidal Zone

Back 44

a species that grows in population and displaces other species, making them less likely to survive

Front 45

Marine

Back 45

an aquatic environment characterized by the presence of salt dissolved in the water

Front 46

Neritic Zone

Back 46

the area of the ocean that extends from the low-tide line out to the edge of the continental shelf

Front 47

Nitrogen Fixation

Back 47

the process of changing free nitrogen gas into nitrogen compounds that plants can absorb and use

Front 48

Omnivore

Back 48

a consumer that obtains energy by eating both plants and animals

Front 49

Permafrost

Back 49

permanently frozen soil found in the tundra biome climate region

Front 50

Photosynthesis

Back 50

the process by which plants and other autotrophs capture and use light energy to make food from carbon dioxide and water

Front 51

Plankton

Back 51

microscopic organisms that live in aquatic environments

Front 52

Population

Back 52

all the members of one species living in the same area

Front 53

Precipitation

Back 53

any form of water that falls from clouds and reaches Earth’s surface as rain, snow, sleet, or hail

Front 54

Predator

Back 54

the organism that does the killing in a predation interaction

Front 55

Prey

Back 55

an organism that is killed and eaten by another organism in a predation interaction

Front 56

Primary Consumer

Back 56

type of consumer that eats producers

Front 57

Producer

Back 57

an organism that can make its own food

Front 58

Rain Forest

Back 58

a forest that receives at least 2 meters of rain per year, mostly occurring in the tropical wet climate zone

Front 59

Runoff

Back 59

water that has fallen to Earth and runs along the surface until it runs into rivers, lakes, or oceans

Front 60

Savanna

Back 60

a grassland located close to the equator that may include shrubs and small trees and receives as much as 120 centimeters of rain per year

Front 61

Scavenger

Back 61

a carnivore that feeds on the bodies of dead or decaying organisms

Front 62

Secondary Consumer

Back 62

type of consumer that eats primary consumers

Front 63

Species

Back 63

a group of similar organisms that can mate with each other and produce offspring that can also mate and reproduce

Front 64

Surface Water

Back 64

bodies of water on the surface of the Earth, such as oceans, rivers, and lakes

Front 65

Surface Zone

Back 65

marine ecosystem consisting of open ocean waters from the surface to 100 meters below the surface

Front 66

Taiga

Back 66

a type of biome populated by coniferous trees and found in northern regions of Asia and North America; characterized by cold, dry winters and cool summers

Front 67

Terrestrial

Back 67

land

Front 68

Tertiary Consumer

Back 68

type of consumer that eats secondary consumers

Front 69

Tundra

Back 69

an extremely cold, dry biome climate region characterized by short, cool summers and bitterly cold winters

Front 70

Understory

Back 70

a layer of shorter trees and vines that grows in the shade of a forest canopy

Front 71

Wetland

Back 71

freshwater ecosystem that experiences alternating wet and dry periods