Science Vocab

Front 1

biotic

Back 1

features of the environment that are alive or were once alive

Front 2

abiotic

Back 2

nonliving physical features of the environment including air, water, sunlight, soil, temperature, and climate

Front 3

atmosphere

Back 3

air surrounding Earth; is made up of gases

Front 4

soil

Back 4

mixture of mineral and rock particles, the remains of dead organisms, air, and water, that forms the top most layer of Earth's crust and supports plant growth

Front 5

climate

Back 5

average weather conditions of an area over time including wind temperature and rainfall or other types of precipitation

Front 6

evaporation

Back 6

process takes place when a liquid changes to a gas

Front 7

condensation

Back 7

process that takes place when a gas changes to a liquid

Front 8

water cycle

Back 8

model describing how water moves from earth's surface to the atmosphere and back to the surface again through evaporation condensation and precipitation

Front 9

nitrogen fixation

Back 9

process in which some types of bacteria can form the nitrogen compounds that plants need

Front 10

nitrogen cycle

Back 10

model describing how nitrogen moves from the atmosphere to the soil to living organisms and then back again

Front 11

carbon cycle

Back 11

model describing how carbon molecules move between the living and nonliving world

Front 12

chemosynthesis

Back 12

process in which producers make energy rich nutrient molecules from chemicals

Front 13

food web

Back 13

model that shows the complex feeding relationships among organisms in a community

Front 14

energy pyramid

Back 14

model that shows the amount of energy available at each feeding level in an ecosystem