Life Science Vocabulary

Life Science Vocabulary 2015

5.L.1 Living Things

 Organisms— living things  Cell—the smallest part of a living thing that can carry out all the processes of life  Eukaryotic cell—a cell that has a nucleus  Prokaryotic cell—a cell that does not have a nucleus  Uni-cellular—made up of only one cell  Reproduce—to make more organisms of one’s own kind  Multi-cellular—made up of more than one cell  Nucleus—the cell structure that controls several functions; central part of an atom  DNA—the chemical substance that controls the structure and function of cells  Gene—a set of instructions that determines a trait an organism will have  Tissues-  Organs—  Systems—a group of parts that work together  Respiratory system—the body system that takes oxygen from the air  Digestive system—the body system that breaks down food so it can be used by the body  Circulatory system—the body system that carries oxygen, food, and wastes throughout the body  Skeletal system—the body system of bones that give the body structure and support  Muscular system—the body system that is made up of all the muscles attached to bones  Nervous system—the body system that controls all other body systems  Trait—a quality or characteristic of a living thing  Behavior—a way in which a living thing acts or responds to its surroundings  Inherited trait— a characteristic that a living thing gets from its parents Life Science Vocabulary 2015

 Population—a group of organisms of the same kind that live in the same area at the same time  Acquired trait—a characteristic that a living thing gets during its lifetime  Learned behavior—a skill that an animal develops after it is born 

5.L.2 Ecosystems  Ecosystems—all the living and non-living things in an area  Biotic factor—living parts of the environment  Abiotic factors—non-living parts of the environment  Terrestrial ecosystems—land based ecosystems  Aquatic ecosystems— a water-based ecosystem  Temperate/ Deciduous Forest-- —an ecosystem that contains many trees, which lose their leaves each fall  Grassland—an ecosystem that has fertile soil covered with tall grasses  Desert—a tree-less ecosystem with very sandy or rocky soil  Taiga (coniferous forest)—an ecosystem that is very cool with many evergreen-cone- bearing trees  Tundra- an extremely cold, tree-less ecosystem with perma-frost soil  Estuary—a body of water in which freshwater from a river meets and mixes with salt water from the ocean  Salt marsh—a flat area of land where salt water over flows  Producer—a living thing that makes its own food  Photosynthesis—the process by which plants, algae, and some bacteria use energy from sunlight to make their own food  Consumer— a living thing that gets energy by eating other living things  Herbivore—a consumer that eats only or mostly plants Life Science Vocabulary 2015

 Carnivore—a consumer that eats only or mostly meats  Omnivore—a consumer that eats both plants and animals  Decomposer—a living thing that gets energy by breaking down wastes and dead plants and animals  Food chain—a model that shows the path of energy as it flows from one living thing to the next  Food web—a model that shows how several food chains connect together  Energy pyramid—a diagram that shows how the amount of energy changes as it moves through the food chain or food web  Interact—to come into contact with and affect each other  Predator—an animal that hunts other animals for food  Prey—an animal that is hunted by other animals for food  Competition—the demand for a resource by two or more organisms