Herbivore
An organism that eats only plants
Carnivore
An animal that eats other animals
Omnivore
An animal that eats both plants and animals
Biodiversity
The number of different species in an area (variety of life)
Habitat
Place where an organism lives
Adaptation
A characteristic that improves an individual's ability to survive and reproduce in a particular environment.
Food Web
A larger interconnected diagram that shows the feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem.
Population
A group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area
Decomposer
An organism that breaks down wastes and dead organisms
Food Chain
A series of events in which one organism eats another and obtains energy.
Producer
An organism that can make its own food. also called an autotroph
Consumer
An organism that obtains energy by feeding on other organisms, also known as a heterotroph
Biotic
Describes living factors in the environment.
Abiotic
A term that describes a nonliving factor in an ecosystem.
Autotroph
An organism that makes its own food, also called a producer
Heterotroph
An organism that cannot make its own food, also known as a consumer
Invasive Species
species that enter new ecosystems and multiply, harming native species and their habitats
Seed Dispersal
ability of seeds to be spread throughout environment
Dormant
seed in a resting state - will wait for perfect environment to begin to grow
Embryo
part of seed that must exit seed coat and germinates into sprouting plant
Pollination
how flowers help their plants reproduce sexually
Xylem
system of tissues that deliver water from roots up to rest of plant
Photosynthesis formula
Carbon Dioxide + Water + Light = Glucose + Oxygen
Succession
changes in a community over time, after a disturbance
Primary Succession
Succession on brand new land where there was NO growth before (Ex: new island or volcano spewing lava to create new rock)
Secondary Succession
Regrowth where growth was before (Ex: after forrest fire or a garden regrowing)
Weathering
breaking down of rocks, soil, and minerals
Mechanical Weathering
breaking BIG rocks into little ones - caused by ice, tree roots, running water, etc
Chemical Weathering
changes to surface of rock that make it change color or shape - caused by acid, oxygen, carbon dioxide
Erosion
movement of rocks and soil from one place to another
Deposition
sediment being added, or deposited, to a landfrom
Groundwater
water that takes up the available spaces between particles underground
Aquifer
area underground where water pools up (often where we get our tap water from)
Natural Selection
A process in nature where organisms having certain inherited traits are better able to survive and reproduce compared to others of their species.
Artificial Selection
Selective Breeding - Selecting organisms with specific traits in order to produce offspring with desired traits.