FORCE AND MOTION
acceleration: rate of increase of speed or velocity (example: accelerator pedal on a car)
air resistance (drag): force of air pushing against the motion of an object
balanced force: an object remains in place, no movement occurs
control: part of an experiment that does not change, serves as the standard to compare other observations
direction: the way the force is applied determines this way an object moves
energy: ability to do work
energy, kinetic: energy of motion (moving ball going down a ramp)
energy, potential: stored energy (ball positioned at the top of the ramp)
fair test: changing only one variable and keeping the other conditions the same
force: any push or pull on an object
friction: force that resists motion between two touching surfaces, slows things down and can also produce heat, acts in the opposite direction of the force
gravity, gravitational force: force that brings objects toward earth
inertia: the tendency of an object to resist a change in motion or keep doing what it is doing
Note: the greater the mass of an object, the greater the inertia
mass: how much matter an object contains
momentum: force or speed of movement; mass in motion, example: a moving train has much more than a moving soccer ball Note: momentum = mass of an object x velocity (increasing the mass or speed increases the momentum)
motion: an object changing position over time; change in position is measured by distance and time
propeller: two or more twisted blades that rotate around a central point or shaft (shaft: pipe or tube)
recursive: consequential steps
resistance: force pushing against the motion of an object
speed (rate): distance divided by time (or d/t), example: 25 mph
unbalanced force: motion occurs; the movement goes in the direction of the greater force (example: winning a tug-of-war game)
validity: conducting a fair test
variable: something in an experiment that can be changed
velocity: speed with direction (ex.: 45 mph NW)
weight: force of gravity pulling down on an object
work: moving an object over a distance
Newton’s 1st law of motion: *An object tends to stay at rest and an object tends to stay in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted on by an unbalanced force.
* Objects tend to keep doing what they are doing.
* If the forces acting upon an object are balanced, the acceleration of that object will be zero (no motion).
*also known as the “law of inertia”
Newton’s 2nd law of motion: * Acceleration is always in the direction of the unbalanced force.
*If you want something to accelerate faster, you need to decrease its mass.
* Acceleration of an object depends upon two variables—the net force acting upon the object and the mass of the object.
* Force = mass x acceleration or F = ma
Newton’s 3rd law of motion: *Explains why forces act in pairs.
* For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
* When one object exerts a force on a second object, the second object exerts the same amount of force back on the first object (but in the opposite direction).
* Equal forces acting in opposite directions create a net force of zero.
* Action and reaction forces are equal forces acting in opposite directions. The reason they can’t cancel each other out is because they are acting on different objects.
HUMAN BODY/HEREDITY
characteristics qualities of an organism
inherited characteristics from parents
likeness similar or nearly the same
organism an individual living system, such as an an animal or plant
traits distinguishing characteristics
generation a group of individuals born and living at the same time, such as siblings
offspring the young of a person, animal, or plant
parents animals (including humans) or plants that produce offspring
DNA material in organisms that transfer genetic characteristics from parents to their offspring
Cell the basic unit of life
Multicellular an organism composed of many cells
Unicellular an organism composed of only one cell; the single cell is capable of performing all life processes
Permeable able to pass through
Tissue similar cells with a specific function
Organ part of a system that consists of cells and tissues and is specialized to do a particular task
WEATHER
Earth’s axis
imaginary, vertical line through the middle of the Earth between the North and South Poles; Earth rotates around it
tilt of the Earth
Earth is tilted on its axis at 23.5°; this is the main reason there are seasons on Earth
rotation
spin; Earth rotates on its axis; one rotation of Earth is approximately 24 hours (1 day)
revolution
orbit; Earth revolves around the Sun in an elliptical orbit; one revolution around the Sun is approximately 365 days (1 year)
seasons
summer, autumn (fall), winter, and spring
data
information
hemisphere
half of a sphere; the Earth is divided into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres by the equator; (Earth is also divided into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres by the Prime Meridian)
equator
imaginary line around the middle of the Earth; assigned 0° latitude
latitude
the distance north or south of the equator; for example, Raleigh, NC is located at approximately 36°N, which indicates it location North of the equator
longitude
the distance east or west of the Prime Meridian
angle of incidence
angle that sunlight reaches the surface of the Earth; sometimes called the angle of insolation
direct sunlight
sun rays that strike the Earth with more intensity near the equator
indirect sunlight
sun rays that strike the Earth with less intensity due to the tilt of the Earth and the curvature of its surface
weather
state of the atmosphere at a given time and place; it is described by wind, temperature, cloud cover, moisture in the form of humidity and/or precipitation, and air pressure; weather changes daily, hourly, and seasonally
meteorologist
a scientist who studies weather
sun
warms the air, water, and land of Earth
temperature
measurement in degrees warm or cold; influenced by cloud cover (i.e., generally cooler on cloudy days); measured by a thermometer in degrees Fahrenheit or Celcius
wind speed
changes as air pressure changes; how fast the wind is blowing; measured by an anemometer
wind direction
reported by the direction from which the wind originates; indicated by a wind vane
precipitation
form of water (rain, snow, ice, sleet, hail) that falls from the clouds to Earth; can be measured by a rain gauge
air pressure
also known as barometric pressure, it is the weight of the air above the surface of the Earth; it is measured by a barometer
cloud cover
fraction of the sky covered by cloudy; data is collected by observation and reported as cloudy, partly cloudy, partly sunny, or clear
current
constant movement
elevation
the height of something
mountain
a very tall, high, natural place on Earth’s surface; Mt. Everest is the tallest mountain on Earth
sea level
where the ocean meets the land; assigned zero elevation
air mass
a large region of the atmosphere where the air has similar properties throughout such as temperature, humidity, and air pressure
High pressure system
a whirling mass of cool, dry air; because cool air is more dense than warm air, it sinks. High pressure brings fair weather, sunny skies and light winds. High pressure systems rotate clockwise.
Low pressure
system
a whirling mass of warm, moist air; because warm air is less dense than cool air, it rises and cooler (more dense) air flows underneath. Low pressure brings storms, strong winds, and changing weather. Low pressure systems rotate counter-clockwise (like hurricanes in the Atlantic).
front
a boundary between warm and cold air masses
cold front
a boundary between two air masses (one warm, one cold) moving so that the colder air replaces the warmer air
warm front
a boundary between two air masses (one warm, one cold) moving so that the warmer air replaces the colder air
stationary front
a boundary between two air masses (one warm, one cold) that more or less doesn’t move; a stationary front can wobble back and forth for several hundred miles a day
El Niño
a natural oscillation (shift) of the warmest surface water near the equator in the Pacific Ocean eastward toward South America; this impacts weather around the world.
La Niña
the surface water near the equator in the Pacific Ocean gets cooler; this impacts weather around the world.
cloud
a large collection of tiny water droplets or ice crystals in the atmosphere
cirrus
high level clouds that look thin and wispy, like feathers; means “curl of hair”; indicate fair to pleasant weather
cumulus
middle level clouds that look puffy like cotton; means “heap” or “pile”; indicate fair weather
stratus
low level clouds that look like layers or a gray blanket that covers the sky; means to “spread out”; indicates overcast weather and sometimes produce precipitation; fog is a stratus cloud near the ground
wind
air moving horizontally; caused by uneven heating and cooling of the Earth’s surface
local wind
moves across small distances close to Earth’s surface; examples include sea breezes and land breezes
global wind
moves across great distances above the Earth; these wind patterns are stable and predictable; examples include Polar Easterlies, Prevailing Westerlies, and Trade Winds
Trade Winds
winds that blow East to West toward the equator between 30° N latitude and 30° S latitude; can impact North Carolina weather by moving a hurricane toward the Southeastern United States
Prevailing Westerlies
winds that blow West to East toward the poles in both hemispheres between 30° and 60° latitudes; impacts North Carolina weather by moving weather systems from the West toward North Carolina
land breeze
a convection current where air flows from land to sea during the night (a result of land heating and cooling at a faster rate than water)
sea breeze
a convection current where air flows from sea to land during the day (a result of land heating and cooling at a faster rate than water)
jet stream
a current in the atmosphere located over North America that moves West to East; it changes position North or South seasonally; impacts North Carolina weather by moving weather systems from the West toward North Carolina; additionally its fluctuations to the North can bring warmer temperatures to North Carolina while its fluctuation to the South can bring cooler temperatures to North Carolina
meteorologist
scientist who studies weather patterns and forecasts upcoming weather
weather system
all the part of weather - temperature, precipitation, air pressure, wind speed and direction
HEAT/ENERGY TRANSFER
heat
energy that exists in matter
temperature
measurement of heat; a high temperature indicates more thermal energy
convection
movement of thermal energy by the movement of liquids or gases
conduction
transfer of thermal energy between two objects that are touching
radiation
transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves through places with or without matter
conductor
any object that allows heat (energy) to pass through easily
insulator
any object that does not allow heat (energy) to pass through easily
ECOSYSTEMS
abiotic factors nonliving parts of an ecosystem (sunlight, soil, temperature)
aquatic ecosystem
includes freshwater areas, estuaries, marine areas bacteria helps in the natural recycling process, a decomposer
balance
equilibrium in an ecosystem biome complex ecological community, extends over a large geographic area , consists of many ecosystems
biotic factors
living components of an ecosystem (the organisms) carnivores consumer that eats meat
co-exist
living in the same environment community interaction of all living things in an area
condensation
change of a vapor of gas into a liquid (i.e. condensation on a glass of lemonade in the summer) conservation sensible use of the earth’s resources to avoid harming the environment
consumers
living things that eat food (i.e. animals)
types of consumers: herbivore, carnivore, omnivore control part of an experiment that does not change, serves as the standard to compare other observations
deciduous
trees lose leaves in autumn/fall decomposers recycles matter and energy (examples from model ecosystem: aquarium snail, isopod), keeps the community clean by eating the dead organisms
decomposition
the breaking down of an organism back into nature degrade to make worse, harm
desert
little rain, extreme temperatures, drought resistant grass
plants: sagebrush, cacti (adapted to conditions)
animals: kangaroo rat, snakes, lizards, some birds, spiders, insects ecology study of the relationships between organisms and their environment
ecosystem
all living things in an area and their habitat (includes living and nonliving)
abiotic factors + biotic factors = an ecosystem environment everything that surrounds an organism and influences it
estuary
where freshwater and salt water meet (coastal area) eutrophication increased nutrients in an ecosystem (i.e. too much fertilizer)
food chain
a picture that shows how each organism gets energy food web system of food chains
freshwater ecosystems
includes streams, rivers, lakes, marshes, swamps
Salt levels are low, important nutrient to land plants and animals, supports a wide variety of plant and animal life fungi helps in the natural recycling process, a decomposer
germinate
the process of a seed beginning to sprout r beginning to grow into a plant grasslands also called savannas, rainfall is low or seasonal, dominant plant life is grass; other plants: buffalo grass, sunflower, goldenrods, clover large herbivores: bison, antelope, zebras, prairie dogs
habitat
physical place where an organism lives herbivores consumer that eats plants
interdependence
the relationship between plants and animals in an ecosystem isopods small animals with a segmented thorax, each part of the thorax has its own pair of legs
marine ecosystems
includes ocean areas and seas, high salt content, warmer, lots of sunlight
near surface (examples: coral reefs, tide pools, beaches, ocean floor) niche position of an organism in a community of plants and animals
nutrients
substance required to nourish an organism omnivores consumers that eat both plants and animals
organisms
living things pH measured on a scale of 0-14, where 7 is neutral (distilled water), 0-6 includes acid (orange juice), 7-14 includes basic (fertilizer, ammonia)
photosynthesis
chemical process where plants make their own food pollutant substance with damaging effects on the environment (i.e. acid rain, over-fertilization, road salt)
pollution
putting harmful things into the environment population a group of the same type of organism living in an area
precipitation
Liquid and solid forms of water from the atmosphere (examples: rain, snow, sleet, hail, drizzle, dew) predator an animal that eats another animal for food
prey
the animal that gets eaten primary consumers use plants for energy (anything that eats plants) examples: insects, fish, lizards, mice, birds, deer
producers
makes own food, gets energy from the Sun, example: plants recycle reusing materials
scavenger
feeds on dead organic matter that could have been killed by a predator secondary consumers get energy from primary consumers
taiga
located in parts of Canada, Europe and Asia; has evergreen coniferous forests (trees with cones), soil is acidic and difficult for plants to grow, ground covered in snow most of year, animals grow thick fur
animals: moose, deer, mice, porcupines, snowshoe hares temperate forest the biome where we live, deciduous trees (trees that lose their leaves), medium rainfall, foliage changes color in autumn (fall) trees: redbud, oak, maple, pine, dogwood, pine animals: squirrels, deer, foxes, bears
terrestrial
land tertiary consumers get their energy from secondary consumers
toxin
poison produced by a living organism tropical rain forest abundant rainfall, very humid, trees have dense canopies, floor does not get much sunlight, many species of animals and plants plants: vines, ferns, orchids, large and small trees animals: orangutans, insects, sloths, jaguars
tundra
treeless biome, below the soil is a thin layer of permafrost (permanently frozen ground), located near the northernmost part of earth, summer temperatures are around freezing, grasses and small trees are present, mosses and lichens grow well
animals: reindeer, caribou, polar bears, arctic wolves, ptarmigans variable something in an experiment that can be changed
water cycle
evaporation, condensation, precipitation; continual process
acceleration: rate of increase of speed or velocity (example: accelerator pedal on a car)
air resistance (drag): force of air pushing against the motion of an object
balanced force: an object remains in place, no movement occurs
control: part of an experiment that does not change, serves as the standard to compare other observations
direction: the way the force is applied determines this way an object moves
energy: ability to do work
energy, kinetic: energy of motion (moving ball going down a ramp)
energy, potential: stored energy (ball positioned at the top of the ramp)
fair test: changing only one variable and keeping the other conditions the same
force: any push or pull on an object
friction: force that resists motion between two touching surfaces, slows things down and can also produce heat, acts in the opposite direction of the force
gravity, gravitational force: force that brings objects toward earth
inertia: the tendency of an object to resist a change in motion or keep doing what it is doing
Note: the greater the mass of an object, the greater the inertia
mass: how much matter an object contains
momentum: force or speed of movement; mass in motion, example: a moving train has much more than a moving soccer ball Note: momentum = mass of an object x velocity (increasing the mass or speed increases the momentum)
motion: an object changing position over time; change in position is measured by distance and time
propeller: two or more twisted blades that rotate around a central point or shaft (shaft: pipe or tube)
recursive: consequential steps
resistance: force pushing against the motion of an object
speed (rate): distance divided by time (or d/t), example: 25 mph
unbalanced force: motion occurs; the movement goes in the direction of the greater force (example: winning a tug-of-war game)
validity: conducting a fair test
variable: something in an experiment that can be changed
velocity: speed with direction (ex.: 45 mph NW)
weight: force of gravity pulling down on an object
work: moving an object over a distance
Newton’s 1st law of motion: *An object tends to stay at rest and an object tends to stay in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted on by an unbalanced force.
* Objects tend to keep doing what they are doing.
* If the forces acting upon an object are balanced, the acceleration of that object will be zero (no motion).
*also known as the “law of inertia”
Newton’s 2nd law of motion: * Acceleration is always in the direction of the unbalanced force.
*If you want something to accelerate faster, you need to decrease its mass.
* Acceleration of an object depends upon two variables—the net force acting upon the object and the mass of the object.
* Force = mass x acceleration or F = ma
Newton’s 3rd law of motion: *Explains why forces act in pairs.
* For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
* When one object exerts a force on a second object, the second object exerts the same amount of force back on the first object (but in the opposite direction).
* Equal forces acting in opposite directions create a net force of zero.
* Action and reaction forces are equal forces acting in opposite directions. The reason they can’t cancel each other out is because they are acting on different objects.
HUMAN BODY/HEREDITY
characteristics qualities of an organism
inherited characteristics from parents
likeness similar or nearly the same
organism an individual living system, such as an an animal or plant
traits distinguishing characteristics
generation a group of individuals born and living at the same time, such as siblings
offspring the young of a person, animal, or plant
parents animals (including humans) or plants that produce offspring
DNA material in organisms that transfer genetic characteristics from parents to their offspring
Cell the basic unit of life
Multicellular an organism composed of many cells
Unicellular an organism composed of only one cell; the single cell is capable of performing all life processes
Permeable able to pass through
Tissue similar cells with a specific function
Organ part of a system that consists of cells and tissues and is specialized to do a particular task
WEATHER
Earth’s axis
imaginary, vertical line through the middle of the Earth between the North and South Poles; Earth rotates around it
tilt of the Earth
Earth is tilted on its axis at 23.5°; this is the main reason there are seasons on Earth
rotation
spin; Earth rotates on its axis; one rotation of Earth is approximately 24 hours (1 day)
revolution
orbit; Earth revolves around the Sun in an elliptical orbit; one revolution around the Sun is approximately 365 days (1 year)
seasons
summer, autumn (fall), winter, and spring
data
information
hemisphere
half of a sphere; the Earth is divided into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres by the equator; (Earth is also divided into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres by the Prime Meridian)
equator
imaginary line around the middle of the Earth; assigned 0° latitude
latitude
the distance north or south of the equator; for example, Raleigh, NC is located at approximately 36°N, which indicates it location North of the equator
longitude
the distance east or west of the Prime Meridian
angle of incidence
angle that sunlight reaches the surface of the Earth; sometimes called the angle of insolation
direct sunlight
sun rays that strike the Earth with more intensity near the equator
indirect sunlight
sun rays that strike the Earth with less intensity due to the tilt of the Earth and the curvature of its surface
weather
state of the atmosphere at a given time and place; it is described by wind, temperature, cloud cover, moisture in the form of humidity and/or precipitation, and air pressure; weather changes daily, hourly, and seasonally
meteorologist
a scientist who studies weather
sun
warms the air, water, and land of Earth
temperature
measurement in degrees warm or cold; influenced by cloud cover (i.e., generally cooler on cloudy days); measured by a thermometer in degrees Fahrenheit or Celcius
wind speed
changes as air pressure changes; how fast the wind is blowing; measured by an anemometer
wind direction
reported by the direction from which the wind originates; indicated by a wind vane
precipitation
form of water (rain, snow, ice, sleet, hail) that falls from the clouds to Earth; can be measured by a rain gauge
air pressure
also known as barometric pressure, it is the weight of the air above the surface of the Earth; it is measured by a barometer
cloud cover
fraction of the sky covered by cloudy; data is collected by observation and reported as cloudy, partly cloudy, partly sunny, or clear
current
constant movement
elevation
the height of something
mountain
a very tall, high, natural place on Earth’s surface; Mt. Everest is the tallest mountain on Earth
sea level
where the ocean meets the land; assigned zero elevation
air mass
a large region of the atmosphere where the air has similar properties throughout such as temperature, humidity, and air pressure
High pressure system
a whirling mass of cool, dry air; because cool air is more dense than warm air, it sinks. High pressure brings fair weather, sunny skies and light winds. High pressure systems rotate clockwise.
Low pressure
system
a whirling mass of warm, moist air; because warm air is less dense than cool air, it rises and cooler (more dense) air flows underneath. Low pressure brings storms, strong winds, and changing weather. Low pressure systems rotate counter-clockwise (like hurricanes in the Atlantic).
front
a boundary between warm and cold air masses
cold front
a boundary between two air masses (one warm, one cold) moving so that the colder air replaces the warmer air
warm front
a boundary between two air masses (one warm, one cold) moving so that the warmer air replaces the colder air
stationary front
a boundary between two air masses (one warm, one cold) that more or less doesn’t move; a stationary front can wobble back and forth for several hundred miles a day
El Niño
a natural oscillation (shift) of the warmest surface water near the equator in the Pacific Ocean eastward toward South America; this impacts weather around the world.
La Niña
the surface water near the equator in the Pacific Ocean gets cooler; this impacts weather around the world.
cloud
a large collection of tiny water droplets or ice crystals in the atmosphere
cirrus
high level clouds that look thin and wispy, like feathers; means “curl of hair”; indicate fair to pleasant weather
cumulus
middle level clouds that look puffy like cotton; means “heap” or “pile”; indicate fair weather
stratus
low level clouds that look like layers or a gray blanket that covers the sky; means to “spread out”; indicates overcast weather and sometimes produce precipitation; fog is a stratus cloud near the ground
wind
air moving horizontally; caused by uneven heating and cooling of the Earth’s surface
local wind
moves across small distances close to Earth’s surface; examples include sea breezes and land breezes
global wind
moves across great distances above the Earth; these wind patterns are stable and predictable; examples include Polar Easterlies, Prevailing Westerlies, and Trade Winds
Trade Winds
winds that blow East to West toward the equator between 30° N latitude and 30° S latitude; can impact North Carolina weather by moving a hurricane toward the Southeastern United States
Prevailing Westerlies
winds that blow West to East toward the poles in both hemispheres between 30° and 60° latitudes; impacts North Carolina weather by moving weather systems from the West toward North Carolina
land breeze
a convection current where air flows from land to sea during the night (a result of land heating and cooling at a faster rate than water)
sea breeze
a convection current where air flows from sea to land during the day (a result of land heating and cooling at a faster rate than water)
jet stream
a current in the atmosphere located over North America that moves West to East; it changes position North or South seasonally; impacts North Carolina weather by moving weather systems from the West toward North Carolina; additionally its fluctuations to the North can bring warmer temperatures to North Carolina while its fluctuation to the South can bring cooler temperatures to North Carolina
meteorologist
scientist who studies weather patterns and forecasts upcoming weather
weather system
all the part of weather - temperature, precipitation, air pressure, wind speed and direction
HEAT/ENERGY TRANSFER
heat
energy that exists in matter
temperature
measurement of heat; a high temperature indicates more thermal energy
convection
movement of thermal energy by the movement of liquids or gases
conduction
transfer of thermal energy between two objects that are touching
radiation
transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves through places with or without matter
conductor
any object that allows heat (energy) to pass through easily
insulator
any object that does not allow heat (energy) to pass through easily
ECOSYSTEMS
abiotic factors nonliving parts of an ecosystem (sunlight, soil, temperature)
aquatic ecosystem
includes freshwater areas, estuaries, marine areas bacteria helps in the natural recycling process, a decomposer
balance
equilibrium in an ecosystem biome complex ecological community, extends over a large geographic area , consists of many ecosystems
biotic factors
living components of an ecosystem (the organisms) carnivores consumer that eats meat
co-exist
living in the same environment community interaction of all living things in an area
condensation
change of a vapor of gas into a liquid (i.e. condensation on a glass of lemonade in the summer) conservation sensible use of the earth’s resources to avoid harming the environment
consumers
living things that eat food (i.e. animals)
types of consumers: herbivore, carnivore, omnivore control part of an experiment that does not change, serves as the standard to compare other observations
deciduous
trees lose leaves in autumn/fall decomposers recycles matter and energy (examples from model ecosystem: aquarium snail, isopod), keeps the community clean by eating the dead organisms
decomposition
the breaking down of an organism back into nature degrade to make worse, harm
desert
little rain, extreme temperatures, drought resistant grass
plants: sagebrush, cacti (adapted to conditions)
animals: kangaroo rat, snakes, lizards, some birds, spiders, insects ecology study of the relationships between organisms and their environment
ecosystem
all living things in an area and their habitat (includes living and nonliving)
abiotic factors + biotic factors = an ecosystem environment everything that surrounds an organism and influences it
estuary
where freshwater and salt water meet (coastal area) eutrophication increased nutrients in an ecosystem (i.e. too much fertilizer)
food chain
a picture that shows how each organism gets energy food web system of food chains
freshwater ecosystems
includes streams, rivers, lakes, marshes, swamps
Salt levels are low, important nutrient to land plants and animals, supports a wide variety of plant and animal life fungi helps in the natural recycling process, a decomposer
germinate
the process of a seed beginning to sprout r beginning to grow into a plant grasslands also called savannas, rainfall is low or seasonal, dominant plant life is grass; other plants: buffalo grass, sunflower, goldenrods, clover large herbivores: bison, antelope, zebras, prairie dogs
habitat
physical place where an organism lives herbivores consumer that eats plants
interdependence
the relationship between plants and animals in an ecosystem isopods small animals with a segmented thorax, each part of the thorax has its own pair of legs
marine ecosystems
includes ocean areas and seas, high salt content, warmer, lots of sunlight
near surface (examples: coral reefs, tide pools, beaches, ocean floor) niche position of an organism in a community of plants and animals
nutrients
substance required to nourish an organism omnivores consumers that eat both plants and animals
organisms
living things pH measured on a scale of 0-14, where 7 is neutral (distilled water), 0-6 includes acid (orange juice), 7-14 includes basic (fertilizer, ammonia)
photosynthesis
chemical process where plants make their own food pollutant substance with damaging effects on the environment (i.e. acid rain, over-fertilization, road salt)
pollution
putting harmful things into the environment population a group of the same type of organism living in an area
precipitation
Liquid and solid forms of water from the atmosphere (examples: rain, snow, sleet, hail, drizzle, dew) predator an animal that eats another animal for food
prey
the animal that gets eaten primary consumers use plants for energy (anything that eats plants) examples: insects, fish, lizards, mice, birds, deer
producers
makes own food, gets energy from the Sun, example: plants recycle reusing materials
scavenger
feeds on dead organic matter that could have been killed by a predator secondary consumers get energy from primary consumers
taiga
located in parts of Canada, Europe and Asia; has evergreen coniferous forests (trees with cones), soil is acidic and difficult for plants to grow, ground covered in snow most of year, animals grow thick fur
animals: moose, deer, mice, porcupines, snowshoe hares temperate forest the biome where we live, deciduous trees (trees that lose their leaves), medium rainfall, foliage changes color in autumn (fall) trees: redbud, oak, maple, pine, dogwood, pine animals: squirrels, deer, foxes, bears
terrestrial
land tertiary consumers get their energy from secondary consumers
toxin
poison produced by a living organism tropical rain forest abundant rainfall, very humid, trees have dense canopies, floor does not get much sunlight, many species of animals and plants plants: vines, ferns, orchids, large and small trees animals: orangutans, insects, sloths, jaguars
tundra
treeless biome, below the soil is a thin layer of permafrost (permanently frozen ground), located near the northernmost part of earth, summer temperatures are around freezing, grasses and small trees are present, mosses and lichens grow well
animals: reindeer, caribou, polar bears, arctic wolves, ptarmigans variable something in an experiment that can be changed
water cycle
evaporation, condensation, precipitation; continual process