| A | B |
|---|
| ecology | study of how living things interact with each other and their environment |
| ecosystem | all the living and nonliving things that interact in a particular environment |
| biotic factors | a living thing in an ecosystem |
| abiotic factors | a nonliving or chemical part of an ecosystem |
| physical factors | factors you can see or feel |
| chemical factors | minerals and compounds found in soil and water |
| soil | mixture of small rock and mineral particles |
| biology | study of life and all living things |
| energy | ability to do work or cause change |
| environment | everything that surrounds living things |
| matter | anything that has mass or volume |
| nutrient | substance that an organism needs to live |
| photosynthesis | process by which green plants use energy from light to make sugar |
| respiration | living things exchange gases with the environment |
| system | a group of objects or phenomena that interact |
| cycle | a series of events or actions that repeat themselves regularly |
| water cycle | continuous movement of water through Earth |
| carbon cycle | continuous movement of carbon through Earth |
| nitrogen cycle | continuous movemeny of nitrogen through Earth |
| producer | captures energy and stores its own food |
| consumer | must get food from other sources |
| decomposer | organisms that break down dead plant and animal matter |
| food chain | describes the feeding relationship between consumers and producers |
| food web | a model of the feeding relationship |
| energy pyramid | a model that shows the amount of energy available at each feeding level |
| primary consumer | second level of the energy pyramid |
| secondary consumer | the third level of the energy pyramid |
| tertiary consumer | the top level of the energy pyramid |
| biome | areas similar in climate, plants, and animals |
| climate | long term weather patterns |
| taiga | evergreen trees, cold climate |
| tundra | very cold climate, moss, grass |
| coniferous trees | needlelike leaves that produce food all year |
| desert | dry soil |
| grassland | little rain, grasses - no forests |
| temperate forest | deciduous trees |
| deciduous trees | drop their leaves as winter approaches |
| tropical forest | gets the most rain, lots of trees and plants |
| freshwater biome | streams and rivers |
| estuary | low end of a river that feeds the ocean |
| marine biome | saltwater |
