| A | B |
|---|
| cell | smallest unit of living material having major structures within it allowing it to live. |
| cell membrane | soft, flexible outside covering of a cell that controls what comes in and out of a cell |
| cytoplasm | gel-like fluid that fills most of a cell |
| nucleus | controls everything the cell does |
| vacuole | storage spaces in the cell; hold water, nutrients and wastes |
| population | All members of one kind of organism that live in a particular area |
| community | group of different populations of organisms |
| biotic | living parts of the ecosystem |
| abiotic | non-living parts of the ecosystem |
| terrestrial | land-based |
| aquatic | water-based |
| forests | have many trees shrubs, grasses and ferns, and a variety of animals |
| grasslands | have fertile soil and are covered with tall grasses |
| estuaries | found where the freshwater rivers meet the oceans |
| lakes or ponds | bodies of freshwater that are surrounded by land |
| oceans | large bodies of saltwater divided by continents |
| producers | use light energy from the Sun to produce food (sugar) from carbon dioxide in the air and water |
| consumers | cannot make their own food so they must eat plants and/or other animals |
| herbivore | eat only plants |
| carnivore | eat only animals |
| omnivore | eat both plants and animals |
| decomposers | consumers that get the energy they need by breaking down dead or decaying matter |
| food chains | a series of plants and animals in which each organism is a source of food (energy) for the next in the series |
| food web | interconnected food chains |
| predator | animals that hunt and kill other animals for food |
| prey | animals that are hunted and killed as food for other animals |
| parasite | organism that spends a significant portion of its life in or on a living host organism usually causing harm to the host without immediately killing it |
| host | organisms or cells that serve as a home or a source of food for a parasite |
| limiting factor | condition or resource that keeps a population at a certain size is known |
