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Science Vocabulary
Flashcards
Acid Rain

Rain that is polluted due to pollution and causes harm
to plants and animals.
Adaptation

The ability of a plant or animal to change in order to
survive
Balance

Everything working together in order to have a proper
ecosystem
Biomes

Areas in the world with similar climates, animals and
plants.
Climate

The average weather taken over a period of time
Community

the set of all populations that inhabit a certain area
Competition


When 2 or more animals fight for food, water, or
shelter
Occurs more with overpopulation
Conservation

Limiting the use of energy, water, etc. in order to
protect the environment
Consumers


Animals that eat other plants and animals
3 types
Decaying


The process of decomposition after something dies
Returns nutrients to the earth
Decomposers

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Organisms that break down dead plants and animals
Return nutrients to the earth
Deserts

A biome located near the equator with a very hot and
dry climate
Ecosystems

An area where biotic factors (plants and animals) and
abiotic factors (land) live and depend on each other
Endangered Species


A type of animal that is almost exztinct
Caused by hunting, pollution, competition, etc.
Energy


Comes from the sun
Helps plants and animals live and is transferred
through the food web
Environment

all living and non-living things that occur naturally on
Earth
Extinct
the death of every member of a species
Food Chains

The passing of energy through producers, consumers
and decomposers
Food Webs

weaves together many food chains and shows the
passing of energy from species to species
Deciduous Forests


A biome in which the weather and climate are
temperate, there are 4 seasons and many types of
plants and animals
Grasslands

Biome with large rolling hills and small animals
adapted to hide in the grass

Habitat


A particular environment inhabited by similar species
and plants
Habitat Reduction



The destroying of a habitat by humans
Eliminates plants and animals
Individual

A single animal or plant as distinguished from a
species, community, or group.
Interdependence

The dependence of every form of life on other living
things and on the natural resources in its
environment, such as air, soil, and water.
Interaction

Action on each other; reciprocal action or effect .
Latitude

The angular distance north or south of the earth's
equator, measured in degrees along a meridian, as on
a map or globe.
Limiting Factor

An environmental factor that limits the growth,
abundance, or distribution of a population of
organisms in an ecosystem.
Living Space
Niche

The function or position of an organism or population
within an ecological community.
Organisms

An individual form of life, such as a plant, animal, or
fungus; a body made up of organs, organelles, or
other parts that work together to carry on the various
processes of life.
Overpopulation

Excessive population of an area to the point of
overcrowding, depletion of natural resources, or
environmental deterioration.
Pollutants

Something that pollutes, especially a waste material
that contaminates air, soil, or water.
Population

A group of individuals of the same species inhabiting
a given area.
Predator

An animal that lives by capturing and eating other
animals.
Prey

An animal hunted and killed for food by another animal.
Producer

An organism that serves as a source of food for other
organisms in a food chain. Producers include green
plants, which produce food through photosynthesis.
Ecosystem

A system formed by the interaction of a community
of organisms with their physical environment.
Prairie

An extensive area of flat or rolling grassland,
especially the large plain of central North America.
Marsh

An area of soft, wet, low-lying land, characterized by
grassy vegetation and often forming a transition zone
between water and land.
Desert

A dry, often sandy region of little rainfall, extreme
temperatures, and sparse vegetation.
Herbivores

An animal that feeds only on plants such as cows,
grasshoppers and deer.
Carnivores

An animal that feeds chiefly on the flesh of other
animals. Carnivores include predators such as lions
and alligators, and scavengers such as hyenas and
vultures.
Omnivores

An animal that feeds on both animal and vegetable
substances.
Insecticide

A chemical used to kill insects. Nearly all insecticides have the
potential to significantly alter ecosystems; many are toxic to
humans; and others are concentrated in the food chain.
Increase

To make or become greater in size, degree, or
frequency.
Decrease

To grow or cause to grow gradually less or smaller, as
in number, amount, or intensity.
Algae

Plants which grow in water or moist ground, and
which have no true stems, roots, or leaves.
Plankton

The small drifting plants and animals on the surface
layer of a sea or lake that serve as food for fish and
other larger organisms.
Bacteria

A large group of one-celled organisms that, in some
cases, cause disease. They are the most abundant
lifeforms on Earth, and are found in all living things
and in all of the Earth's environments. Bacteria
usually live off other organisms.
Fungus/Fungi

A plant without leaves, flowers, or roots, that
reproduce by spores, including moulds, yeasts, and
mushrooms.
Condensation

The stage of the water cycle in which water in vapor
(gas) form cools and converts to liquid form.
Evaporation

The stage of the water cycle in which water in liquid
form warms and converts to vapor (gas) form.
Potential
Precipitation

Any form of water, such as rain, snow, sleet, or hail,
that falls to the earth's surface.
Polar Climate

A climatic zone located in the polar latitudes marked
by conditions too cold and harsh to support vegetation.
Temperate Climate

Characterized by moderate temperatures, weather, or
climate; neither hot nor cold.
Erosion

The wearing away of rocks or soil by the action of
water, ice, or wind.
Weathering

Any of the chemical or mechanical processes by
which rocks exposed to the weather undergo
changes in character and break down.
Dam

A barrier constructed across a waterway to control
the flow or raise the level of water.
Delta

The flat area at the mouth of some rivers where
the main stream splits up into several branches .
Sand Dune

A ridge of sand created by the wind; found in
deserts or near lakes and oceans.
Formation

a series of rocks or clouds of a particular structure
or shape
Meander

A stream consisting of successive meanders
(curves or bends). Meandering streams develop in
relatively flat areas, such as a floodplain.
Valley

An elongated lowland between ranges of
mountains, hills, or other uplands, often having a
river or stream running along the bottom.
Glacier

A huge mass of ice slowly flowing over a land
mass, formed from compacted snow in an area
where snow accumulation exceeds melting
Plateau

a usually extensive land area having a relatively level
surface raised sharply above adjacent land on at least
one side
Tributaries

A stream that flows into a larger stream or other
body of water.
Slope

An elevated geological formation.
Flood Plain

A low plain adjacent to a river that is formed chiefly
of river sediment and is subject to flooding.
Submerged

Beneath the surface of the water; "submerged rocks“.
Disposing
Aerial View

A bird's-eye view is a view of an object from above, as though
the observer were a bird, often used in the making of
blueprints, floor plans and maps.
Nutrients

Any substance that can be metabolized by an animal
to give energy and build tissue.
Sea Breezes

A wind from the sea that develops over land near coasts. It
is formed by increasing temperature differences between
the land and water which create a pressure minimum over
the land due to its relative warmth and forces higher
pressure, cooler air from the sea to move inland.
Permafrost

Permanently frozen soil, found in taiga and tundra

Limits plant growth
Reforestation

The restocking of existing forests and woodlands
which have been depleted with native tree stock.
Reclamation

Making land suitable for human use, usually through
irrigation or drainage.
Recycle

to put a used substance through a particular process
so that it is fit to use again (paper, plastic, metal)
Survival

A natural process resulting in the evolution of
organisms best adapted to the environment.
Tropical Rain Forest

The tropical rain forest is a forest of tall trees in a region of
year-round warmth.
Tundra

Any of the vast, nearly level, treeless plains of the
arctic regions
Deciduous Forest

Temperate deciduous forests are forests in cool, rainy
areas; they have trees that lose their leaves in Fall and
re-grow them in Spring.
Inertia

The tendency of objects to keep doing what they are
doing, whether it be moving or staying at rest
Momentum


The product of an object’s mass and speed that affects
the motion of an object
The tendency of objects to keep doing what they are
doing, whether it be moving or staying at rest
Friction

The resistance of a surface to relative
motion, as of an object sliding or rolling
over it
Work

Physical effort directed
toward achieving some
result; labor
Unbalanced force

When two or more forces operate on a body and
change the rest or the motion of that body
Mass

A measure of the quantity of
matter in an object
Simple Machines

Any device that changes
forces or directions of
force
Wheel

Any machine having a circular shape
Inclined Plane

A simple machine used to raise
or lower a load by rolling or
sliding
Wedge

A piece of wood or metal in a threedimensional, triangular shape with a thin
edge that is forced between objects to
split, lift, or reinforce them
Screw

A fastener driven into
a surface by applying
pressure to the head
while turning it
Lever

Simple machine which has a
bar and pivots (moves)
around a fulcrum to move
force from one point to
another
Axle

A supporting bar or shaft on which a
wheel or wheels turn
Gear

a part, as a disk, wheel, or
section of a shaft, having
cut teeth of such form, size,
and spacing that they mesh
with teeth in another part to
transmit or receive force
and motion.
Pulley

A wheel or set of wheels which grooved
edges over which a rope or chain can be
drawn in order to change the direction of
a pulling force and allow you to lift more
Compound Machine

A device that
combines two or more
simple machines