Download Life Science Vocabulary

Life Science Vocabulary 2015
5.L.1
Living Things
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Organisms— living things
Cell—the smallest part of a living thing that can carry out all the processes of life
Eukaryotic cell—a cell that has a nucleus
Prokaryotic cell—a cell that does not have a nucleus
Uni-cellular—made up of only one cell
Reproduce—to make more organisms of one’s own kind
Multi-cellular—made up of more than one cell
Nucleus—the cell structure that controls several functions; central part of an atom
DNA—the chemical substance that controls the structure and function of cells
Gene—a set of instructions that determines a trait an organism will have
TissuesOrgans—
Systems—a group of parts that work together
Respiratory system—the body system that takes oxygen from the air
Digestive system—the body system that breaks down food so it can be used by the body
Circulatory system—the body system that carries oxygen, food, and wastes throughout
the body
Skeletal system—the body system of bones that give the body structure and support
Muscular system—the body system that is made up of all the muscles attached to bones
Nervous system—the body system that controls all other body systems
Trait—a quality or characteristic of a living thing
Behavior—a way in which a living thing acts or responds to its surroundings
Inherited trait— a characteristic that a living thing gets from its parents
Population—a group of organisms of the same kind that live in the same area at the
same time
Acquired trait—a characteristic that a living thing gets during its lifetime
Learned behavior—a skill that an animal develops after it is born
Ecosystems
5.L.2
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Ecosystems—all the living and non-living things in an area
Biotic factor—living parts of the environment
Abiotic factors—non-living parts of the environment
Terrestrial ecosystems—land based ecosystems
Aquatic ecosystems— a water-based ecosystem
Life Science Vocabulary 2015
 Temperate/ Deciduous Forest-- —an ecosystem that contains many trees, which lose
their leaves each fall
 Grassland—an ecosystem that has fertile soil covered with tall grasses
 Desert—a tree-less ecosystem with very sandy or rocky soil
 Taiga (coniferous forest)—an ecosystem that is very cool with many evergreen-conebearing trees
 Tundra- an extremely cold, tree-less ecosystem with perma-frost soil
 Estuary—a body of water in which freshwater from a river meets and mixes with salt
water from the ocean
 Salt marsh—a flat area of land where salt water over flows
 Producer—a living thing that makes its own food
 Photosynthesis—the process by which plants, algae, and some bacteria use energy from
sunlight to make their own food
 Consumer— a living thing that gets energy by eating other living things
 Herbivore—a consumer that eats only or mostly plants
 Carnivore—a consumer that eats only or mostly meats
 Omnivore—a consumer that eats both plants and animals
 Decomposer—a living thing that gets energy by breaking down wastes and dead plants
and animals
 Food chain—a model that shows the path of energy as it flows from one living thing to
the next
 Food web—a model that shows how several food chains connect together
 Energy pyramid—a diagram that shows how the amount of energy changes as it moves
through the food chain or food web
 Interact—to come into contact with and affect each other
 Predator—an animal that hunts other animals for food
 Prey—an animal that is hunted by other animals for food
 Competition—the demand for a resource by two or more organisms