Unit 1 – Living Things in Their Environment Lesson 1 – What are Living Things?

Organism Any Plant, animals or other thing that is living.

Environment Everything around an organism or the place that it lives.

Reproduce Living things making more of their own kind.

Oxygen A basic need of living things to help get energy.

Wastes Solids or liquids expelled from organisms.

Life functions Activities that organisms perform to stay alive.

Unit 1 – Living Things in Their Environment Lesson 2 – How do scientists Study Living Things?

Biology The study of living things.

Ecology The relationship of living things to their environment.

Biosphere The part of the earth in which life exists.

Observing Is the act of using one’s senses (seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, tasting)

Measurement A form of observation, it includes any form of counting

Hypotheses Is a guess or possible answer that scientists will make based upon the information that they collect.

Experiments Tests done to prove or disprove hypotheses.

Conclusions Are final explanations.

Lesson 3 – What is an Ecosystem? Species Various types of living things.

Population All of the members of one species that live in an area.

Community More than one population living together.

Ecosystem Combined living and non-living (environment) together.

Lesson 4- How are Materials Cycled in Nature? When a material goes through steps that lead back to where it started. (i.e. Water, Oxygen/Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen Cycles)

Lesson 5- What is a Food Chain? Producers They make food for other living things (i.e. Plants)

Consumers Organisms that feed on other living things.

Food Chain Different level consumers feed on one another.(i.e.1) rabbit, 2)snake 3)hawk

Predator An animal that eats other animals.

Prey The animal a predator eats.

Lesson 6- What is a Food Web? Two or more food chains that link together.

Herbivores Organisms that eat only plant foods. (i.e. cows)

Carnivores Organisms that eat only meat. (i.e. lions)

Omnivore Organisms that eat both.

Decomposer Breakdown or decompose wastes and dead organisms.

Scavenger A kind of decomposer (i.e. vultures)

Lesson 7- What are Food Pyramids? Illustrates how much food each predator eats. At the bottom are producers. Each level above shows different level consumers.

Lesson 8- What is a succession? A series of changes.

Pioneer Plants The first new plants that grow naturally. (i.e. weeds)

Pioneer community First plants, insects, and animals in an area.

Dominant Overpowering other plants or animals.

Climax Community A stable, continuing collection of plants and animals.

Lesson 9- What is a Biome? Climate A pattern of weather over time.

Biome A large area with the same climate. There are six major types; 1) tundra, 2) coniferous forest, 3) deciduous forest, 4) grassland, 5) desert, 6) tropical rain forest

Lesson 10- What are Habitats and Niches? Is the place where a species lives. (i.e. a bear-the forest)

Niche Is how each population fits into its habitat.

Limiting factors Keep limits on the population of a species. (i.e. amount of food available)

Lesson 11- Can an Ecosystem Get Out-of-Balance? Balanced The average size of a population does not change.

Pollute Anything that upsets the environment (i.e. harmful chemicals from factories).

Endangered Species Living things in danger of dying out.

Extinct Species that have died out.