Cycle of Matter/Flow of Energy Vocabulary 7th Grade Science
Ecosystem All the living and nonliving things that interact in an area.
Biotic Factors a living part of an ecosystem
Abiotic Factors All of the nonliving parts of an ecosystem
Habitat The place where an organism lives and that provides the things the organism needs
Species A group of similar organisms whose members can mate with one another and produce fertile offspring
Niche An organism’s particular role in an ecosystem, or how it makes its living
Producers An organism that can make its own food
Consumers An organism that obtains energy by feeding on other organisms
Herbivore An animal that eats only plants
Carnivore An animal that eats only other animals
Omnivore An animal that eats both plants and animals.
Scavenger A carnivore that feeds on the bodies of dead organisms
Decomposer An organism that breaks down large molecules from
Food chain A series of events in which one organism eats another and obtains energy
Food web The pattern of overlapping food chains in an ecosystem
Energy pyramid A diagram that shows the amount of energy that moves from one feeding level to another in a food web
Biome A group of ecosystems with similar climates and organisms
Biomass Matter formed by plants or animals that is used as a fuel, such as wood or dung.
Compost bin Made up of discarded fruit and vegetable material, yard waste, and other plant materials
Autotroph Primary producers
Heterotroph An organism that obtains the energy it needs by feeding on other organisms
Trophic levels The position an organisms occupies in a food chain
Radiant Energy Light energy that ravels in waves and supplies the earth with almost all of our energy.
Predator A carnivore that hunts and kills other animals for food and that has adaptations that help it capture the animals it preys upon
Evaporation Is the process in which liquid water changes into invisible water vapor.
Denitrification Is the process where nitrogen compounds are turned back into atmospheric nitrogen.
Matter Anything that has mass and takes up space
Condensation Is the process in which water vapor changes into liquid water.
Nitrogen fixing bacteria Are bacteria that take atmospheric nitrogen and change it into useful nitrogen compounds that plant and animals can use.
Transpiration Water vapor is released to the air from the leaves of plants.
Prey An animal that a predator feeds upon
Precipitation Occurs when water or a form of ice falls from the atmosphere to Earth’s surface.