Ecosystems

Vocabulary

Ecology – The science concerned with relationships

among living things and their environment.

Ecosystem – A community that includes all the living

and non-living things found in a certain area.

Organism – A living thing.

Biotic – Consisting of living things or organisms.

Abiotic – Consisting of non-living things.

Environment – Everything that surrounds an

organism and influences it.

Terrarium - A closed glass or plastic container where organisms can

live and be observed.

Germination – The process by which seeds swell up and begin to

sprout and develop roots.

Oxygen – A reactive element that is found in water, rocks, and free

as a colorless, tasteless, odorless gas which forms about 21% of the

atmosphere, that is capable of combining with almost all elements,

and that is necessary for life.

Carbon Dioxide – A heavy, colorless gas that does not support

burning and is formed especially by the burning and breaking down

of organic substances (as in animal respiration), is absorbed from the

air by plants in photosynthesis.

Photosynthesis – The process by which green plants and blue-green

algae, in the presence of light, make food out of carbon dioxide and

water.

Aquatic – Living in water.

Aquarium – A water-filled glass or plastic container where

organisms can live and be observed.

Consumer – An organism that feeds on other organisms or

organic matter because it cannot make its own food.

Producer – An organism that can make its own food through

the process of photosynthesis.

Scavenger – An organism that eats dead or decaying organic matter.

Decomposer – Another name for scavenger.

Respiration – The process by which an organism takes in and

processes oxygen and releases carbon dioxide.

Gastropod – A class of animals with soft bodies and a muscular foot,

which is used for moving. Many gastropods, such as snails, also have a

shell.

Dependent – Determined by something else or relying on another for

support.

Interdependent – To depend on one another.

Entomologist – A scientist who studies insect life.

Isopod – A small animal with a segmented thorax. Each part of the

thorax has its own pair of legs. Isopods are crustaceans. They include

pill bugs, as well as certain sea animals such as shrimp and lobsters.

Terrestrial – Of or related to the land.

6 CO2 + 6 H2O → C6H12O6 + 6 O2

Carbon dioxide + Water + Light energy → Glucose + Oxygen

Formula for Photosynthesis

Eco-Column – The joining of the aquarium and terrarium.

Acid Rain– Rain that is contaminated with pollutants such as sulfur

dioxide and nitrogen oxide.

Pollutant– Anything that spreads harmful or unpleasant substances

into the air, water, or soil.

Disturbance– Anything that upsets the development, movement, or

organization of someone or something.

pH Scale– The scale that measures how acidic or basic a solution is.

Tradeoff– The act of giving up one thing in order to get another.

Experimental Variable – An element or part of an experiment that

CAN be changed.

Controlled Experiment– A scientific investigation in which only one

variable is changed, and all others are kept the same, or constant.

Hypothesis– A prediction about how something works or how two

variables are related.

Procedure– A set of steps that explain how to do something.