Second Quarter Science Vocabulary - Sixth Grade - Mr. Benton

Directions:  click on the words to see a definition                 Printable version                     to 1st Qtr.       3rd Qtr.

39.  photosynthesis 49.  stamen 59.  producer 69.  reproductive potential
40.  carbon dioxide 50.  fertilization 60.  consumer 70.  carrying capacity
41.  energy 51.  population 61. decomposer 71.  detritivore
42.  transpiration 52.  ecosystem 62.  autotroph/heterotroph 72.  omnivore
43.  xylem 53.  community 63.  primary, secondary, tertiary,quaternary (trophic levels) 73.  carbohydrate
44.  guard cells 54.  individual 64.  herbivore 74.  calorie
45. stomate 55.  abiotic/ biotic 65.  carnivore 75. extinction
46.  pistil 56.  adaptation 66.  biomass 76.  species
47.  ovary 57.  food web / food chain 67.  10% rule  
48.  pollen 58.  trophic level 68 limiting factor  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  monocot/dicot - seeds (or plants) which have one cotyledon (monocots), or two cotyledons (dicots)

 

shoot -  the first growth of the stem and leaf from a seed (appears after the root)

 

 root - usually underground part of a plant which absorbs water, holds the plant in place, and sometimes stores food

 

 xylem - tiny tubes in the stem of a plant that carry water from the roots to the rest of the plant

 

stomate -  an opening in the surface of a leaf through which gasses and evaporated water pass

 

guard cells - pair of cells that surround a stomate and open and close to allow water vapor and gasses to pass in and out of a leaf

 

transpiration:  process in which water travels from root to other parts of a plant; excess water then escapes from a plant through the stomates of the plant's leaves

 

photosynthesis - the process in leaves,  which turns water and carbon dioxide into food (sugar) for a plant. 

 

  carbon dioxide - a gas which makes up less than 4% of our atmosphere, but is necessary for photosynthesis;  chemical symbol:  CO2

 

  energy - the ability to do work; comes in many forms - chemical energy, heat energy, electrical energy,

 

  pistil - the female part of a flower

47.  ovary - the rounded base of the pistil inside of which are found the eggs which will become seeds when fertilized

48.   pollen - small particles containing DNA, produced on the anther of a flower, which fertilize the eggs of another flower to form seeds

49.  stamen - the male part of a flower, which produces pollen

50.  fertilization -  the joining of egg and sperm in sexual reproduction to form the first cell of a new organism

51.  population- all of the members of one species in one place

52. ecosystem - organisms interacting in their environment with other organisms and with non-living factors

53. community - two or more organisms of different species living together

54. individual - one single organism

55. abiotic / biotic - non-living / living

56.  adaptation:  a natural characteristic in an organism that is beneficial to its survival and is passed to the next generation:  examples - camouflage coloration;  webbed  feet  for swimming; a larger brain; beak shape in birds

57.  food web - a diagram showing the feeding relationships among organisms in an ecosystem; arrows in the diagram show the flow of energy in the food web

58.  trophic level:  the position of an organism in an ecosystem related to its feeding habits; e.g.: producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer, etc.

59.  producer -  an organism that converts light energy into chemical energy (food).  Plants are producers, as are green algae and blue-green bacteria

60.   consumer - any organism that is not able to make its own food and must consume food from another source

61.  decomposer - organisms that obtain food by breaking down dead material into chemicals that can be recycled through the ecosystem

62.  autotroph/  heterotroph - an autotroph is an organism which makes its own food (like a plant, a producer);  a heterotroph is an organism that must eat other organisms for its energy needs ( like an animal, a consumer)

63.  primary, secondary, tertiary, quaternary:  first, second, third, and fourth (used when referring to trophic levels)

64.  herbivore - plant eater (primary consumer)

65.  carnivore - meat eater

66.  biomass - the total weight (mass) of the biotic matter in an ecosystem or trophic level

67.  "10% rule" - on average, only 10% of energy and matter consumed by an organism at a lower trophic level is passed on to the next higher consumer level because most energy is used by any given organism to perform life processes.

68.  limiting factor - any influence which reduces the reproductive capacity of a population

69.  reproductive potential- the number of offspring that an individual might possibly give birth to

70.  carrying capacity - the ability of an ecosystem to sustain (keep alive) a certain number of individuals of a species

71.  detritivore - an organism like a worm or beetle that eats dead material (detritus) but doesn't break the material down into its simplest chemical form (and is therefore not referred to as a decomposer in our book)

72.  omnivore - an animal that eats both plants and animals

73.  carbohydrate - a sugar or starch; the source of energy in many foods; the chemical formula contains carbon, hydrogen and oxygen

74.  calorie - the amount of heat energy needed to raise the temperature of one milliliter of water one degree Celsius

75.  extinction - complete disappearance of a species

76.  species -  the smallest taxonomic group;  a group of organisms that can only reproduce sexually within that group

 

 

trait - the specific way a feature is expressed in an individual:  for example, eye color is a feature; blue eyes are a trait

feature - a structure, characteristic or behavior of an organism, such as eye color, fur pattern, or timing of migration, which helps to identify the organism as a certain species

 

 variation - the range of differences in a trait in any population;  for example, there are variations in the color of walking sticks:  brown, green-brown and green.

 DNA - deoxyribonucleic acid; the complex chemical, of which chromosomes are made, that carries genetic information to the next generation 

  global warming - a rise in the average temperature in the Earth's atmosphere, partly caused by rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

 

microbe - name for bacteria and fungi, especially those that cause disease

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

root - usually underground part of a plant which absorbs water, holds the plant in place, and sometimes stores food

 

 

 

 

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scientific name - two word Latin name for a species that includes the genus and species names:  humans are Homo sapiens

 

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species - the smallest group in the taxonomic system of classification of organisms

 

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plant - the kingdom of usually green, multicellular organisms that make their own food through photosynthesis

 

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fungi - kingdom of organisms which includes mushrooms, molds, and yeast which break down food before absorbing it

 

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  mitochondrion - an organelle that "burns" sugar in a cell to release energy for life processes

 

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monocot/dicot - seeds (or plants) which have one cotyledon (monocots), or two cotyledons (dicots)

 

 

 

 

 

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  xylem - tiny tubes in the stem of a plant that carry water from the roots to the rest of the plant

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  stomate -  an opening in the surface of a leaf through which gasses and evaporated water pass

 

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carbon dioxide - a gas which makes up less than 4% of our atmosphere, but is necessary for photosynthesis;  chemical symbol:  CO2

 

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  transpiration:  process in which water vapor escapes from a plant through the stomates of the plant's leaves

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 energy - the ability to do work; comes in many forms - chemical energy, heat energy, electrical energy, etc.

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42.  phloem:  tiny tubes in a plant that carry food from the leaves to the other parts of the plant

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41.  adaptation:  a structure or behavior of an organism that is beneficial to its survival and is passed to the next generation:  examples - camouflage coloration;  webbed feet for swimming; a larger brain; beak shape in birds

 

 

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leaf - usually green part of a plant in which most photosynthesis takes place, producing food for the whole plant

 

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root - usually underground part of a plant which absorbs water, holds the plant in place, and sometimes stores food

 

 

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guard cells - curved cells which surround the openings in leaves, (forming stomates)

 

 

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  population- all of the members of one species in one place

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 ecosystem - organisms interacting in their environment with other organisms and with non-living factors

 

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 community - two or more organisms of different species interacting in the same area

 

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 individual - one single organism

 

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 abiotic / biotic - non-living / living

 

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  consumer - any organism that is not able to make its own food and must consume food from another source

 

 

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   producer -  an organism that converts light energy into chemical energy (food).  Plants are producers, as are green algae and blue-green bacteria

 

 

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  decomposer - organisms that obtain food by breaking down dead material into chemicals that can be recycled through the ecosystem

 

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  food web - a diagram showing the feeding relationships among organisms in an ecosystem; arrows show the flow of energy in the food web

 

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  energy - the ability to do work; comes in many forms - chemical energy, heat energy, electrical energy, etc.

 

Top

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   carbon dioxide - a gas which makes up less than 4% of our atmosphere, but is necessary for photosynthesis;  chemical symbol:  CO2

 

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  autotroph/  heterotroph - an autotroph is an organism which makes its own food (like a plant);  a heterotroph is an organism that must eat other organisms for its energy needs

 

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primary, secondary, tertiary, quarternary -  the consumer levels in an ecosystem;  meaning first, second, third and fourth

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  trophic level:  the position of an organism in an ecosystem related to its feeding habits; e.g.: producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer, etc.

 

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   carbohydrate - a sugar or starch; the source of energy in many foods; chemical formula contains carbon, hydrogen and oxygen

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    calorie - the amount of heat energy needed to raise the temperature of one milliliter of water one degree Celsius

 

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extinction - the complete disappearance of a species

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speciesa group of organisms that can only reproduce sexually within that group; the lowest taxonomic level

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reproductive potential - the number of offspring that an individual might possibly give birth to 

 

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limiting factor - any influence which reduces the reproductive capacity of a population

 

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carrying capacity- the ability of an ecosystem to sustain (keep alive) a certain number of individuals

 

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"10% rule" - on average, only 10% of energy and matter consumed by an organism at a lower trophic level is passed on to the next higher consumer level because most energy is used by any given organism to perform life processes.

 

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detritivore - an organism like a worm or beetle that eats dead material (detritus) but doesn't break the material down into its simplest form (and is therefore not referred to as a decomposer in our book)

 

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omnivore - an animal that eats both plants and animals

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71.  feature - a structure, characteristic or behavior of an organism, such as eye color, fur pattern, or timing of migration, which helps to identify the organism as a certain species

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72.  trait - the specific way a feature is expressed in an individual:  for example, eye color is a feature; blue eyes are a trait

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  73. variation - the range of differences in a trait in any population;  for example, there are variations in the color of walking sticks:  brown, green-brown and green.

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 74.  DNA - deoxyribonucleic acid; the complex chemical, of which chromosomes are made, that carries genetic information to the next generation 

 

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75.  global warming - a rise in the average temperature in the Earth's atmosphere, partly caused by rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

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photosynthesis - the process in leaves,  which turns water and carbon dioxide into food (sugar) for a plant. 

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chlorophyll - a green pigment in leaves, that is necessary for photosynthesis

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mass - the amount of matter in an object, measured in grams or kilograms

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evaporation - the process of liquid water turning into vapor

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pistil - the female part of a flower

 

 

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ovary - the rounded base of the pistil inside of which are found the ovules which will become seeds when fertilized

 

 

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stamen - the male part of a flower, which produces pollen

 

 

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anther -  the tip of the stamen where pollen is produced

 

 

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pollen - small particles containing DNA, produced on the anther of a flower, which fertilize the ovules ("eggs") of another flower to form seeds

 

 

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stigma -  the sticky top of the pistil, which captures and holds pollen

 

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style -  the long "stem" of the pistil

 

 

 

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pollen tube -  a hollow tube which grows from pollen grain stuck on the stigma, down through the style to the ovary, allowing the sperm (male DNA) to travel to the eggs in the ovary of a flower

 

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filament -  the "stem" of the stamen, which supports the anther

 

 

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fertilization -  the joining of egg and sperm in sexual reproduction to form the first cell of a new organism

 

 

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51.  population- all of the members of one species in one place

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52. ecosystem - organisms interacting in their environment with other organisms and with non-living factors

 

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53. community - two or more organisms of different species interacting in a specified area

 

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54. individual - one single organism

 

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55. abiotic / biotic - non-living / living

 

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56.  adaptation:  a structure or behavior in an organism that helps the organism survive

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57.  food web / food chain - a diagram showing the feeding relationships among many organisms in an ecosystem; arrows show the flow of energy in the food web

                   (See this link for another view of food chains and food webs:  http://www.vtaide.com/png/foodchains.htm)

 

 

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58.  trophic level:  the position of an organism in an ecosystem related to its feeding habits; e.g.: producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer, etc.

 

 

 

 

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59.  producer -  an organism that converts light energy into chemical energy (food).  Plants are producers, as are green algae and blue-green bacteria

 

 

 

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60.  consumer - any organism that is not able to make its own food and must consume food from another source

 

 

 

 

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61.  decomposer - organisms that obtain food by breaking down dead material into chemicals that can be recycled through the ecosystem

 

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62.  autotroph/  heterotroph - an autotroph is a 'producer', an organism which makes its own food (like a plant);   a heterotroph is a 'consumer,' an organism that must eat other organisms for its energy needs ( like an animal)

 

 

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63.

64.  carbohydrate - a sugar or starch; the source of energy in many foods; the chemical formula contains carbon, hydrogen and oxygen

65.  calorie - the amount of heat energy needed to raise the temperature of one milliliter of water one degree Celsius