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Science Mid-Term 2011-2012
Science Mid-Term 2011-2012
53
Science
6th Grade
01/18/2012

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Term
variation
Definition
Any difference between individuals of the same species.
Term
gradualism
Definition
The theory that evolution occurs slowly but steadily.
Term
extinct
Definition
Term used to indicate a species that does not have any living members.
Term
radioactive dating
Definition
A technique used to determine the actual age of a fossil on the basis of the amount of a radioactive element it contains.
Term
fossil
Definition
The preserved remains or traces of an organism that lived in the past.
Term
gene
Definition
The set of information that controls a trait; a segment of DNA on a chromosome that codes for a specific trait.
Term
evolution
Definition
The gradual change in a species over time.
Term
homologous structures
Definition
Body parts that are structurally similar in related species; provide evidence that the structures were inherited from a common ancestor.
Term
branching tree
Definition
A diagram that shows how scientists think different groups of organisms are related.
Term
natural selection
Definition
The process by which individuals that are better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce than other members of the same species.
Term
punctuated equilibria
Definition
The theory that species evolve during short periods of rapid change.
Term
observing
Definition
The process of using one or more of your senses to gather information.
Term
inferring
Definition
The process of making an inference, an interpretation based on observations and prior knowledge.
Term
qualitative observation
Definition
An observation that deals with characteristics that cannot be expressed in numbers.
Term
quantitative observation
Definition
An observation that deals with a number or amount.
Term
spontaneous generation
Definition
The mistaken idea that living things arise from nonliving sources.
Term
mitosis
Definition
The stage of the cell cycle during which the cell’s nucleus divides into two new nuclei and one copy of the DNA is distributed into each daughter cell.
Term
scientific inquiry
Definition
The ongoing process of discovery in science; the diverse ways in which scientists study the natural world and propose explanations based on evidence they gather.
Term
predicting
Definition
The process of forecasting what will happen in the future based on past experience or evidence.
Term
classifying
Definition
The process of grouping together items that are alike in some way.
Term
engineer
Definition
A person who is trained to use both technological and scientific knowledge to solve practical problems.
Term
competition
Definition
The struggle between organisms to survive as they attempt to use the same limited resource.
Term
community
Definition
All the different populations that live together in an area.
Term
habitat
Definition
The specific environment in which an animal lives.
Term
species
Definition
A group of similar organisms that can mate with each other and produce offspring that can also mate and reproduce.
Term
population
Definition
All the members of one species in a particular area.
Term
birth rate
Definition
The number of births in a population in a certain amount of time.
Term
death rate
Definition
The number of deaths in a population in a certain amount of time.
Term
adaptation
Definition
A trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce.
Term
biotic factor
Definition
A living part of an organism’s habitat.
Term
homeostasis
Definition
The maintenance of stable internal conditions.
Term
compound
Definition
Two or more elements that are chemically combined.
Term
autotroph
Definition
An organism that makes its own food.
Term
replication
Definition
The process by which a cell makes a copy of the DNA in its nucleus.
Term
abiotic factor
Definition
A nonliving part of an organism’s habitat.
Term
host
Definition
An organism that provides a source of energy or a suitable environment for a virus or another organism to live.
Term
parasite
Definition
An organism that lives inside or on another organism and takes food from the organism in or on which it lives.
Term
symbiosis
Definition
A close relationship between two species that benefits at least one of the species.
Term
diffusion
Definition
The process by which molecules move from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration.
Term
cell cycle
Definition
The regular sequence of growth and division that cells undergo.
Term
interphase
Definition
The stage of the cell cycle that takes place before cell division occurs.
Term
limiting factor
Definition
An environmental factor that causes a population to decrease.
Term
cytokinesis
Definition
The final stage of the cell cycle, in which the cell‘s cytoplasm divides, distributing the organelles into each of the two new cells.
Term
osmosis
Definition
The diffusion of water molecules through a selectively permeable membrane.
Term
passive transport
Definition
The movement of materials through a cell membrane without using energy.
Term
enzyme
Definition
A protein that speeds up chemical reactions in the body.
Term
taxonomy
Definition
The scientific study of how living things are classified.
Term
fermentation
Definition
The process by which cells break down molecules to release energy without using oxygen.
Term
pedigree
Definition
A chart or “family tree” that tracks which members of a family have a particular trait.
Term
Redi's Experiment
Definition
In the 1600s, Italian doctor Francesco Redi designed a controlled experiment to show that flies do not arise from decaying meat. In Redi’s experiment, the manipulated variable was whether or not the jar was covered. Flies were able to enter the uncovered jar and lay their eggs on the meat. The eggs hatched into maggots. The flies could not enter the covered jar. Therefore, no maggots formed. Redi concluded that rotting meat does not produce flies.
Term
scientific name
Definition
The formal name that scientists give to life forms and things that occur within nature. It is also often referred to as binomial nomenclature.
Term
Chromatid
Definition
one of two identical strands into which a chromosome splits during mitosis
Term
DNA replication
Definition
A natural process that occurs in all living organisms that copies their individual DNA. The process uses a the original double stranded DNA as a template for the production of more DNA.
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