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TX -- HEB ISD -- 7th Grade Science
HEB ISD 7th Grade Science Vocabulary
89
Science
7th Grade
09/13/2016

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Term
Carnivore
Definition
An animal that feeds on other animals
Term
Consumer
Definition
An organism that feeds on other organisms
Term
Decomposer
Definition
Simple organism, such as bacteria or fungus, that breaks down dead organisms and waste, returning important nutrients to the environment
Term
Energy Pyramid
Definition
Diagram that illustrates the flow of energy through a food chain
Term
Food Chains
Definition
Path of food energy from the sun to the producer to a series of consumers within an ecosystem
Term
Food Web
Definition
In an ecosystem, arrangement of several overlapping food chains
Term
Herbivore
Definition
An animal that feeds only on plants
Term
Omnivore
Definition
An animal that feeds on both plants and animals
Term
Organic Compounds
Definition
Compound that contains carbon
Term
Predator
Definition
Animal that kills and eats other animals
Term
Prey
Definition
Organism that is killed and eaten by another organism (predator)
Term
Primary Consumer
Definition
In a food chain, organism that eats plants, such as a rabbit; second level of the energy pyramid
Term
Producer
Definition
Organism that makes its own food, such as a plant or a photosynthetic algae; bottom level of the energy pyramid
Term
Scavenger
Definition
Organism, such as a vulture, that feeds on dead or decaying organisms
Term
Secondary Consumer
Definition
In a food chain, an organism that feeds on plant-eaters; also called a predator; third level of the energy pyramid
Term
Tertiary Consumer
Definition
In an ecosystem, a predator that feeds on other predators; top level of the energy pyramid
Term
Biomass
Definition
Material from living things
Term
Autotroph
Definition
An organism, such as a plant, that makes its own food (-troph)
Term
Heterotroph
Definition
An organism that obtains the energy it needs by feeding on other organisms (-troph)
Term
Trophic Level
Definition
The position an organism occupies in a food chain
Term
Host
Definition
Organism that supports a parasite
Term
Photosynthesis
Definition
Chemical process by which plants use light energy to make sugar from water and carbon dioxide
Term
Respiration
Definition
Process in cells by which oxygen is chemically combined with food molecules and energy is released
Term
Carbon Dioxide-Oxygen Cycle
Definition
The continual transfer of carbon dioxide and oxygen between living things and the environment
Term
Nitrogen Cycle
Definition
In the environment, the movement of nitrogen between the living and non-living parts of an ecosystem
Term
Radiant Energy
Definition
Energy produced by the sun
Term
Chemical Energy
Definition
Energy stored in chemical bonds
Term
Climax Community
Definition
Dominant community of plants and animals that come to live in an area
Term
Ecological Succession
Definition
Process by which one community of organisms slowly replaces another in an area
Term
Pioneer Species
Definition
First organisms to live in an area
Term
Primary Succession
Definition
The development of plant and animal life in an area without topsoil
Term
Secondary Succession
Definition
The development of plant and animal life in an area with topsoil
Term
Lichens
Definition
Organisms made of photosynthetic bacteria and are common pioneer species, able to grow on bare rock. As they grow, they release acids that break down rock to form soil
Term
Weathering
Definition
Breaking down of rocks
Term
Chemical Weathering
Definition
Wearing away of rocks by chemical processes, such as oxidation or dissolving
Term
Deposition
Definition
Process by which wind, water, and gravity leave eroded sediments in new locations
Term
Erosion
Definition
Movement of sediment by wind, water, ice, or gravity
Term
Mechanical Weathering
Definition
Breaking up of rock by physical forces, such as the action of wind and moving water
Term
Ecoregion
Definition
A relatively large area that is characterized by distinctive plant and animal communities, climate, and ecological features
Term
Topography
Definition
A description of land surface area with reference to elevation variations
Term
Sediments
Definition
Earth material that is broken down by processes of weathering, can be eroded and deposited by the agents of water, wind, ice, and gravity
Term
Drainage Divide
Definition
A geographical barrier, such as a ridge, hill, or mountain separating one watershed land area from another
Term
Water Table
Definition
The top of the saturation zone, below which water fills all open spaces between the rock
Term
Zone of Aeration
Definition
The upper portion of soil and rock that can be temporarily filled with water as the water enters the ground and moves deeper
Term
Saturation Zone
Definition
Below the water table where all spaces not filled with solid material fill with water
Term
Permeable Rock
Definition
Allows water movement to flow through the material; the opposite of impermeable
Term
Subsidence
Definition
Sunken land surface due to underlying compression of earth material as a result of the removal of groundwater
Term
Porosity
Definition
The volume of pore space available within rock or soil
Term
Groundwater
Definition
Water contained in the open spaces or pores or rock or soil
Term
Aquifer
Definition
Layer of permeable rock through which water flows freely
Term
Surface Water
Definition
Water found on the surface of the Earth; includes rivers, lakes, streams, and oceans
Term
Watershed
Definition
Area of land that drains water from higher land to lower land and into a stream; also called a drainage basin
Term
Permeability
Definition
Description of how well a rock or sediment lets water pass through
Term
Point Source Water Pollution
Definition
A single identifiable and localized source of water pollution, such as wastewater discharge into a stream
Term
Nonpoint Source Water Pollution
Definition
Pollutants introduced into surface or groundwater that are without a specific location source, such as water flowing over a lawn that has been fertilized and into a drain
Term
Allele
Definition
One of a pair of genes that determine a specific trait
Term
Chromosome
Definition
A structure located in the nucleus of a cell, made of DNA, that contains the genetic information needed to carry out cell functions and make a new cell
Term
DNA
Definition
Deoxyribonucleic acid; the material found in a cell's nucleus, that determines the genetic traits of the organism
Term
Dominant Trait
Definition
In a pair of alleles, the one that, if present, determines the trait
Term
Gene
Definition
Segment of DNA, found on a chromosome, that determines the inheritance of a particular trait
Term
Generations
Definition
That which is generated or brought forth; offspring
Term
Genetics
Definition
The study of how traits are passed from parent to offspring
Term
Genotype
Definition
The set of genes carried by an organism
Term
Gregor Mendel
Definition
Father of genetics who conducted pea plant experiments to determine how traits were passed from one generation to the next
Term
Heredity
Definition
The passage of genetic instruction from one generation to the next
Term
Hybrid or Heterozygous
Definition
Refers to an organism that carries two different alleles for the same trait
Term
Offspring
Definition
New organism produced by a living thing
Term
Phenotype
Definition
The physical appearance of an organism
Term
Pure Breed or Homozygous
Definition
Refers to an organism that carries two dominant or two recessive for a given trait
Term
Recessive Trait
Definition
In a pair of alleles, the one that is masked if a dominant allele is present
Term
Selective Breeding
Definition
The intentional breeding of organisms with desirable traits in an attempt to produce offspring with similar desirable characteristics or improved traits
Term
Punnett Square
Definition
A diagram that is used to predict an outcome of a particular cross or breeding experiment
Term
Codominance
Definition
A cross between organisms with two different phenotypes producing offspring with a third phenotype in which both of the parental traits appear together
Term
Incomplete Dominance
Definition
A cross between organisms with two different phenotypes producing offspring with a third phenotype that is a blending of the parental traits
Term
Displacement
Definition
Measures the distance and direction from the starting point
Term
Speed
Definition
Distance divided by time
Term
Force
Definition
A push or pull that causes an object to accelerate
Term
Equilibrium
Definition
When a system becomes stable or balanced
Term
Friction
Definition
The force that opposes motion between two surfaces that are in contact with each other
Term
Balanced
Definition
Forces that are equal but opposite in direction; when they act on an object, they cancel each other out and no change occurs in the object's motion
Term
Unbalanced
Definition
Describes unequal forces acting on an object; results in a change in the object's motion in the direction of the larger force
Term
Velocity
Definition
Speed and direction of a moving object
Term
Mass
Definition
Amount of matter in something; measured in grams
Term
Acceleration
Definition
Change in velocity over time; Always produced by a force
Term
Inertia
Definition
An object's tendency to resist a change in motion
Term
Weight
Definition
A measure of the force of gravity on an object; Equals mass * acceleration to gravity
Term
Gravity
Definition
Force of attraction between any two objects
Term
Potential
Definition
Stored energy an object has because of its position or shape
Term
Kinetic
Definition
Energy an object or particle has because it is moving
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