Name & # ______
Science
Environments Unit word Bank
Winter 2013-14
1)organism-any living thing: plant or animal
2)environment- everything that surrounds & influences an organism
3)an environmental factor- one part of an environment that is living or non-living
4)terrarium- a mini-garden, manmade, it is a closed environment (not in an open area & something solid is around it)
5)germinate- the sprouting (when a new plant is breaking through the dirt) or growing of a plant seed
6)variable- any factor that can be kept the same & could also be the ONE THING that can be changed
7)isopod- a crustacean that has 7 pairs of legs attached to 7 segments that lives mostly in moist areas on land and breathes through gills AND a pair of antennae
8)beetle- an insect with 3 pairs of legs, 3 body parts (head, thorax, & abdomen), a pair of wings, a pair of antennae, & a pair of elytra (hard shell that protects the wings and body of the beetle)
9)preferred environment- an environment that an organism would like to live in more than another environment
10)controlled experiment- is well organized & everything in it KEPT THE SAME except ONE thing – it has only one changed variable
11)range of tolerance –The range of tolerance means what the environmental factor limits are that an organism can live with
12)optimum –this means that an organism would prefer certain environmental factors more than other environmental factors to the point that it prefers these the MOST, “It likes it the best!”
13)aquarium –this is a closed environment that has some air above it but otherwise is completely water-surrounded
14)indicator –a species of organism that is especially good at having difficulties when there is something wrong with the soil, water, or any other environmental factor that is critical for sustaining life in an environment
15)oxygen(0) –is a gas in the air and water(H2O) that is exhaled by plants and inhaled by animals
16)carbon dioxiode(CO2) -is a gas in the air and water that is exhaled by animals and inhaled by plants
17)brine shrimp –a tiny organism of the crustacean family that lives in saltwater lakes or ponds (saltier than the ocean or other large saltwater bodies)
18)salinity –the amount of salt that is in something, i.e., water, soil, etc.
19)viable –an adjective that describes whether or not an organism has the possibility of being alive; a possibility
20)irrigate –to bring water to farm plants through hoses, tubes, ditches, ...
21)drought –when all the water evaporates or there is not enough water for certain organisms, i.e., plants & aquatic creatures to survive
22)salt-tolerant –the limit of salt that is in an organism's environment that it can also then LIVE with (the amount of salt is within the organism's range of tolerance)
23)salt-sensitive –this is a type of reaction by the organism that does NOT allow it to live as successfully as other organisms in the same salt environment
24)salt-resistant –an organism that can at the least tolerate a salty environment, but probably does just as well in its preferred environment as it does in the salty environment, thereby resisting the effects of the salt
25ecosystem – the intertwined need or co-existence of certain living organisms between each other, as well as, the nonliving or inorganics within a specific or all of a specific environment
26watershed - an area or ridge of land that separates waters flowing to different rivers, basins, or seas
27estuary - the tidal mouth of a river, where the tide meets the stream
28anadromous - (of fish) migrating from salt water to spawn in fresh water, such as salmon
29erosion - the process by which the surface of the earth is worn away by the action of water, glaciers, winds, waves, etc.
30water pollution - refers to the contamination of water bodies such as rivers, oceans, lakes, and groundwater caused by human activities
31salmon life cycle – egg, alevin, fry, smolt, adult, & spawning followed by death
325 Pacific salmon types– chum, sockeye, king, silver(coho), & pink