Resources
: Glossary
Third - Fifth Grade Online Curriculum : Communities
Third - Fifth Grade Online Curriculum : Communities
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Resources
: Glossary
Third - Fifth Grade Online Curriculum : Communities |
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Abiotic: nonliving,
usually used in reference to things in an environment, such as air, water, rocks
Adaptation: a physical or behavioral trait that helps an organism survive
in its environment
Apex consumer: the highest consumer level (the top predator) of a food
chain or food pyramid
Aquarium: A place for the public exhibition of live aquatic animals and
plants
Bacteria: one-celled organisms that do not have membranes surrounding
their nuclei
Biodiversity: the variety of life at all levels, genetic, species and community
Biotic: living, usually used in reference to things in an environment,
such as plants and animals
Blue crab: a crab common in coastal saltwater habitats, characterized by
a brown shell and large blue claws
Carbohydrates: basic sugars that are produced by plants in photosynthesis
as food energy
Carnivore: an animal that consumes other animals for food
Chlorophyll: a green pigment in plants that absorbs energy from sunlight
for photosynthesis
Chloroplast: the structure in a plant that contains chlorophyll and
is where photosynthesis occurs
Clay: soils made up of sediment with very tiny particle sizes that is plastic-like
when wet
Climate: the average weather conditions (temperature, rainfall, air pressure,
humidity and cloudiness) of an environment
Coast: the land region in South Carolina that is adjacent to the Ocean
and is regularly influenced by the actions of the Ocean
Coastal Plain: the land region in South Carolina that is adjacent to
the Coast and is characterized by flat land and many wetlands
Community: all of the different plant and animal populations that share
a common environment
Conservation: the directed effort to take care of and protect natural
resources
Conservation easement: a legal contract in which a landowner agrees not
develop his property and all buyers of the property in the future must follow
the same regulations
Consumer: an animal that eats other organisms
Decay: to decompose or break apart organic materials into its separate parts
or elements
Decomposer: an organism, such as a bacterium or fungi, that breaks down
the cells of plants and animals
Decomposition: the process by which organic material is broken up into
carbon, nitrogen, or other elements
Diamondback terrapin: a small turtle that lives and swims in and around
salt marshes
Diatom: microscopic, single-celled aquatic plants that conduct photosynthesis
and have an external skeleton made of silica
Ecosystem: all of the living populations of a community and the nonliving
resources of the environment
Elevation: the height of an object or landform from sea level
Enzyme: a protein used by organisms as a catalyst to cause biological
reactions, such as digestion
Exhibit: A public showing; to present for others to see
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Fiddler crab: small crabs that live along the sandy edges of salt marshes.
Males have one enlarged pincer, or front claw
Food chain: a series of organisms linked together according to who
eats whom, illustrating the movement of energy from one organism to another
in a community
Food web: a diagram of a community showing how the organisms are connected
based on predator prey relationships
Fungus: a single-celled or multi-celled organism in the scientific
group Fungi, such as mushrooms, molds, mildews, and yeasts, that live primarily
by decomposing and digesting organic material
Germination: the sprouting and growth of a plant from a seed
Glucose: a simple sugar, the most common type of carbohydrate, that is
produced by plants
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Habitat: the place where a plant or animal can get the things it needs
to survive
Habitat loss: the changing or destruction of a habitat, usually caused
by human use of the habitat
Herbivore: an animal that consumes only plants
Impermeable surface: a surface that does not allow liquid to flow through
it
Igneous Rock: rock that forms when magma cools to become a solid
Interdependence: two or more variables or organisms that depend on each
other
Land development: the changing of natural areas to build human structures,
such as homes, businesses and roads
Loam: soil composed of clay, sand and organic material that is ideal for
many plants
Marsh snail: small snails that live in salt marshes and eat detritus and
algae
Metamorphic rock: rock that forms when heat or pressure changes the chemical
composition of already existing rock
Mountains: the land region in South Carolina that is part of the Blue
Ridge Mountains and is characterized by cooler climates and major changes in
elevation
Niche: a description of the roles and interactions an organism has with
the elements of its community
Ocean: the region in South Carolina that is part of the Atlantic Ocean
Omnivore: an animal that eats both plant and animal matter
Organism: a living object, such as a plant or animal
Osmosis: the movement of water across a permeable surface from areas
of high concentration to areas of low concentration
Photosynthesis: the process by which plants use sunlight, carbon dioxide
and water to make food (starch) and oxygen
Piedmont: the land region in South Carolina that is adjacent to the Mountains
and is characterized by rolling hills and clay soils
Pollutant: a man-made impurity in the natural environment
Population: a group of organisms from one species that share the same
environment and interbreed
Precipitation: the falling of water in its various states, as a part
of weather (ex. rain, sleet, hail, mist, etc.)
Predator: an animal that catches and eats other animals for food
Prey: an animal that is caught and eaten by another animal for food
Primary consumer: organisms that get their food energy by eating organisms
that are producers. Herbivores are primary consumers
Producer: any organism that produces its own food through the process
of photosynthesis or chemical reactions
Region: an area of land characterized by specific climate, geology and ecosystems
River otter: mammals found in aquatic habitats with an elongate body,
webbed toes, and a thick coat of brown fur; members of the weasel family
Runoff: rainwater that, when it hits the ground, does not soak into the
ground or evaporate but instead flows along the surface
Sandhills: the land region in South Carolina that is the remnants of ancient
sand dunes of the former coastline and that mark the boundary between the Coastal
Plain and the Piedmont
Secondary consumer: animals in the food chain who eat the primary consumers
(herbivores)
Sedimentary rock: Rock that is formed by the consolidation of sediment particles
or of the remains of plants and animals
Simile: a comparison to show similarities between unlike things using
the words, "like" or "as" (ex. He runs like a deer)
Soil: the uppermost layer of earth that is composed of rock and mineral
particles and decomposed plant and animal matter
Spores: microscopic, reproductive structures that are produced by organisms
such as fungi that are easily dispersed and resistant to unfavorable conditions
Stimulus (pl. stimuli): something that causes a reaction in a living
organism
Stomata: tiny openings in the leaves of plants that allow carbon dioxide
to enter the plant and water vapor and carbon dioxide to leave the plant
Temperature: a measurement in degrees of how active atoms are, commonly
described in terms of how hot or cold something is
Tertiary consumer: The third animal linked in a food chain; is always
a consumer and is usually the apex consumer
Topography: the elevations and shapes of the land
Trophic level: the feeding level in a food chain
Urban: relating to a city
Urban sprawl: the spreading of development (homes, stores, etc.) around
a city as more people move to the area (or as population increases)
Waste: the unused food remains that are released by an animal after digestion
Watershed: a delineated area of land in which all of the rain that falls
in the area will eventually drain into the same body of water