7th and 8th Grade Vocab

the sinking movement of ocean floor back into the mantle

 an organism that eats another organism

 threadlike structures that carry information about the organisms in units called genes

 the motion of a body that travels around another body

a scientist that specializes in ecology

contamination of Earth’s land, water, or air

interactions that occur between two or more species

forms when a rock is changed by heat or pressure or by chemical reactions

 plates come together, or converge

the moon’s shadow falls on part of the Earth because the moon, sun, and Earth are completely in line

related to the motion and the energy of the particles of matter

different forms of a gene

an imaginary straight line that runs from the North Pole to the South Pole

igneous rock that is formed when magma hardens beneath the surface of Earth

amount of matter in an object

releases heat (energy) causing the surrounding temperatures to rise

plates slip past each other

an action or a change in behavior

feeds on the bodies of dead organisms

the part of the environment or habitat that are or once were alive and that interact with an organism

pure substance that cannot be broken down into simpler substances by ordinary means

the moon appears to shrink in size, from gibbous to quarter to crescent, then back to new moon

the process by which molecules move from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration

any change or signal in the environment that can make an organism react in some way

sugar molecules are broken down to release energy

mixture that appears uniform throughout 

the movement of substances across a cell membrane from an area of low concentration to an area of high concentration

type of weathering that breaks down rock through chemical changes

jelly like substance inside the cell that fills the region between the cell membrane and the nucleus

diffusion of water across the cell membrane

substance formed after a reaction takes place 

an environmental factor that causes a population to stop growing or decrease in size

 anything occurring naturally in the environment that humans use

 the ability to do work or cause change

the organism's physical appearance of visible traits

 consists of many overlapping food chains

energy that is stored

 energy rich substances made from preserved remains of organisms

type of passive transport that uses special proteins, to help molecules move across a cell me

all the populations of a different species that live and interact in an area

movement of dissolved materials across the cell membrane without using the cell’s energy

mixture with visually distinguishable components

igneous rock formed from lava that erupted onto Earth’s surface

tough, rigid layer that protects the cell and helps keep its shape

 the basic unit of structure and function in living things

the measure of how much matter there is in a given space

the practice of using less of a resource so that it can last longer

the largest population that a given environment can support

energy of motion

laying down of sediment carried by wind, flowing water, the sea, or ice

fixed volume, but takes the shape of the container

 a measure of the mass of a material in a given volume

small, solid pieces of material that come from rocks or the remains of organisms

bacteria in the soil changes nitrogen to a usable form that plants can absorb

the burning of gasoline, natural gas, and plant fuels that causes carbon dioxide to be released into the atmosphere

 particle in an atom’s nucleus with no charge

a substance made of 2 or more elements that have been chemically joined

the environment in which an organism lives

made up of a community of organisms and its abiotic environment

an organism’s genetic makeup or combination of alleles

 the maintenance of stable internal conditions

the passing of traits from parents to offspring

the tendency of some minerals to break along flat surfaces

the study of the interactions between organisms and their environment

the change of state from a liquid to a solid

 process in which oxygen and glucose undergo a complex series of chemical reactions inside cells, releasing energy

refers to a mineral’s resistance to being scratched

break down biotic wastes and dead organisms, returning the raw material to the ecosystem

the spinning of a body on its axis

substance made of two or more elements that are chemically combined in a set ratio

rain that comes in all different forms depending on the temperature of the atmosphere

sequences of DNA that give physical characteristics to organisms

an interaction in which one organism kills another for food or nutrients

the behaviors and physical characteristics that allow organisms to live successfully in their environment

only eat plants and other photosynthetic organisms

an organism that can make its own food

the sun shines equally on the Northern and Southern Hemispheres of Earth

the tendency of some minerals to break unevenly along curved or irregular shapes

interactions that occur between individuals of the same species

relationship in which one species benefits and the other species is neither helped nor harmed

one of the two identical halves of a chromosome that has been replicated in preparation for cell division

captures energy from the sunlight, carbon dioxide from the air, and water to make food in the form of sugar

shows the amount of energy that moves from one feeding level to another in a food web

 eat both plants and animals

the change in state from a liquid to a gas

one individual of any living species

a substance made of 2 or more elements that have been chemically joined

a sac-like organelle that stores water, food, and other materials needed by the cell

 an atom or group of atoms that has either a positive or negative charge

measure of the force of gravity on an object

is hidden whenever the dominant allele is present

when an organism has one dominant allele and one recessive allele (Gg)

specialized and organized structures seen in living cells

rocks that form from cooled magma or lava

most abundant gas in our atmosphere

plates move apart, or diverge, from each other

the breaking down or dissolving of rocks and minerals on the surface of Earth

occurs when the surface particles of a solid gain enough energy that they form a gas

the organism that the predator eats

 the force of attraction between objects that is due to their masses and distances between them

 the color of a mineral in powdered form

specialized haploid cells that merge during sexual reproduction

the moon appears to grow in size, from a crescent, to quarter, to gibbous

 happens when water vapor moves high into the cooler atmosphere

 occurs when the moon moves through Earth’s shadow

when cells capture energy in sunlight and use it to make food

 break down food, cellular waste, and things that shouldn’t be in the cell like bacteria and viruses

an organism's way of life

the part of the Earth where life exists

 type of weathering in which rock is physically broken into smaller pieces

grains can only be seen with a microscope

makes proteins using the ribosomes found on its surface

the non-living parts of an organism’s habitat or environment 

helps to make and distribute fat molecules called phospholipids

the change of state from a gas to a liquid

cyclical movement of fluid driven by temperature differences at the top and bottom

any relationship in which two species live closely together

vaporization that takes place both below and at the surface of a liquid 

total energy of the motion of all of the particles in an object 

 rocks with grains that are large and easy to see 

 the way an object reflects light

is a series of events in which one organism eats another organism and obtains energy and nutrients

relationship that involves one organism living with, on, or inside another organism and harming it

a group of related things that work together as a whole

the struggle between organisms to survive as they use the same limited resources

obtains energy by feeding on other organisms

the amount of space that matter occupies

 a cell formed by the division or budding of another cell

convert energy stored in food to energy the cell can use to live and function

only eat animals

 we cannot run out of them

forms when small particles of rocks or the remains of plants and animals are pressed and cemented together

naturally occurring solid, can form by inorganic processes and has a crystal structure and definite chemical composition

pollutants that are released into the air

different types of tissues that function together

site of protein synthesis in the cell

the release of energy from food without using oxygen

the smallest part of an element that has all the properties of that element

shape and volume depend on the container

 sun’s heat changes water into water vapor

 the change in state from a solid to a liquid

 the sun shines at its maximum in one hemisphere and minimum in the other

one whose trait always shows up in the organisms when the allele is present

 a group of organs that work together to perform a major function

process that moves weathered rock from its original location

characteristics that make an individual better suited to a specific environment may eventually become common

water that evaporates from a living thing

fixed shape and volume

 packages, sorts, and delivers proteins made in the rough endoplasmic reticulum to other parts of the cell

 a group of similar cells that work together to perform a specific function

 organelle that contains the cell’s genetic material in the form of DNA and controls many of the cell’s activities

a group of two or more atoms held together by chemical bonds

a body that orbits a larger body

make their own food and obtain energy through the process of photosynthesis

 positively charged particle in an atom’s nucleus

cannot make their own food, get energy from consuming other organisms

the inward force that causes an object to move in a circular path

vaporization that takes place only on the surface of a liquid

cannot be replaced once it is gone

substance that takes part in and undergoes change during a reaction

the electrons in the outermost energy level (shell) that have the highest energy

absorbs heat and cools the surroundings

group of individuals of the same species that live together

when an organism has two of the same alleles for a trait (GG or gg)