acid rain

adapt

rain that is contaminated with pollutants

such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide

gases

to change in order to fit a new situation or use

aquarium

aquatic

a water filled glass or plastic container where organisms can live and be

observed

living in water

classify

conclusion

to group things together because they share one or more properties

a decision that is based on observation or on a study of data

constant

consumer

a condition that is not changed in a scientific experiment

an organism that feeds on other organisms or organic matter because it cannot make

its own food

controlled experiment

data

a scientific investigation in which one variable is changed and all the others are

kept the same, or constant.

information, such as that gathered during an experiment.

disrupt

ecology

to upset the development, movement, or organization of someone or some thing

the science concerned with the relationships among living things and their

environment

ecosystem

entomologist

a community that includes all the living and nonliving things found in a certain area

a scientist who studies insect life

environment

evidence

everything that surrounds an organism and influences it

something that offers proof

experiment

fossil fuel

a procedure that is carried out to investigate a scientific question

fuels formed from plant or animal remains, such as coal, gas, and oil

germination

habitat

the process by which seeds swell up and begin to sprout and develop roots

a place that is natural for an organism to live

hypothesis

live-bearer

a prediction about how something works or how two variables are related

an animal that gives birth to live, fully formed offspring

opinion

photosynthesis

an expression of how one thinks or feels about something, based on personal

views and not necessarily on facts

the process by which green plants and blue-green algae, in the presence of light, make food out of carbon dioxide and water

pollutant

procedures

anything that spreads harmful or unpleasant substances into the air, water, or ground

a set of steps that explains how to do something

producer

respiration

an organism that can make its own food through the process of photosynthesis

the processes by which an organism takes in and processes oxygen and releases

carbon dioxide

scavenger

sediment

an organism, also known as a decomposer, that eats dead or

decaying organic matter

small pieces of rock, plant, and animal material that are carried by water, wind, or

ice

stable

system

steady, balanced

a number of objects or units that move or work together as a whole

terrarium

terrestrial

a closed glass or plastic container where organisms can live and be observed

of or related to the land

trade-off

variable

the act of giving up one thing in order to get another

an element in an experiment that can be changed

water pollution

watershed

condition that exists when harmful materials have entered the water and made it

harmful to organisms

an area of land that is drained by a stream or river and its branches

weight

algae

a measurement of the force of gravity on an object

nonvascular plants that are often found in aquatic or marine environments and provides both food and a place for

organisms to live

crickets

elodea

land-dwelling arthropods that have six legs (insects), make a chirping song by

rubbing their legs together and are known for their ability to jump

a genus of aquatic plants often called the water weeds

guppy

interdependence

small fish

being mutually responsible to and sharing a common set of principles

with others

snails

co-exist

members of the molluscan class Gastropoda which have coiled shells in

the adult stage

exist together

decomposers

dependent

members of an ecosystem that break down organic material so it may be used again

(or recycled) by the ecosystem

to depend on something else for survival

oxygen

protection

an element that is normally colorless odorless and tasteless and which is the most abundant element and is essential

to life

anything that helps ward off some threat

climate

pH

the average and variations of weather in a region over long periods of time

a term that refers to the relative concentration of hydrogen ions (H+) in a

solution, and therefore whether the solution is acid or base

soil

temperature

the top layer of earth composed of organic materials (humus); inorganic materials (sand, silt, and clay), water,

and air

a measurement of the amount of heat a substance contains

thermometer

nutrients

a device for measuring temperature

food for plants

toxins

decay

a poisonous substance

the process where bacteria and other decomposers break down dead things

food chain

recycle

The ways in which the organisms in an ecosystem interact with one

another according to what they eat

to take something that would otherwise be thrown away and make it into something

that can be used again

water cycle

the ongoing process in nature that recycles fresh water