Grade 8 Life and Living: Interactions, Interdependence, and Conservation in the Environment

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering ecosystem organization, feeding relationships, energy transfer, disruptions, adaptations, and environmental conservation.

Starch

The chemical compound that plants mainly use to store energy, formed when many glucose molecules join together.

Cellulose

A structural chemical compound that forms part of the cell walls of plant cells, providing support that enables trees to grow tall without falling over.

Clear Lime Water

A solution of calcium hydroxide and water used in experiments to detect the presence of carbon dioxide.

Ecology

The study of interactions between living things and with their physical and chemical environment.

Ecosystem

All of the living and non-living things in an environment and the different ways in which they interact with each other as a system.

Protists

Single-celled living organisms that may be free-living or living in colonies.

Population

A group of individuals of the same species or type living in the same ecosystem at the same time.

Community

Different populations of plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria that interact with one another in the same ecosystem.

Biosphere

All of the different ecosystems on Earth combined together.

Habitat

The place where an organism lives, which can be non-living or living (such as trees for monkeys).

Biotic Factors

All the living organisms (plants, animals, bacteria, protists, fungi) in an ecosystem, as well as their interactions such as competition, pollination, and feeding.

Abiotic Factors

All of the non-living physical and chemical components in an ecosystem, including temperature, wind, water, light intensity, soil, and slope.

Slope

An abiotic factor describing how steep the land is, where water runs off quickly and causes soil erosion, resulting in few plants being able to grow.

Producers

Organisms, such as green plants and algae, that are able to trap sunlight and make their own food through photosynthesis.

Indigenous

Naturally occurring in a specific geographical area or region.

Consumers

Organisms that cannot make their own food and must rely on other organisms for their energy and food supply.

Herbivores

Animals that get energy by feeding directly on plants, acting as primary consumers in a food chain.

Carnivores

Animals that feed on other animals that are either living or dead.

Predator

A carnivore that actively hunts, kills, and eats other animals.

Prey

Animals that are hunted, killed, and eaten by a predator.

Scavengers

Carnivores that feed on dead animals or decaying meat that they have not necessarily hunted themselves.

Insectivores

Carnivores that feed primarily or exclusively on insects.

Omnivores

Animals that eat both plants and other animals as sources of nutrition.

Decomposers

Organisms (such as bacteria, fungi, millipedes, and earthworms) that break down the remains of dead plants and animals and their wastes, recycling nutrients back into the soil.

Digestive Enzymes

Chemical substances released by an organism (such as fungi) onto dead matter to break it down into simpler substances or absorbable nutrients.

Hyphae

Fine branching threads that form the structural network of most fungi, such as bread mould.

Sewage

Human and domestic waste from homes containing human waste, bits of food, and other chemical wastes treated using decomposers.

Food Chain

A sequence of steps in an ecosystem showing the feeding relationships and transfer of energy from producers through consumers to decomposers.

Food Web

A group of interconnected food chains showing the complex feeding links and variety of foods eaten by different animals in a community.

Trophic Level

Each stage or step in a food chain or food web, representing an organism's position in the transfer of energy.

Energy Pyramid

A diagram representing the amount of energy at each trophic level (measured in $\text{kJ/m}^2$ per year) and demonstrating the loss of energy at each successive level.

Disruption

An event or factor that interferes with the normal, orderly process of how an ecosystem functions.

Decay

The biological decomposition and breakdown of dead material.

Pollution

The harm done to the environment by the release of toxic substances and harmful materials, usually produced as a result of human activities.

Pollutants

Chemicals or wastes that contaminate the water, air, or soil.

Fossil Fuels

Energy-containing compounds such as coal, oil, or natural gas that were formed millions of years ago.

Acid Rain

Rain containing sulfuric acid droplets formed when sulfur dioxide from burning fossil fuels dissolves in rainwater, lowering the pH of water bodies and damaging vegetation.

Thermal Pollution

An increase in water temperature caused by industrial discharges or the removal of shade vegetation, which reduces dissolved oxygen and increases decay rates.

Poaching

The illegal removal or killing of animals and wild plants from their natural habitat in the wild.

Adaptation

A structural, behavioural, or functional characteristic that helps a living organism survive and reproduce in its environment.

Structural Adaptation

A physical feature of an organism's body (such as bird beak shapes or wide camel foot pads) that aids in survival.

Behavioural Adaptation

An action or habit performed by an organism (such as desert animals resting underground during the heat of the day) to improve survival.

Functional Adaptation

An internal physiological process relating to how the body functions (such as human sweating or kidney water concentration) that assists survival.

Variations

Natural differences in characteristics between individuals within a population.

Extinct

The state in which there are no more individuals of a species left alive on Earth.

Camouflage

Colours and shapes that enable animals to blend in well with their surroundings to avoid detection by predators or prey.

Mimicry

An adaptation where a harmless or edible species copies the appearance, colours, or behaviour of a poisonous or unpalatable species to deter predators.

Biodiversity

The total variety of species living in a specific area or ecosystem.

Monocultures

Single crop species planted over large agricultural areas, resulting in very low biodiversity.

Alien Species

Species of plants or animals introduced into an ecosystem that are not indigenous to that specific area.

Conservation

The wise management and sustainable use of natural resources that protects habitats and wildlife.

Sustainable Use

Using natural resources wisely in quantities that allow the population to regenerate so that resources are not depleted.

Wetlands

Aquatic ecosystems including marshes, floodplains, lakes, and estuarine systems that filter water, store water, and prevent flooding and erosion.

Biological Control

The method of controlling a pest population by intentionally introducing its natural enemy (such as an insect or fungus) from its native country.

Chemical Control

The application of chemical poisons or herbicides to spray and kill invasive alien vegetation.

Mechanical Control

The physical eradication of alien vegetation through cutting down, burning, or uprooting plants.