Year 7 AEP Science – Biological Sciences Student Program

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering Year 7 AEP Biological Sciences, focusing on taxonomy, the five kingdoms, dichotomous keys, ecosystem interactions, trophic levels, and human impacts.

Formative Assessment

Ongoing assessment taking the form of daily questions, discussions, observations, checklists, short quizzes, and feedback to monitor student progress and guide subsequent learning.

Summative Assessment

Assessment used to gather evidence on student achievement to assign task marks and course grades measured against Western Australian Judging Standards.

Classification

The ordering and organizing of the diversity of life on Earth into a hierarchy from kingdom to species based on shared features and characteristics.

MRS (C) GREN

An acronym outlining the key characteristics and life processes of all living things: Movement, Respiration, Sensitivity, Cells, Growth, Reproduction, Excretion, and Nutrition.

Classification Tree

A visual classification tool represented as boxes connected by lines that organizes items or organisms by dividing them step-by-step according to shared physical differences.

Dichotomous Key

A classification guide composed of paired, unambiguous sequential statements or sentences used to identify unknown organisms based on observable features.

KPCOFGS

The hierarchical taxonomic ranking system used to classify all living organisms: Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species.

Binomial Nomenclature

The scientific formal naming system that assigns each organism a two-part scientific name consisting of its genus and species.

Taxonomy

The branch of biological science concerned with the identification, naming, and classification of living organisms.

Phanerogams

The plant phylum consisting of seed-bearing, flowering plants.

Cryptogams

The plant phylum consisting of non-flowering, spore-reproducing plants.

Kingdom Animalia

A kingdom of multicellular eukaryotic organisms whose cells contain cytoplasm, a cell membrane, a nucleus, and mitochondria, but lack cell walls and chloroplasts.

Kingdom Plantae

A kingdom of organisms whose cells possess cytoplasm, a cell membrane, a nucleus, mitochondria, chloroplasts, and a cell wall composed of cellulose.

Kingdom Fungi

A kingdom of eukaryotic organisms containing cytoplasm, a cell membrane, a nucleus, and mitochondria, with a rigid cell wall composed of chitin, but lacking chloroplasts.

Kingdom Protista

A kingdom of eukaryotic organisms containing cytoplasm, a cell membrane, a nucleus, mitochondria, and occasionally chloroplasts, lacking the specialized tissues of plants or animals.

Kingdom Monera

A kingdom of single-celled prokaryotic organisms that have cytoplasm and a cell membrane, but lack a membrane-bound nucleus and mitochondria.

Photosynthesis

The process by which plants make their own food utilizing light energy captured from the sun.

Cellular Respiration

A metabolic process occurring in all organisms that releases stored energy from food, producing heat as a major byproduct.

Producer

An autotrophic organism, typically a plant, that manufactures its own food via photosynthesis to serve as the initial energy source in an ecosystem.

Consumer

An organism that obtains energy and organic matter by feeding on other living organisms.

Decomposer

An organism that breaks down dead organic material and wastes, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.

Predator

An animal that hunts, kills, and consumes other animals for food.

Prey

An animal that is hunted, caught, and eaten by a predator.

Herbivore

A consumer organism within a food chain that feeds exclusively on plants.

Carnivore

A consumer organism within a food chain that eats only other animals.

Omnivore

A consumer organism within a food chain that eats both plants and animals.

Food Web

A complex ecological network comprising multiple interconnected food chains, illustrating feeding relationships and the transfer of energy across species.

Biomass Pyramid

A graphical representation illustrating the total mass of living biological material present at each successive trophic level within an ecosystem.

Invasive Species

An introduced non-native organism, such as foxes, feral cats, cane toads, or Phytophthora dieback, that disrupts native ecological interactions and negatively impacts local biodiversity.