Science Unit 2 test cards

What are the three dimensions of the NGSS Framework?

Disciplinary Core Ideas which are the main science concepts

Crosscutting Concepts which are patterns and connections across science

Science and Engineering Practices which are how scientists investigate and solve problems

What are the four broad science content areas of NGSS?

Life Sciences

Physical Sciences

Earth and Space Sciences

Engineering Design

How are plants classified?

Plants are multicellular eukaryotes that have cell walls and chloroplasts and make their own food

What are the main characteristics of plants?

Plants are multicellular organisms that generally make their own food through photosynthesis and have cell walls made of cellulose

What are vascular plants?

Plants that have specialized tissues to transport water and nutrients throughout the plant

What are nonvascular plants?

Plants that do not have specialized transport tissues and move water directly from cell to cell

What is the difference between vascular and nonvascular plants?

Vascular plants have transport tissues and can grow taller

Nonvascular plants lack these tissues and usually stay small

What is photosynthesis?

The process plants use to turn light energy into chemical energy by making glucose from water and carbon dioxide

What materials are needed for photosynthesis?

Water carbon dioxide and light energy

What are the products of photosynthesis?

Glucose and oxygen

What does light provide for plants?

Light provides the energy needed to carry out photosynthesis

What is chlorophyll and how do we know it is in plants?

Chlorophyll is the green pigment that absorbs light energy

It reflects green light which makes most plants appear green

Where does photosynthesis mainly happen in plants?

In the leaves inside structures called chloroplasts

Where do plants get the matter they use to grow?

Most of a plant's mass comes from carbon dioxide in the air and water

What are plants made of?

Mostly carbon hydrogen and oxygen which are used to build carbohydrates proteins fats and other molecules

Is soil food for plants?

No

Soil provides minerals and support but plants make their own food through photosynthesis

What is essential for plant growth?

Sunlight water carbon dioxide and mineral nutrients are needed for healthy plant growth

What factors can improve plant growth?

Providing adequate light water carbon dioxide and nutrients can improve plant growth when those resources are limited

What factors have no effect on plant growth?

A factor that is not needed or is already available in sufficient amounts may have no additional effect on growth

What are experimental variables?

The independent variable is what the scientist changes

The dependent variable is what the scientist measures

Controlled variables are what stay the same

Who was Van Helmont and why is he important?

He was a scientist who performed an experiment growing a willow tree to investigate where plant mass comes from

What did Van Helmont's experiment show?

The willow tree gained a large amount of mass while the soil lost very little mass

His experiment helped scientists understand that plant mass does not mainly come from soil

What is cellular respiration?

The process cells use to break down glucose with oxygen to release usable energy

What are the materials and products of cellular respiration?

Glucose and oxygen are the starting materials

Carbon dioxide water and usable energy are produced

Do plants perform cellular respiration?

Yes

Plants use cellular respiration to release energy from glucose just like other living organisms

How do plants use the food they make?

Plants use glucose for energy through cellular respiration and to build materials for growth

Excess glucose can be stored as starch

Is oxygen required for starch to be present in plants?

No

Oxygen is not required as a starting material for photosynthesis

Plants make glucose which can be stored as starch

What are decomposers?

Organisms such as fungi and bacteria that break down dead organisms and waste

What are enzymes and what do they do in decomposition?

Enzymes are substances that help break down complex materials into simpler substances

How are decomposers different from consumers?

Consumers obtain energy by eating other organisms

Decomposers break down dead organisms and waste

Do decomposers perform cellular respiration?

Yes

Decomposers use cellular respiration to release energy from the materials they break down

Are organisms connected by the flow of energy and matter?

Yes

Organisms depend on one another through the movement of energy and the cycling of matter

How does energy flow through an ecosystem?

Energy flows from the sun to producers then to consumers and decomposers

Energy flows in one direction and is not recycled

How does matter move through an ecosystem?

Matter moves between organisms and the environment and is recycled through processes such as decompositio