science vocab

trait

A characteristic that an organism can pass on to its offspring through its genes.

prediction

A statement of what will happen next in a sequence of events.

natural selection

A process in which individuals that have certain inherited traits tend to survive and reproduce at higher rates than other individuals because of those traits.

Population

A group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area

cause

The reason why something happens

effect

A change that is a result or consequence of an action or other cause.

Variation

Any difference between individuals of the same species.

environment

Everything living and nonliving that surrounds an organism

Distribution

the number of individuals with each trait in a population

Adaptive trait

A trait that makes it more likely that an individual will survive in a specific environment

Non adaptive trait

a trait that makes it less likely that an individual will survive in a specific environment

Mutation

Mutation

Generation

A group of individuals born and living at about the same time

ansestor

a related organism from a previous generation

camouflage

a way of hiding by looking the same as the background

Chromosome

A long price of DNA that contains many gene.

gene

And instruction for making a problem molecule

Gene version

a specific form of a gene that provides instructions for making a particular protein molecule

Histogram

A graph that users bars to show how characteristics or values are distributed within a group

Inherit

to receive genes from a parent

nyph

A young insect that looks somewhat different from the adult.

offsprings

An organism produced as the result of reproduction

Organism

Living things, such as plants animals and bacteria.

predator

An animal that hunts other animals for food

prey

An organism that is killed and eaten by another organism

protein molecules

A type of large molecules that performs important functions inside organisms

selection pressure

Something in the environment that affect an individual's chances of surviving

Species

A group of organisms of the same kind that do not reproduce with organisms from any other groups

Survive

to stay alive

sexual reproduction

The process in which two passes on their genes to create offsprings

DNA

A type of molecule the genes and chromosomes are made of

Feature

A characteristic that all members of a species have

Abostic

None living parts of an ecosystem that shapes it's environments, examples include temperature, light, and water

Biotic

Describes living factors in the environment examples include animals, plants, trees, grass, bacteria, moss, and molds

carrying capacity

The largest number of individuals of a population that an environment can support

limiting factor

Any biotic or abiotic factor that restricts the existence, numbers, reproduction, or distribution of organisms

sample counts

Used to estimate population size in larger areas. Divide area into equal sections, count number of animals in one section and multiply

bodiversity

The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.