EOC 8 Kingdoms Vocabulary

heterotroph

An organism that cannot make its own food. Also known as a consumer.

autotroph

An organism that makes its own food. Also known as a producer.

unicellular

made of one cell

multicellular

Made up of more than one cell.

colonial

Organisms made up of unicellular cells that can operate independently but that normally tend to group together.

vertebrate

An animal with a backbone

invertebrate

An animal without a backbone

Photoautrophs

use light energy to make food

Chemoautotrophs

Organisms that use hydrogen sulfide or other chemicals as energy source instead of light.

vascular plant

a plant that has true vascular tissue that transports material throughout the plant. Acts like arteries and veins in an animal.

vascular plant size

plants can grow taller because they have vessels to conduct materials. Includes trees, flowers, grasses, etc.

Nonvasular Plants

plant that absorbs water and other substances directly through its cell walls instead of through tubelike structures. Can't grow tall. Include mosses.

prokaryotic cell

A type of cell lacking a membrane-enclosed nucleus and membrane-enclosed organelles; found only in the domains Bacteria and Archaea.

Eukaryotic cells

Contain a nucleus and other organelles that are bound by membranes.

chitin

cell wall of fungi composed of this

cellulose

cell wall of plants and some protists composed of this

decomposers

Organisms that break down the dead remains and wastes of other organisms

nitrogen fixing bacteria

bacteria that convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia

endospore

A thick-walled protective spore that forms inside a bacterial cell and resists harsh conditions.

sexual reproduction

type of reproduction in which cells from two parents unite to form the first cell of a new organism

asexual reproduction

A reproductive process that involves only one parent and produces offspring that are identical to the parent (clone).