Comprehensive Study Guide to Ecosystems, Plant Biology, and Virginia Natural Resources

Vocabulary flashcards covering ecological organization, plant structures, photosynthesis, reproduction, watersheds, and Virginia natural resources.

Ecosystem

An area where living and nonliving things interact.

Organisms

Living things in an ecosystem, including plants and animals.

Nonliving Factors

Components of an ecosystem that are not alive, such as sunlight, water, nutrients, soil, and air.

Population

All the organisms of the same species that live in the same place at the same time.

Community

Different populations of species that live in the same place at the same time.

Roots

Plant structures that anchor the plant and take in water and nutrients from the soil.

Leaves

The food-producing part of the plant that carries out photosynthesis.

Stem

The plant structure that provides support and allows the movement of water and nutrients through the plant.

Flowers

The reproductive structures of a plant that produce seeds.

Photosynthesis

The process by which green plants produce their own food by trapping energy from the sun and turning it into sugar, using sunlight, carbon dioxide, water, and chlorophyll while releasing oxygen.

Chlorophyll

The green pigment used by green plants along with sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water to produce food in the form of sugar.

Petal

The part of a flower that attracts pollinators with bright colors, patterns, and/or scent.

Sepal

The part of a flower that surrounds and protects the growing flower.

Stamen

The part of a flower that produces pollen.

Pistil and Stigma

Flower structures that receive pollen; pollen sticks to the stigma and travels down the pistil, where a new seed is made.

Pollination

The process by which pollen is transferred from the stamen of one flower to the pistil of another.

Pollinators

Animals, like honeybees and butterflies, that move among flowers and transfer pollen.

Natural Resources

Resources that come from nature, like water, coal, and wood, which people use to meet their wants and needs.

Bay

A large body of water, partly enclosed by land, that has a wide mouth connecting it to an ocean or sea, such as the Chesapeake Bay.

Lake

A large body of water surrounded by land, such as Lake Anna.

River

A large, natural stream of water that flows in a certain path to a lake, sea, or other body of water, such as the Rappahannock River.

Ocean

A very large body of salt water, such as the Atlantic Ocean.

Watershed

An area of land over which surface water flows to a single collection place.

Chesapeake Bay Watershed

A major watershed system that covers approximately half of Virginia's land area and includes Virginia's four major rivers.

'We All Live Downstream'

The concept that what happens to water at the higher points of a watershed affects everything else it touches later as it travels and collects materials.

Mineral Resources (Virginia Distribution)

Solid materials from the ground used for building materials and fuel, distributed in Virginia as coal (Appalachian Plateau), limestone (Valley and Ridge), granite (Blue Ridge), gravel (Piedmont), and sand (Coastal Plain).

Erosion

The washing away of soil, which plants help reduce by holding soil in place with their roots.

Cultivated Forests

Manmade forests that provide habitats for diverse plants and animals, building materials like lumber, and fuel.