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PSSA science terms
Science Glossary terms
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Abiotic | A nonliving factor or element |
| Acid Deposition | Precipitation with a pH less than 5.6 that forms in the atmosphere when certain pollutants mix with water vapor |
| Allele | Any set of possible forms of a gene |
| Biochemical conversion | The changing of organic matter into other chemical forms |
| Biological diversity | The variety and complexity of species present and interacting in an ecosystem and the relative abundance of each |
| Biomass conversion | The changing of organic matter that has been produced by photosynthesis into useful liquid gas or fuel |
| biomes | A community of living organisms of a single major ecological region |
| biotechnology | the ways that humans apply biological concepts to produce products and provide services |
| biotic | an environmental factor related to or produced by living organisms |
| composting | the process of mixing decaying leaves, manure and other nutritive matter to improve and fertilize soil |
| consumer | the organisms that obtain energy by feeding on other organisms and their remains |
| decomposer | an organism, including fungi and rodents, that obtain nutrients by consuming dead organic matter |
| delineate | to trace the outline; to draw; to sketch; to depict or picture |
| dichotomous | divided into two parts or classification |
| ecosystem | a community of living organisms and their interrelated physical and chemical environment |
| endangered species | a species that is in danger of extinction |
| environment | the total of one's surroundings including plants or animals, climate and location |
| enzyme | a protein that acts as an organic catalyst |
| evolution | a process of change that explains why what we see today is different from what existed in the past |
| extinction | the complete elimination of a species |
| fact | information that has been objectively verified |
| geology | the study of earth's mineral |
| groundwater | water that infiltrates the soil and is located in the underground reservoirs called aquifers |
| homeostasis | the tendency for a system to remain in a state of equilibrium |
| hydrology | the study of water |
| hypothesis | an educated guess; an assertion subject to verification |
| inquiry | a systematic process for using knowledge and skills to acquire and apply new knowledge |
| law | summarizing statement of observed experimental facts that has been tested MANY times and is generally accepted as true |
| lentic | relating to or living in still water |
| lotic | relating to or living in actively moving water |
| mitosis | a process of cell division that follows a series of steps and results in a replicated chromosome |
| model | a representation of something to aid in understanding |
| niche | the role played by an organism in an ecosystem |
| nonrenewable resources | substances (oil, gold, copper, gas) that once used, cannot be replaced |
| nova | a star that increases in intensity for a brief period of time |
| pest | a label applied to an organism when it is in competition with humans for some resources |
| radioactive isotope | an atom that gives off nuclear radiation and has the same number of protons (atomic number) as another atom but has a different number of neutrons |
| recycling | collection and reprocessing a resource or product to make new products |
| renewable | a naturally occurring raw material or form of energy that will be replenished through natural ecological cycles or sound management practices |
| scale | relates concepts and ideas to one another by some measurement |
| science | search for understanding the natural world using inquiry and experimentation |
| stream order | energy and nutrient flow that increases as water moves toward the oceans (e.g. the smallest stream (primary) that ends when rivers flow into oceans) |
| succession | the series of changes that occur in an ecosystem with the passing of time |
| system | a group of related objects that work together to achieve a desired result; open-loop system; closed-loop system; subsystem |
| theory of evolution | a theory that the various types of animals and plants have their origin in other preexisting types that the the distinguishable differences are due to modification in successive generations |
| theory | systematically organized knowledge applicable in a relatively wide variety of circumstances; a system of assumptions devised to explain a specified set of phenomena |
| tool | any device used to extend human capability including computer-based tools |
| trophic levels | the role of an organism in nutrient and energy flow within an ecosystem (e.g. herbivore, carnivore, decomposer) |
| watershed | the land area from which surface runoff drains into a stream, channel, lake, reservoir or other body of water; also called a drainage basin |
| wetlands | lands where water saturation is the dominant factor determining the nature of the soil development and the plant and animal communities (e.g. sloughs, estuaries, marshes) |
Created by:
daykara
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