Essential Vocabulary for Biology and Ecology Studies

Core Vocabulary Definitions

• Cultural: Having to do with a specific social or ethnic group.
• Cycle: A series of events that happen again and again.
• Migration: Travel from one region or climate to another.
• Tradition: A practice or custom handed down from older people to younger people.
• Consume: To eat or use something.
• Environment: The world of land, sea, and air that we live in.
• Interact: To have an effect on each other.
• Survive: To continue to live.
• Adapt: To change something so that it is suitable for a new situation.
• Capable: Able to do something.
• Concluded: Made a decision based on evidence.
• Rely: To trust someone or something.
• Abandon: To leave someone or something that you are responsible for.
• Attribute: To say that one thing is caused by something else.
• Finally: After a long time.
• React: To behave in a certain way because of what someone has done or said to you.
• Approaches: Moves closer.
• Approximate: Close to a number but not exact.
• Area: A certain part of a country, town, or other region.
• Migrate: To move from one place to another.
• Adjust: To make a change in something to make it better.
• Emphasize: To show that something is important.
• Immigration: The act of going to live in another country.
• Journal: A record that is written daily.

Biological Concepts and Principles

1. Animals and plants are living things; air, water, and rocks are nonliving things.
2. Nutrients are found in the soil and are needed for all plants, animals, and people to live and grow.
3. You are an organism because you are alive.
4. During photosynthesis, plants make food using sunlight.
5. Animals must reproduce to have offspring, or babies.
6. House cats are a species of animal; they are alike in many ways and can have babies together.
7. Biologists study animals to learn about their lives and behavior.
8. The large herd of caribou is made up of males, females, and newborn calves.
9. The landscape at the North Pole is icy and barren, which makes it hard for some animals to live there.
10. Many scientists believe that some animals have material in their bodies that creates an internal compass by sensing Earth's magnetic field.
11. The geese fly to the southern part of their range every winter.
12. If animals cannot find food in winter, they die of starvation.