Unit 10 Vocabulary

adaptation

• a change that helps an organism become more suited to its environment

• a process of becoming extinct

• a method of reproduction

• a type of camouflage

decomposer

• organism that breaks down dead plants and animals, returning nutrients to soil

• organism that produces energy through photosynthesis

• organism that consumes other living organisms for food

• organism that stores energy in the form of fat

greenhouse gas

• a gas that traps heat in the atmosphere

• a type of gas that cools the planet

• a gas that is released during photosynthesis

• a gas that has no effect on climate

behavioral adaptation

• specific actions or behaviors organisms exhibit that enhance their survival chances

• physical traits that help organisms survive in their environment

• the process of organisms changing their habitat to suit their needs

• the genetic changes that occur in a population over time

planet

• a large object in space that moves around a star

• a small rock that orbits a planet

• a type of star that emits light

• a celestial body that is made of gas

exoplanet

• a planet outside of our solar system

• a type of star

• a moon orbiting a planet

• a comet in the asteroid belt

solar system

• the Sun and all the planets and objects that move around it

• a collection of stars in the galaxy

• the area of space beyond Earth

• the gravitational pull of the Moon

greenhouse effect

• A natural process where gases in a planet’s atmosphere trap heat from the Sun

• A method of cooling the Earth’s surface

• A phenomenon that occurs only on Earth

• A technique used to grow plants in controlled environments

consumer

• organism that gets energy from eating other organisms

• organism that produces its own food

• organism that decomposes dead matter

• organism that absorbs nutrients from the soil

genetic engineering

• modification of an organism's traits/genes by altering its DNA

• a method of cloning organisms

• the process of natural selection

• the study of genetic mutations