Cell membrane
The soft, flexible outside
covering of a cell that controls
what comes in and out of a cell.
Cytoplasm
The gel-like fluid that fills most
of a cell.
Vacuole
Storage spaces in cells that
hold water and nutrients.
They can also store wastes until
the cell can get rid of it.
Cell
The smallest unit of living material
Nucleus
A small structure that controls
everything the cell does.
Mitochondria
A cell organelle that supplies
energy. Active cells may have
more than one.
Ecosystem
Biotic Factors
All the living and nonliving things
that interact in an environment
The living parts of an ecosystem
Abiotic Factors
The nonliving parts of an
ecosystem
Microorganisms
living things that can be a singlecelled or multi-celled organism
that are too small to be seen
without at least a 10x magnifier
Terrestrial
Land-based ecosystems,
including forests and grasslands
Population
All members of one kind of
organism that live in a
particular area
Community
A group of different
populations of organisms
Aquatic
Water-based ecosystems such
as fresh water (lakes and
ponds) or saltwater (oceans,
estuaries and saltwater
marshes)
Lakes and ponds
Oceans
bodies of freshwater that are
surrounded by land
large bodies of saltwater divided
by continents
Estuaries
Algae
Ecosystems located where the
freshwater rivers meet the oceans
aquatic, plant-like living things
that can make food from sunlight
Plankton
Aquatic drifters
marine and freshwater organisms
that exist in a drifting, floating
state.
Organisms such as jellyfish or
seaweed that are carried along by
currents of water
Coral
Salinity
marine animals living in compact
colonies
anchored to the ocean floor
the amount of dissolved salt in a
substance, like ocean water
Salt Marshes
Producers
coastal wetlands rich in marine life
Plants who are able to use light
energy from the Sun to produce
their own food (sugar) from
carbon dioxide in the air and
water
Consumers
Herbivores
Animals cannot make their own
food so they must eat plants
and/or other animals
Animals that eat only plants
Carnivores
Omnivores
Animals that eat only animals
Animals that eat both
animals and plants
Decomposers
food chain
Consumers (including
microorganisms, termites,
worms, and fungi) that get the
energy they need by breaking
down dead or decaying matter
a series of plants and animals in
which each organism is a source
of food (energy) for the next in
the series.
Food Web
Predators
Interconnected food chains
animals that hunt and kill other
animals for food
Prey
animals that are hunted and killed
as food for other animals
Parasite
an organism that spends a
significant portion of its life in or
on a living host organism, usually
causing harm to the host without
immediately killing it
Hosts
Balance of nature
organisms or cells that serve as a
home or a source of food for a
parasite
The relationship between
numbers of organisms and the
resources available in an
ecosystem
Limiting factor
A condition or resource that
keeps a population at a certain
size
Ecosystems Vocabulary Quiz
NAME ____________________
Date_____________________
Directions: Write the correct term with its definition. Choose from the word box
below.
1
Cell membrane
Cell
Limiting factor
Abiotic Factors
Terrestrial
Mitochondria
Food web
Decomposers
Biotic Factors
Community
Oceans
Plankton
Salinity
Consumers
Vacuole
Microorganisms
Lakes and ponds
Algae
Coral
Nucleus
Ecosystem
Population
Aquatic
Estuaries
Cytoplasm
Aquatic drifters
Salt Marshes
Herbivores
Balance of nature
Producers
Carnivores
food chain
Predators
Hosts
Parasite
Omnivores
Prey
1. ______________ a series of plants and animals in which each organism is a source
of food (energy) for the next in the series.
2. _____________ coastal wetlands rich in marine life.
3. __________ large bodies of saltwater divided by continents.
4. __________ The smallest unit of living material.
5.___________ organisms or cells that serve as a home or a source of food for a
parasite.
6. __________ Storage spaces in cells that hold water and nutrients.
They can also store wastes until the cell can get rid of it.
7. __________A condition or resource that keeps a population at a certain size.
8. __________ Animals cannot make their own food so they must eat plants
and/or other animals.
9. ___________ animals that hunt and kill other animals for food.
10. _________________ Organisms such as jellyfish or seaweed that are carried
along by currents of water.
11. _____________ Ecosystems located where the freshwater rivers meet the
oceans.
12. __________ Animals that eat only animals.
13. __________ animals that are hunted and killed as food for other animals.
14. __________ marine and freshwater organisms that exist in a drifting, floating
state.
15. ________________ an organism that spends a significant portion of its life in
or on a living host organism ,usually causing harm to the host without immediately
killing it.
16. _________________ The nonliving parts of an ecosystem.
17. _____________________ Consumers (including microorganisms, termites,
worms, and fungi) that get the energy they need by breaking down dead or
decaying matter.
18. ________________ marine animals living in compact colonies
anchored to the ocean floor .
19. _________________ Animals that eat both animals and plants.
20. ___________ aquatic, plant-like living things that can make food
from
sunlight.
21. _________________ A cell organelle that supplies energy. Active cells may
have more than one.
22. _______________ The soft, flexible outside covering of a cell that controls
what comes in and out of a cell.
23. _______________ living things that can be a single-celled or multi-celled
organism that are too small to be seen without at least a 10x magnifier.
24. _________________________ The relationship between numbers of
organisms and the resources available in an ecosystem.
25. __________ A small structure that controls everything the cell does.
26. ________________ Plants who are able to use light energy from the Sun to
produce their own food (sugar) from carbon dioxide in the air and water.
27. _________________ Water-based ecosystems such as fresh water (lakes
and ponds) or saltwater (oceans, estuaries and saltwater marshes).
28. __________________ All the living and nonliving things that interact in an
environment.
29. ___________________ The gel-like fluid that fills most of a
cell.
30. _____________________ The living parts of an ecosystem.
31. ________________ Interconnected food chains.
32. _______________ All members of one kind of organism that live in a
particular area.
33. _______________ Animals that eat only plants.
34. ___________ the amount of dissolved salt in a substance, like ocean water.
35. _______________ A group of different populations of organisms.
36. _______________ Land-based ecosystems, including forests and grasslands.
37. _________________________ bodies of freshwater that are surrounded by
land.
KEY:
1. Food chain
2. salt marshes
3. oceans
4. cell
5. hosts
6. vacuole
7. limiting factor
8. consumers
9. predators
10. aquatic drifters
11. estuaries
12. carnivores
13. prey
14. plankton
15. parasite
16. abiotic factors
17. decomposers
18. coral
19. omnivores
20. algae
21. mitochondria
22. cell membrane
23. microorganisms
24. balance of nature
25. nucleus
26. producers
27. aquatic
28. ecosystem
29. cytoplasm
30. biotic factors
31. food web
32. population
33. herbivores
34. salinity
35. community
36. terrestrial
37. lakes and ponds