Vocabulary for Chapter 1
Biosphere
The part of Earth that can support living
things.
Adaptation
A characteristic that enables an
organism to survive and reproduce in its
environment.
Species
A group of very similar organisms
whose members can mate with one
another and produce offspring that are
able to produce offspring.
Classification
The grouping of things according to their
similarities.
Bacteria
Single-celled organisms that do not
have a nucleus.
Fungi
Mostly many-celled organisms that often
grow in moist, dark places.
Kingdom
Archaebacteria
(ancient)
Have been on Earth for billions of years;
can live in hot springs where
water temperatures can reach 110 C;
can grow in water that is ten times
saltier than seawater.
Kingdom
Eubacteria
(true)
Can cause disease, but many are
helpful; make soil fertile and are
necessary for making foods such as
yogurts and cheeses; some make
vitamins in the human body.
Kingdom
Protista
(Protists)
Formed much of the gas and oil we use
today; some are harmful, most are
helpful; many are food for other
organisms including Earth’s largest
organisms – whales.
Kingdom
Fungi
Used to make foods and medicines
such as penicillin; some can cause
human diseases such as athlete’s
foot and ringworm; also cause plant
diseases called rusts.
Kingdom
Plantae
(Plants)
Plants have roots, stems, and leaves;
they can trap the Sun’s energy to
produce glucose = photosynthesis.
Kingdom
Animalia
(Animals)
Get their energy by eating other
organisms or their remains; have
special adaptations that make them
able to find and eat the type of food
they need.
Vascular
Plants
Plants that have form tubes for carrying
water and nutrients throughout the
organism. There are two groups:
one group produces seeds; the second
group does not produce seeds (such as
ferns and horsetails).
Gymnosperm
A seed plant that does not produce
flowers (ex: evergreens).
Angiosperm
A seed plant that produces flowers.
Nonvascular
Plants
Small, low-growing plants that do not
have tubes for carrying water and
nutrients throughout the organism.
Animal
Characteristics
Multicellular organisms; cannot make
their own food; get food by eating other
Organisms; animal cells contain a
Nucleus but not a cell wall
Vertebrates
Animals with backbones.
Invertebrates
Animals without backbones
Animal Phylum:
Cnidarians
Includes corals, jellyfish, and anemones.
Have a single body opening that is
usually surrounded by a ring of stinging
cells.
Animal Phylum:
Mollusks
Includes clams, squid, octopuses,
snails, and slugs. All mollusks have soft
bodies, and most have hard shells.
Animal Phylum:
Segmented
Worms
Have segmented bodies: includes
earthworms, leeches, and others.
Animal Phylum:
Arthropods
All have segmented bodies, jointed
appendages, and hard exoskeletons.
Includes spiders, crabs, millipedes,
and centipedes. Include almost 85%
of Earth’s animal species.
Animal Phylum:
Echinoderms
Bodies have unique five-part balanced
arrangement of parts. They have hard
skeletons made of calcium plates inside
their bodies. Includes sea stars, brittle
stars, sea lilies, sea urchins, and sea
cucumbers.
Animal Phylum:
Chordates
Most have spinal cord and brain. Some
are warm-blooded, some are coldblooded.
Endothermic
Warm-blooded – can keep its body a
certain temperature no matter what the
outside temperature is.
Exothermic
Cold-blooded – depend on the
environment to warm their bodies.
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species
Carolus Linnaeus
Binomial nomenclature: two-part
name. Developed in 1700s.