Survival and Adaptation Vocabulary
1. Adaptation - A characteristic or trait that helps an organism to survive in its environment and or reproduce
2. Structural Adaptation - An organism’s body plan; the way its parts are constructed or arranged
3. Physiological Adaptation - Physical and chemical processes that take place inside the body of an organism
4. Behavioral Adaptation - An activity or action that generally helps an organism to survive in its environment
5. Metamorphosis a change in form from one stage to the next in the life cycle of an organism, as from the caterpillar to the pupa and from the pupa to the adult butterfly.
6. Life Cycle - the stages in life of an animal as it grows, develops, and matures to reproduce the next generation
7. Migration - The regular, periodic journey of an animal from one place to another and back again for the purpose of feeding or reproducing
8. Hibernation - A state of greatly reduced body activity that occurs during the winter.
9. Gills - An organism’s breathing organ that removes oxygen from the water
10. Instinct - A behavior that an animal is born with and correctly performs the first time
11. Learning - The process that leads to a change in behavior based on practice or experience
12. Cellular Respiration - the process in which oxygen combines with glucose to produce carbon dioxide and water and release energy; occurs in both plants and animals
C
6
H
12
O
6
+ 6 O
2
 6 CO
2
+ 6 H
2
O (+ energy is released)
13. Photosynthesis
– The process by which plants produce their own food (glucose) by combining carbon dioxide and water in the chloroplasts of their cells.
6 CO
2
+ 6 H
2
O  C
6
H
12
O
6
+ 6 O
2
14. Plant - multi-cellular eukaryotes that produce their own food through photosynthesis.
15. Vascular Tissue - An internal system of tube-like structures that carry water, minerals, and food; provide support to body of plants.
Composed of xylem and phloem.
16. Xylem -A network of long, thin tubes that carry water and dissolved minerals from the roots to different parts of the plant.
17. Phloem - A network of thin tubes in a vascular plant that carries
food from leaves to all parts of the plant.
18. Root - Plant organs that anchor plants in the ground and absorb water and nutrients from the soil.
19. Stem - Plant component that carries substance back and forth between roots and leaves; support plants and hold up leaves to the sun.
20. Leaf - The organ of a vascular plant where photosynthesis occurs.
21. Chlorophyll - A substance that gives chloroplasts their green color and captures light energy during photosynthesis.
22. Turgor Pressure - The force of water against the cell wall of a plant cell; helps give shape and firmness to plants stems and leaves.
23. Seed - A structure that contains a young plant inside a protective covering
24. Geotropism -, The growth of an organism in response to gravity.
Example: plant roots growing downwards.
25. Phototropism – The growth of an organism in response to light.
Example: plant growth in the direction of a light source.
26. Thigmotropism – The growth of an organism in response to touch. Example: a plant “climbing” a fence or trellis
27. Dormancy - a temporary stop in the growth, development, and activity of an organism
28. Bulb - an underground structure in which some plants store nutrients for survival