'Living World' Key Words

Question 1

Abiotic

Answer 1

Components in an ecosystem that are non-living environmental factors such as climate (temperature and rainfall), soil, water temperature and light.

Question 2

Biotic

Answer 2

Components in an ecosystem that are living such as plants and fish.

Question 3

Consumer

Answer 3

Organism that eats herbivores and/or plant matter

Question 4

Decomposer

Answer 4

Organisms such as bacteria or fungi that break down plant and animal material

Question 5

Ecosystem

Answer 5

A community of plants and animals that interact with each other and their physical environment

Question 6

Food chain

Answer 6

Connections between different organisms that rely upon one another as their source of food

Question 7

Food web

Answer 7

A complex hierarchy of plants and animals relying on each other for food

Question 8

Global atmospheric circulation

Answer 8

Large scale circulation of the atmosphere

Question 9

Global ecosystems

Answer 9

Large scale ecosystem: such as tropical rainforest or tundra

Question 10

Lines of latitude

Answer 10

Lines that run parallel to Earth’s equator, measured in degrees

Question 11

Nutrient cycle

Answer 11

On-going recycling of nutrients between living organisms and their environment

Question 12

Producer

Answer 12

An organism or plant that is able to absorb energy from the sun through photosynthesis

Question 13

Biodiversity

Answer 13

The variety of life in the world or a particular ecosystem.

Question 14

Canopy

Answer 14

The continous layer of branches in a forest, which in tropical rainforests hosts the majority of plant and animal species.

Question 15

Carbon sink

Answer 15

The removal of CO2 from the atmosphere

Question 16

Commercial farming

Answer 16

Farming to sell produce for a profit to retailer or food processing companies.

Question 17

Conservation

Answer 17

Managing the environment in order to preserve, protect or restore it.

Question 18

Debt reduction

Answer 18

Countries are relieved of some of their debt in return for an agreement that they preserve and protect their natural environments.

Question 19

Deforestation

Answer 19

The cutting down and removal of forest

Question 20

Ecotourism

Answer 20

Nature tourism usually involving small groups with minimal impact on the environment

Question 21

Hardwood

Answer 21

Important resource provided by tropical rainforests.

Question 22

Infertile soil

Answer 22

Soil which is unable to reproduce or sustain life.

Question 23

International agreements

Answer 23

Promises made between countries and/or organisations to mitigate the destruction of natural habitats

Question 24

Leaching

Answer 24

Heavy rainfall quickly dissolves and carries away nutrients in rainforest soils, leaving behind infertile red, iron-rich soil called latosol.

Question 25

Mineral extraction

Answer 25

The removal of solid minerals resources from the earth.

Question 26

Palm oil

Answer 26

Raw material extracted from tropical rainforests.

Question 27

Selective logging

Answer 27

Sustainable forestry management where only carefully selected trees are cut down.

Question 28

Slash and burn

Answer 28

A method of land clearing that involves the use of fire, which creates valuable nutrients to help plants grow, but can grow out of control and destroy large areas of forest.

Question 29

Soil erosion

Answer 29

Removal of topsoil faster than it can be replaced, due to natural, animal and human activity.

Question 30

Subsistence farming

Answer 30

A type of agriculture producing only enough food and materials for the benefit of a farmer and their family.

Question 31

Sustainability

Answer 31

Actions that meet the needs of the present without reducing the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

Question 32

Tropical rainforest

Answer 32

Global-scale ecosystem mainly found close to the equator, characterised by high temperatures, high rainfall and huge biodiversity.

Question 33

Appropriate technology

Answer 33

Technology suited to the needs, skills, knowledge and wealth of local people and their environment.

Question 34

Aquifer

Answer 34

Underground water source

Question 35

Arid

Answer 35

Dry, with little or no rainfall

Question 36

Commercial farming

Answer 36

Growing crops or raising livestock for profit, often involving vast areas of land.

Question 37

Desertification

Answer 37

The process by which land becomes drier and degraded, as a result of climate change or human activities, or both.

Question 38

Evaporation

Answer 38

The process of water changing from liquid to vapour.

Question 39

Extreme temperatures

Answer 39

Temperatures that present challenges for people, animals and plants living in certain environments.

Question 40

Fuelwood

Answer 40

Wood that is burnt as fuel.

Question 41

Irrigation

Answer 41

Artificial application of water to the land or soil.

Question 42

Johads

Answer 42

Man-made drinking water source found in the Thar Desert, Pakistan.

Question 43

Noctural

Answer 43

Active during the night

Question 44

Over-cultivation

Answer 44

Where the intensive growing of crops exhausts the soil leaving it barren.

Question 45

Overgrazing

Answer 45

Feeding too many livestock for too long on the land, so it is unable to recover its vegetation.

Question 46

Salination

Answer 46

A constant flow of water containing salts combined with high rates of evaporation leads to a build-up of salts on the land surface, often the result of over-irrigation in arid regions.

Question 47

Tobas

Answer 47

A natural drinking water source found in the Thar Desert, Pakistan.