vocabulary words Flashcards
Adaptation
An inherited trait that improves an individual’s ability to survive and reproduce in a particular environment.
Artificial Selection
The human practice of breeding animals or plants that have certain desired traits.
Biodiversity
The number and variety of organisms in a given area during a specific period of time.
Dichotomous Key
An aid that is used to identify organisms and that consists of the answers to a series
of questions
Estivation
A period of reduced activity that some animals undergo during summer when
resources are scarce.
Fight or Flight Response
The response or reaction of an animal to a situation perceived as a threat to its survival, which involves changes in the animal’s body through actions of the nervous system, priming the animal to deal with danger by staying, fighting, or running away
Hibernation
A period of inactivity and lowered body temperature that some animals undergo in winter.
Homeostasis
The maintenance of a constant internal state in a changing environment.
Migrate
To travel from one place to another.
Natural Selection
The process by which organisms with certain traits survive and reproduce at a
higher rate than organisms without these traits.
Navigation
To find their way from one place to another.
Population
A group of individuals of the same species that live together in the same area at the same time.
Territory
An area that is occupied by one animal or group of animals and that other members of that species are not allowed to enter.
Camouflage
Blending in with the surroundings
External Stimuli
Something outside of an animal’s body that causes the animal to react.
Geotropism
Growth response in relation to gravity. (roots positive & stem negative)
Hydrotropism
The growth or movement of an organism in the direction of water. (positive)
Innate Behavior
Behavior that does not depend on learning or experience but is influenced by genes.
Internal Stimuli
Something inside of an animal’s body that causes the animal to react.
Invertebrate
An animal that has no backbone.
Learned Behavior
A behavior that has been learned from experience or observation.
Nonvascular
A plant that lacks the transport tissues. (no xylem or phloem)
Phototropism
Movement or growth of a part of an organism towards a source of light. (positive)
Response
Any biological reaction or behavior resulting from the application of a stimulus.
