Life and Living Glossary

• abiotic: non-living; devoid of life
• adapt: to change, become adjusted to new conditions
• antibiotic: a compound, often produced by microorganisms, which kills or slows down the growth of bacteria
• bacteria: microscopic organisms, lacking a nucleus; they can inhabit many different environments (air, water, soil, the bodies of other organisms etc.)
• biosphere: the regions of the surface and atmosphere of the Earth where different organisms live
• biotic: relating to living organisms
• camouflage: an adaptation in which an animal can hide by blending in with its surroundings
• carnivore: an animal that feeds on other animals
• chemical potential energy: stored energy in the form of chemical compounds
• chlorophyll: a green pigment found in green plants (and certain bacteria) that absorbs radiant energy from the Sun to provide energy for photosynthesis
• chloroplast: a part inside the plant cell of green plants that contains chlorophyll, where photosynthesis occurs
• community: all the animals, plants or microorganisms that live together and interact in a certain area at a specific time
• consumer: an organism that cannot produce its own food and therefore has to eat other organisms; also called a heterotroph; e.g. all animals, fungi
• contaminate: unwanted or waste material enters a place where it does not belong e.g. sewage entering a river, bacteria entering a wound
• decomposers: organisms that decompose (break down) organic material, including the remains of dead plant and animal material; usually bacteria or fungi
• disease: an abnormal condition (or sickness) of an organism that interrupts the normal functioning; often includes pain, weakness and other symptoms
• ecologist: a scientist who studies the interactions of organisms with each other and with their environment
• ecology: the branch of biology that deals with the interactions of organisms with one another and with the physical and chemical environment
• ecosystem: a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment
• endangered: organisms that are seriously at risk of extinction
• energy pyramid: a triangular picture of a food chain with producers at the bottom and consumers higher up
• extinct: an organism that no longer exists; the death of an entire species
• fermentation: the chemical breakdown of a substance (by microorganisms such as bacteria or yeast) in the absence of oxygen, producing simpler compounds and energy
• fever: dangerously high body temperature
• fixed (fix, fixation): the process in nitrogen or carbon in their elemental forms are assimilated into biological molecules, eg nitrogen fixation by bacteria, carbon fixation during photosynthesis
• food chain: a series of organisms linked together to show which one eats what; arrows show the flow of energy through it
• food web: many food chains interlinked in an area form a food web, so organisms have many different food sources
• fungi: a kingdom of organisms which includes moulds, yeasts and mushrooms, that do not contain chlorophyll, produce spores to reproduce and feed on other matter
• glucose: a type of sugar, produced by plants during photosynthesis
• habitat: a particular type of environment in which an organism lives
• herbivore: an animal that eats only plants
• hibernating: an instinctive behaviour in which some animals spend time where conditions are not ideal (e.g. winter; periods of food scarcity) in an inactive (dormant) state
• immune system: the system that defends the body against infections, disease and foreign substances
• infect: a microorganism enters the body and multiplies, causing illness and damage to the organs
• insectivore: animals that feed on insects and other smaller invertebrates such as worms
• insoluble: substances that do not dissolve in a liquid
• interact: to have an effect on somebody/something else or on one another by being or working closely together
• instinct: a pattern of behaviour that requires no thinking and is biologically driven
• legumes: group of plants, including beans, lentils, peas and peanuts, that have edible seeds inside fruit that forms a pod
• limewater: a solution of calcium hydroxide in water which turns cloudy white in the presence of carbon dioxide
• limit: a restriction on the size or amount of something available or possible
• migrate: to move from one region or habitat to another according to the seasons
• migration: a seasonal movement of animals move from one place to another and back again
• mimicry: an adaptation in which one animal imitates (copies) another in appearance or behaviour
• nitrogen: an important element that forms part of proteins in all living organisms
• nocturnal: active at night
• omnivore: an animal that eats both plant and animal material
• pathogen: a microorganism that causes a disease
• pigment: is a molecule that absorb certain wavelengths of light and reflect others to produce colours
• photosynthesis: the process by which green plants and some bacteria use radiant energy from the Sun to turn carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen
• population: a group of organisms from the same species that interbreed and live in the same place at the same time
• population ecology: the study of what contributes to the rise and fall of numbers of a species
• predator: an animal that naturally preys on other animals for food
• primary consumer: an organism that eats plant material
• producer: an organisms that is able to make its own food; for example, all green plants
• protist: member of a diverse group of microorganisms that are not viruses, bacteria or fungi; can be animal-like e.g. protozoa, plant-like e.g. algae or fungi-like e.g. slime moulds, water moulds
• radiant energy: energy contained in light rays or other forms of radiation
• respiration: the process by which energy is released from the glucose in food in a series of chemical reactions
• secondary consumer: an organisms that eats herbivores and primary consumers
• soluble: substances that are able to dissolve in a liquid
• species: a group of organisms classified by common attributes that can breed and produce fertile offspring
• starch: a substance which consists of many glucose molecules joined together; plants store glucose produced by photosynthesis in this complex form
• terrestrial environment: an environment on dry land
• tertiary consumer: an organism that eats secondary consumers; a carnivore at the highest level in a food chain that feeds on other carnivores
• transmitted: to cause something to be passed from one individual to another; eg. disease-causing microorganisms passed from one person to another
• trophic level: a feeding level in a food web, chain or pyramid; all organisms at the same trophic level get their energy in the same way
• virus: a small infectious agent that typically causes disease