4th Grade Vocabulary

4th Grade Science Vocabulary
 Study!!!
There will be a vocabulary test EVERY Thursday!
1.      Organism- a living system that requires the five basic needs
2.      Classify- to sort things into groups to show how they are alike
3.      Vertebrate- animal with a backbone
4.      Invertebrate- animal without a backbone
5.      Metamorphosis-the process of change in an animal 
6.      Instinct- a behavior that begins with life
7.      Learned Behavior- a behavior that is taught
8.      Adaptation- a body part or behavior that helps a living thing survive
9.      Camouflage- when an animal blends in with its environment
10. Mimicry- when an animal looks like another animal or thing
11. Hibernation- a long deep sleep for an extended time period
12. Migration- when an animal travels to another area
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13. root- anchors the plant in place and absorbs water and nutrients
14. stem-  supports plant and carries water and minerals from the roots
15. leaves- carries out photosynthesis and transpiration
16. chlorophyll- green pigment plants need to make their own food
17. photosynthesis- process by which a plant makes its own food
18. transpiration- giving off water by a plant
19. flower- reproductive structure in flowering plants
20. fruit- part of flowering plant that surrounds and protects the seed
21. pollination- when pollen is carried from stamen to pistil to create new seeds
22. germinate- when a seed sprouts into a new plant
23.  structure- animal or plant part
24. function- job a animal or plant part does
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25. habitat- place where an animal lives, meets its needs

26. producer-  make their own food

27. consumer- eats other living things for energy

28. decomposer- feeds on waste of plants and animals

29. herbivore- animals that feed only on plants

30. carnivore- an animal that feeds on only animals (meat)

31. omnivore- animals that eat plants and animals

32. scavenger- animal that feeds on dead animals

33. prey- organism that is hunted or caught for food

34. predator- organism that lives by hunting and eating other organisms

35.  ecosystem- all living and non living things in an environment and their interactions

36. community- the living part of an ecosystem
 
37. population-  one species of an organism living in an area

38.  endangered- a population of organisms at risk of becoming extinct

39. extinct –organism no longer living on earth
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40. fossil- any evidence of an organism that lived in the past
41. trace fossil- impression of an organism or part
42. cast fossil- when a mold is filled with minerals to create a copy of organism
43.  true form (body) fossil- preserved remains of actual organism
44.  fossil record- the total number of fossils discovered, and the information found from them
45.  core- the innermost layer of the Earth (hottest and solid)
46.  crust- the outermost layer of the Earth (thinnest layer, where we live)
47.  mantle- a thick layer of rock between Earth’s crust and core
48.  igneous rock-  are formed when molten rock cools and hardens
49. sedimentary rock-  forms when sediment compacts and cements together
50.  metamorphic rock- rock formed when existing rocks are changed by heat, pressure, or chemicals
51. rock cycle- the continuous change rocks go through
52. sediment- sand, particles of rock, bits of soil, and the remains of once living things
53.  weathering- the slow wearing away of rock into smaller pieces which makes sediment
54. rock-  a solid material that is made up of one or more minerals
55.  mineral-  a solid, nonliving material that naturally occurs in Earths crust (properties: color, luster, hardness, fracture)
56. fossil fuel- a fuel that formed from the remains of ancient plants and animals (coal, oil, natural gas)
57.  natural resource- a material found in Earth that was produced by nature not by humans
58.   renewable resource- a natural resource that can be replaced or can replace or renew itself
59.  nonrenewable resource- a natural resource that cannot be replaced once it is used up (takes thousands of years to be replaced)
60. pollution- the addition of harmful materials to the air, water, and soil
61.  humus- found in soil, material made up of decayed plants and animal matter
62.  soil profile- cross section of soil which shows the different layers(horizon) of soil
63.  topsoil- the top layer of soil which contains humus and minerals
64.  subsoil- hard layers of clay and minerals that lies beneath the topsoil
65.  bedrock- solid rock below the lowest layer of soil
66. magma- molten rock beneath earths surface
67. lava-  molten rock on earths surface
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------68. Water Cycle- the continuous movement of water into the air as water vapor and back to Earth’s surface as precipitation
69. Evaporation-  The change in state from a liquid to a gas
70. Condensation-  The change of state from a gas to a liquid
71. Precipitation- any form of water that falls from clouds to Earth’s surface
72. Ground Water- precipitation that flows down into the ground (soil)
73. Runoff- precipitation that flows on Earth’s surface towards larger bodies of water
74. Greenhouse effect- The process by which heat from the sun builds up near Earth’s surface and is trapped there by the atmosphere
75. Atmosphere- The layers of air that surround Earths surface
76. Weather – The conditions of the atmosphere at a certain place and time
77. Climate- The average weather conditions in an area over a long period of time
78. Air pressure- The weight of air as it presses down on earths surface
79. Humidity- The amount of water vapor (moisture) in the air
80. Front- the where two air masses meet
81. Air Mass- a large body of air that has about the same temperature, air pressure, and moisture throughout (cold or warm, moist or dry)