California science vocabulary card(1 6) (6)

Any nonliving part of an ecosystem, such as water, minerals, sunlight, air, or soil.. The part of the oceanic zone that is found at depths greater than 2,000 meters 6,562 feet, where the

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abiotic factor

(ā’bī ot’ik fak’tәr)

Any nonliving part of an ecosystem, such as water, minerals, sunlight,

air, or soil

Living things depend upon the abiotic factors around them

to survive

(ә brā’zhәn)

The process that occurs when sand,

stones, and pebbles move and

scrape across Earth’s surface,

acting like sandpaper to pit and

polish the surface

Scraping a rock against the ground leads to the abrasion of both the

ground and the rock

(ab sôrp’shәn)

The process of taking in

radiant energy

The absorption of light by green plants powers photosynthesis

abyssal zone

(ә bi’sәl zōn)

The part of the oceanic zone that is found at depths greater than 2,000 meters (6,562 feet), where there is

no sunlight, it is very cold, and the

water pressure is high

Photosynthesis does not occur in the abyssal zone because there is

total darkness

(ә sid’i tē)

The amount of acid in a substance.The amount of acidity in a lemon

is higher than in a banana

acid rain

(as’id rān)

Precipitation that contains acidic components as a result of the

burning of coal and other fossil fuels; harms soils and water supplies and can weather statues and buildings

Acid rain is a serious problem

that affects lakes in parts of

the United States

aerial roots

(âr’ē әl rüts)

Roots that reach out above the ground for water and sunlight

to nourish the plant

Since aerial roots never touch the ground, they get the moisture they need from the air around them

air pressure

(âr pre’shәr)

The force that air molecules exert

on the objects beneath them; has

a major effect on the weather

Air pressure is higher at sea level than it is on top of a tall mountain

(al’kә lin’i tē)

The amount of base in a substance.

Drain cleaners have greater

alkalinity than milk

alluvial deposit

(ә lü’vē әl di poz’it)

A fan-shaped land deposit

at the mouth of a stream

Alluvial deposits include a wide

range of different particles

(ә mē’bә)

A protist found in fresh water, salt water, and soil that uses pseudopods to move and eat.

Amoebas are constantly

changing their shape

(am’pli tüd’)

The distance from the midpoint to

the crest or trough of a wave

A sound wave with a higher

amplitude sounds louder

(an’ti sī’klōn)

An area of high pressure that usually brings fair weather.

During the summer anticyclones

bring hot, sunny days

(ә roi’ō)

A small, water-carved channel with steep banks that is located

in a dry area

Arroyos often fi ll with water

during a heavy rain

(as the’nә sfîr’)

The layer of semimolten mantle rock that lies directly below

the lithosphere

Earth’s tectonic plates rest

on the asthenosphere

(a’vә lanch’)

A landslide that typically occurs

in a mountain area with a thick

cover of snow

An avalanche can pose great

danger to skiers

(bangk)

The rising ground that borders

a river or stream

A bank is a good place to stand

and watch boats on a river

barrier island

(bar’ē әr ī’lәnd)

A sandbar that is more than

100 meters (328 feet) wide

Barrier islands are often at risk

when damaging storms

move onshore

bathyal zone

(ba’thē әl zōn)

The part of the oceanic zone that

is between 200 meters (656 feet)

and about 2,000 meters

(6,562 feet) deep

There is little light in the bathyal zone

beach drift

(bēch drift)

The pulling of sand particles sideways along a beach.

Structures along shores affect the normal movement of sand

by beach drift

beach erosion

(bēch i rō’zhәn)

The process by which waves pick

up and deposit sand particles

along the shore

Beach erosion caused by waves and wind has changed the size and shape of coastal areas

(ben’thäs)

A wide range of organisms that live on or near the ocean fl oor Benthos like crabs are eaten

by larger organisms

biomass conversion

A method for changing plant

and animal materials into

high-quality fuels

Biomass conversion helps decrease

the amount of carbon dioxide

released into the air

(bī’ōm)

A region with a particular climate that contains certain types of

plants and ecosystems

Grassland or desert biomes are found in different parts of the world

biotic factor

(bī ot’ik fak’tәr)

Any living thing that is part

of an ecosystem

Lions and tigers are biotic factors

in some ecosystems

body wave

(bod’ē wāv)

A seismic wave that travels through the interior of Earth; the two types

are P waves and S waves

Scientists study body waves

in order to determine the origin

of an earthquake

(brā’kәr)

A wave that breaks into foam

against the shore and washes back into the ocean at another angle

Susan observed a breaker that was

larger than the other waves

(boi’әn sē)

An upward force that a liquid or gas has on an object or a substance

with lower density

Buoyancy is clearly seen in

an object’s ability to fl oat

California

Current

An ocean current that carries cold water toward the equator along the western coast of the United States,

keeping the climate of the

northwest cool

Much of California’s climate is due

to the California Current

(kal’ә rē)

One calorie is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of

1 gram of water by 1°C at normal

air pressure

It takes more calories to heat a liter

of water than a glass of water

(kam’bē әm)

A layer of plant cells that

sometimes separates the

xylem and the phloem

The cambium is a layer of cells from which new xylem and

phloem are produced

(kan’ә pē)

The second-highest layer of the rain forest that shades the rain forest with a thick blanket of foliage.

The canopy of the rain forest

shelters much of what is below

it from direct rainfall

capillary action

(kap’ә ler’ē ak’shәn)

One force that pulls water up into plants by water molecules’ sticking

to one another and to other

substances

In plants, capillary action moves water up the stem of the plant against the force of gravity

carbon cycle

(kär’bәn sī’kәl)

The process in which carbon is recycled between the atmosphere

and living things

The carbon cycle is an essential

process for life on Earth

(kär’nә vôr’)

A secondary or tertiary consumer;

an animal that eats other animals

Cheetahs are carnivores that can run as fast as 65 miles (104 km) per hour to catch their prey

Central Valley

(sen’trәl val’ē)

An area of low land bordered by the Sierra Nevada to the east and the

Coast Ranges to the west

California’s Central Valley is

mostly fl at land that can produce good crops

(shap’ә ral’)

A dry region with a thick growth of brush and small trees found in the foothills of California’s southern

mountain ranges, in the Sierra Nevada,

and along the California coast

In the chaparral , plants typically

grow no more than 10 feet

(3 meters) in height

chemical reaction

A change in matter that produces new substances with properties

different from those of the

original substances

An example of a chemical reaction

is the bonding of hydrogen and oxygen atoms to form water

chemical weathering

The process that changes the

composition of rock, forming new minerals that have properties

different from those of the

original rock

The chemical weathering of rocks

helps add minerals and other

nutrients to soil

(kē’mō sin’thә sәs)

A chemical reaction that bacteria living near hydrothermal vents

use to produce food

Chemosynthesis can occur near

deep sea vents where the

sun’s rays never reach

(klôr’ә fil’)

A green substance in plants that absorbs energy from sunlight in

order to produce food

Chlorophyll appears green

because it refl ects green

light back to our eyes

(klôr’ә plast’)

A structure that contains chlorophyll and is found in the cells of leaves

and stems of green plants

Chloroplasts are the sites of

photosynthesis in a plant’s leaves

(sil’ē ә)

Small, hairlike projections extending from the outsides of some protists’ cells; used for movement and for

capturing food

In some organisms, cilia move fl uid

or materials past the cell

(sil’ē әt)

Any protist that has small, hairlike projections, or cilia, extending from

the outside of its cell

Ciliates such as paramecium use

their cilia to move and feed

cinder cone

volcano

A volcanic landform made up of small rock particles, or cinders,

which pile up around the vent to form a small cone with steep sides Cinder cone volcanoes are the most

common type of volcano

(klī’mit)

The average weather pattern

of a region

The climate of a desert and a wetland are very different

(kōl)

A hard, black substance formed from plants that lived about

300 million years ago

Mostly composed of carbon,

coal can be used as fuel

(kә lek’shәn)

A process in which water soaks into the ground and is stored

as groundwater

Collection of rainfall refi lls

Earth’s groundwater

(kә mū’ni tē)

All the populations living in an area.

Within a community , various

populations may interact

in different ways

composite

volcano

A landform made up of layers of lava fl ows alternating with layers of ash, cinders, and rocks; shaped like

a symmetrical cone with steep sides that are concave, or curving inward

The tallest volcanoes are usually composite volcanoes

(kom’pōs ting)

The process in which decomposers break down organic matter so it can

be used as a natural fertilizer for

gardening or farming

Composting leaves is a process

that helps provide the nutrients

plants use to grow

compound leaf

(kom’pound lēf)

A leaf with two or more blades attached to the same leaf stalk.

Mountain ash, black walnut, and palmate are trees that have compound leaves

compound light

microscope

A microscope that uses two or more lenses and a light source

to magnify objects

A compound light microscope magnifi es a sample so that very small details can be observed

compression

wave

A wave that moves back and forth

in the same direction as the

molecules of matter in the wave.Sound waves are an example

of compression waves

(kon’krēt)

A mixture of sand, gravel,

and pebbles in a binding

material such as mortar

The strength of concrete makes

it an ideal building material

(kon’den sā’shәn)

The process in which a gas

changes into a liquid

An example of condensation

is when water vapor is cooled

to form water droplets

(kәn duk’shәn)

The movement of energy through direct contact.

Warming one’s hands by holding a cup of hot chocolate is an example

of using conduction

(kәn duk’tәr)

An object or substance that

absorbs heat and distributes

it evenly, such as metal

Metals are excellent conductors and are often used to make cookware

(kon’ә fәr)

An evergreen that produces seeds

in special structures called cones

A pine tree is a common conifer

in many ecosystems

(kon’sәr vā’shәn)

Using natural resources wisely by limiting their use to times of need.Using recycled paper is a way you

can practice conservation

(kәn sü’mәr)

An organism that gets energy

by feeding directly on producers

or by eating animals that feed

on producers

All living things that do not produce

their own food are consumers

continental

crust

The material that makes up Earth’s land; made up mostly of a relatively

lightweight rock called granite

Continental crust is still being formed today

continental

drift

The idea that a past supercontinent split apart into separate continents, which drifted over time to their

(kәn vek’shәn)

The transfer of energy by the

fl ow of a liquid or a gas

Warm air carrying heat upwards

as cooler air sinks down is an

example of convection

convection

current

The circulation of hot and cold fl uids due to differences in temperature and resultant changes in density.

Convection currents move air

above land or oceans

convective fl ow

(kәn vek’tiv fl ō)

The continuous circular pattern of

fl uids as they are heated and cooled

Although convective fl ow may not

be seen directly, it is recognized through the effects it has on

the weather

convergent boundary

A boundary between plates that are moving toward each other,

or colliding

The Himalaya mountains are found along a convergent boundary that forms a border between India and

the rest of Asia

(kôr)

The central part of Earth that lies beneath the mantle and is made up

of an outer, liquid part and an

inner, solid part

Scientists believe the core of Earth

is made of iron and nickel

Coriolis effect

(kôr’ē ō’lәs i fekt’)

The shift in wind direction to

the right or left caused by

Earth’s rotation

The Coriolis effect causes liquids

or gases to move counter-clockwise

in the Northern Hemisphere

and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere

effectiveness

cost-A measure determined by

comparing the costs and the

consequences of different ways

of doing something

Cost effectiveness increases

when you purchase a single large container of juice instead of many

smaller containers

(krā’tәr)

A bowl-shaped depression Craters can clearly be seen

on the Moon

(krust)

The thin layer of solid rock that

makes up the outermost

part of Earth

Folds and shifts in the crust can cause mountains and

valleys to form

(kū’ti kәl)

A waxy coating secreted by cells

of a plant’s epidermis to prevent water from leaving the plant

The cuticle helps prevent a plant from drying out and can give

it a glossy shine

(sī’ә nō’bak tîr’ē ә)

Prokaryotic producers that

produced the oxygen that fi rst made Earth inhabitable for

other living things

Cyanobacteria , such as blue-green algae, release oxygen into the air

(sī’kәl)

A series of events that happen in the same order, over and over again.

The four seasons are part of a cycle

(sī’klōn)

A huge mass of spinning air that forms when an area of low pressure is surrounded by high

pressure on all sides

A hurricane is a type of cyclone

(dam)

A barrier constructed to control

a fl ow of water or to raise a

water level

The Oroville Dam in California helps control the fl ow of the Feather River

(di sij’ü әs)

Belonging to the class of trees

or forests that lose their leaves

when winter comes

After having lost their chlorophyll and changed color, the leaves of most deciduous trees fall off the tree before the winter season

(dē’kәm pō’zәr)

An organism that breaks down dead organisms into simpler substances.

Bacteria and fungi are decomposers

which break down dead matter

into useful material that plants

can use to grow

(del’tә)

The triangular-shaped deposit of soil particles that forms where a stream

enters a larger body of water

The fertile soil of the Nile delta in Africa has been farmed for more

than fi ve thousand years

(den’si tē)

The measure of how much material there is in a given amount of space.Oil fl oats on water because it has

a lower density than water

(dep’ә zish’әn)

The process by which eroded soil and rock are put down in new places, reshaping the landscape.

During the last ice age glaciers caused deposition of rocks far

away from their origin