adaptations
An adaptation is a special body feature or behavior that helps an organism stay alive.  The tiger's stripes help him blend into the environment.


algae
Small plants without roots or stems that grow in water or on damp surfaces.


bacteria
Living things that can cause disease or can be useful by breaking down nonliving organisms.  Fungi are an example of a bacteria that is a decomposer.


camouflage
An adaptation that helps an organism blend in with its surroundings.  The frog has developed camouflage so he blends in with his environment and can't be easily seen by predators. 


Cattails
A tall thin plant with long brown furry pods at the top and narrow leaves.  Cattails grow in large groups in marshes.


community
All the populations living in one area.  Remember a population is all the members of a species living in one area.


consumers
An organism that eats other organisms in a food chain.  A frog eats a fly so a frog is a consumer.


decomposers
Organisms that feed on and break down dead organisms. An earthworm is a decomposer.


ecosystem
All the interacting living and nonliving things in one area.  The picture is an example of a marine ecosystem.


energy

habitat
The area in which an organism lives.  For example, the picture shows a river habitat.


interact

The action between people, groups, or things.  The bee is interacting with the flower.



Mimicry
An adaptation in which an organism looks like another organism or thing. The insect called a katydid has developed an adaptation that makes it look like a leaf.


nutrients
The things in food that organisms need to live.


organisms
An organism is any living thing.  For example, a human, a tree, or an insect are organisms.


parasites
A parasite is an organism that lives in or on another organism and gets its food from it.  A tick gets its food, blood, from another organism it attaches itself to.


predator
An animal that kills and eats other animals.  For example, a hawk is a predator because he hunts, kills, and then eats other animals like rabbits.


prey
Prey are animals that are killed and eaten by other animals.  A rabbit is prey because several animals kill rabbits and eat them.


producers
An organism that makes its own food and serves as a source of food for other organisms.  For example, corn makes its own food and serves as a source of food for humans and other animals.


Schools
A group of fish or other sea creatures, as in a school of fish.


species
A group of organisms (living things) that are the same.  For example, the picture shows different types of fish but the fish are all fish so they are the same species.