ACT Science vocabulary: biology and ecology.

Relating to the physical structure of a body or organism

Leonardo da Vinci's anatomical drawings reveal a scientific curiosity far ahead of his time.

Memory cueAn anatomical chart maps the structures and parts of a body.

The variety of plant and animal life in a particular habitat or in the world generally

The coral reef's extraordinary biodiversity makes it one of the most scientifically valuable ecosystems on the planet.

Memory cueBiodiversity fills one habitat with a broad variety of living species.

The regions of the earth's surface and atmosphere occupied by living organisms; the global ecological system

Human activity is altering the biosphere at a rate unprecedented in the geological record.

Memory cueThe biosphere wraps Earth in every region where life exists.

Animals that feed on other animals; meat-eaters

Large carnivores play a critical role in regulating prey populations and maintaining ecosystem balance.

Memory cueCarnivores carve into meat because other animals are their food.

A community of organisms interacting with one another and with their physical environment.

Removing the top predator altered the ecosystem by changing prey numbers and plant abundance.

Memory cueAn ecosystem is a living community plus the water, soil, air, and energy around it.

The process of discharging waste matter from the body

The kidneys play a vital role in the excretion of metabolic waste products from the bloodstream.

Memory cueExcretion is the body’s exit system for discharging waste.

The animals of a particular region, habitat, or geological period

The island's fauna includes several species found nowhere else on Earth, making it a priority for conservation.

Memory cueFauna means the animal life found in a region or period.

The natural environment where an organism lives and obtains the resources it needs.

The wetland provides habitat with shallow water, nesting cover, and abundant food for migrating birds.

Memory cueA habitat is an organism's natural home address, complete with food and shelter.

Animals that feed on plants

Large herbivores like elephants shape their environment by toppling trees and creating clearings that benefit other species.

Memory cueHerbivores browse herbs and other plants instead of eating animals.

The young produced by an organism

The biologist tracked the offspring of the tagged wolves to study how behavioral traits are passed between generations.

Memory cueOffspring spring from their parents as the next generation.

Feeding on food of both plant and animal origin; (figurative) having wide-ranging interests or tastes

The author was an omnivorous reader whose influences ranged from ancient Greek philosophy to modern comic books.

Memory cueAn omnivorous eater’s menu includes both plants and animals.

An individual living thing capable of carrying out the processes necessary for life.

Each organism in the culture consumed nutrients, released waste, and reproduced under favorable conditions.

Memory cueAn organism is one complete living unit, from a bacterium to a blue whale.

The process by which certain organisms use light energy to build sugars from carbon dioxide and water.

During photosynthesis, the algae released more oxygen when brighter light reached the culture vessel.

Memory cuePHOTO means light and SYNTHESIS means building; photosynthesis uses light to build sugar.

The evolutionary development and history of a species or group of organisms

Advances in DNA sequencing have revolutionized the study of phylogeny , revealing evolutionary relationships invisible in the fossil record.

Memory cueA phylogeny is a branching family tree of evolutionary history.

Microscopic marine organisms that photosynthesize, forming the base of aquatic food chains

Phytoplankton produce roughly half of the world's oxygen through photosynthesis, making them essential to life on Earth.

Memory cuePhytoplankton are tiny floating plantlike organisms feeding aquatic food webs.

All members of the same species living in a defined area at a particular time.

The island's lizard population declined sharply after drought reduced the insects available as food.

Memory cueA population gathers every member of one species inside the same place-and-time boundary.

The act of one organism hunting and consuming another

The introduction of wolves into the ecosystem restored a natural cycle of predation that controlled the deer population.

Memory cuePredation is the hunt in which one organism consumes another.

To breathe; to release carbon dioxide through metabolic processes

All aerobic organisms respire , consuming oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide as they convert food into energy.

Memory cueTo respire is to breathe and exchange gases through metabolism.

The severity or harmfulness of a disease or pathogen

The virulence of the new strain alarmed epidemiologists, who feared it could overwhelm hospital capacity.

Memory cueVirulence measures how severely a pathogen can harm its host.

Tiny aquatic animals that drift in water bodies; a domain-specific ecological term

Zooplankton form a critical link in the marine food chain, feeding on phytoplankton and serving as prey for small fish.

Memory cueZooplankton are tiny drifting animals suspended in aquatic food webs.