MCA Science Prep

Vacuole

A cell structure that stores water and other materials. A plat cell has one central vacuole, an animal cell has many small vacuoles

Adaptation

A change in structure, function, or behavior by which species or individuals improve their chance of survival

What are rocks made of?

A combination of minerals

ecosystem

A community of organisms and their abiotic environment

Food Chain

A diagram showing the pathway of energy transfer through various stages as a result of the feeding patterns of a series of organisms. Usually a diagram that shows energy flow from one organism to another

Energy Pyramid

A diagram that shows an ecosystem's transfer of energy. A triangular diagram that shows loss of energy as food passes through the ecosystem's food web.

Food Web

A diagram that shows the feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem. The diagram shows interconnected food chains

Multi-Celled Organism

A many celled organism that has specialized cells that have specific functions to carry out life processes (plants / animals / fungi)

What is a space rock that reaches Earth's surface?

A meteorite

Cell Wall

A rigid structure made out of cellulose and provides support to the cell. Found in bacteria, fungi and plant cells

What is Moh's Hardness Scale?

A scale which rates minerals from softest (1) to hardest (10)

Single Celled Organism

A single cell that carries out all of life's processes (protist / bacteria)

How long is a year, and what does the Earth do in that time?

About 365 days. It revolves around the Sun one time

Biotic

All factors in an ecosystem that are alive

Abiotic

All factors in an ecosystem that are not alive

Extinction

All of a species die out

Where is the only plate boundary in the US found?

Along the Pacific Coast

What is the shaking and trembling that results from sudden movement of part of the Earth's crust called?

An earthquake

What does the Earth do in one day?

It rotates on its axis one time

What does the Law of Superposition tell scientists?

It states that if rocks are formed in layers, the rock in the upper layer is younger than the rock in the layer below it

A substance will float in a liquid if...?

Its density is less than the density of the liquid

What are the units of length, mass, and volume in the metric system?

Length: meter Mass: gram Volume: liter

What are the two types of weathering?

Mechanical and Chemical

What are the planets in the Solar System in order, beginning at the Sun and moving out?

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto

Earth is part of which Galaxy?

Milky Way

What are 3 landforms created by plate movement?

Mountains, volcanoes, rift valleys, trenches, island arcs, or fault lines

What are the phases of the moon from new moon to new moon?

New Moon, Waxing Crescent, First Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Full Moon, Waning Gibbous, Last Quarter, Waning Crescent, New Moon

Consumer

Organism that can not make their own food and must eat others.

Predator

Organism that cateches and eats other organisms

Primary Consumer

Organism that eats plants (Herbivore)

Secondary Consumer

Organism that feeds on primary consumers

Tertiary Consumer

Organism that feeds on secondary consumers. Top of the food chain

Prey

Organism that is hunted and gets eaten

Producer

Organism that makes it's own food through the process of photosynthesis

Decomposer

Organisms that get energy by breaking down dead organisms

What was the last supercontinent called?

Pangaea

Learned Responses

Responses that are learned by experience

Inherited Traits

Results from information contained in genes, which are loceted on chromosomes of each cell.

Cell Membrane

Semi-permeable membrane that allows some materials in and out of the cell

What are the 3 types of volcanoes?

Shield, Cinder Cone, and Composite

Protists

Single celled or simple multi-celled organisms that can be plant-like or animal-like

How long does it take to travel through an entire moon cycle?

Slightly less than a month

What is Earth Science?

Study of Geology, Astronomy, and Meteorology

_____ are areas on the surface of the Sun that are cooler than the rest of the Sun's surface.

Sunspots

Parasitism

Symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits while the host organism is harmed.

What are the first four planets called?

Terrestrial Planets

The Theory of Plate Tectonics states that...?

The crust of the Earth is broken into pieces called plates that move

What is a light year?

The distance light travels in a year, and a tiny bit less than 10 trillion kilometers

Genotype

The genetic make-up of an organism

What causes the rise and fall of the oceans (tides)?

The gravitational pull of the moon on the Earth

Phenotype

The physical traits that appear in an individual as a result of its gentic make up.

How do plates move along a Divergent Plate Boundary?

The plates move apart

How do plates move along a Convergent Plate Boundary?

The plates move together

How do plates move along a Transform Fault Boundary?

The plates slide past each other

Photosynthesis

The process used by plant cells to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose (sugar). Plant cells then turn the glucose into energy through cellular respiration

Evolution

The process where biological populations change over time

What is the interrelated process that causes continuous changing in rocks called?

The rock cycle

Ecology

The study of the interactions of living organisms with one another and with their environment

What causes the change in seasons?

The tilt of the Earth as it orbits the Sun

What is the upper 8-12 inches of the ground called?

Topsoil

What are 3 landforms created by glaciers?

U-Shaped valleys, kettle lakes, or moraines

When the visible portion of the moon is decreasing it is...?

Waning

When the visible portion of the moon is increasing it is...?

Waxing

Unequal heating of Earth and its atmosphere causes...?

Weather

What is soil composed of?

Weathered rock and organic matter

Heredity

What determines an organism's behavior, in addition to past experiences

Population

a group of individuals of the same species that live in a specific geographical area at the same time

Nucleus

a part of the cell containing DNA and RNA and responsible for growth and reproduction

DNA

deoxyribonucleic acid. It is a molecule made up of genes that determine the traits of an organism

Chloroplasts

organelles that capture the energy from sunlight and convert it into chemical energy in a process called photosynthesis

Instinctive

prompted by natural instinct

Natural Selection

traits best suited for a certain environment are passed down to increase reproductive success, offspring survival rate, and presence of trait

Solstice

when the sun is at its highest or lowest angle

Equinox

when the sun is directly over the equator so the length of day and night is the same.

What is the hardest mineral known?

Diamond

What are the 3 types of plate boundaries?

Divergent, convergent, and transform fault

How do you find the density of an object?

Divide the mass by its volume

Animal cells

Do not have a cell wall or chloroplasts and have several small vacuoles instead of one large, central one

What is the process that moves soil from one place to another?

Erosion

Animals

Eukaryotic, multicelled organisms usually capable of mobility and unable to produce their own food (heterotrophs)

Stress applied to rocks resulting in bending (not breaking) is referred to as...?

Folding

How are metamorphic rocks formed?

From intense heat and pressure over a long period of time

How are igneous rocks formed?

From the cooling and hardening of magma

How are sedimentary rocks formed?

From the deposition and cementing of sediments

What do we call Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune?

Gas Giants

What are the two main rocks of the Earth's Crust?

Granite and Basalt

What force keeps the planets in motion around the Sun?

Gravity

What are 5 ways to identify a mineral?

Hardness, cleavage/fracture, luster streak color, color

Plant cells

Have cell parts that include cell wall, chloroplast, and central vacuole that animal cell do not

Cellular Respiration

How cells convert sugars into energy

What produces energy in stars?

Hydrogen atoms fusing together to form Helium

What are the 5 steps of the Scientific Method?

Identify the problem, create a hypothesis, test hypothesis, form conclusion, accept conclusion or revise hypothesis

What are three classifications of rocks?

Igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic

What are 3 characteristics of Gas Giants?

1. They are mainly gas with small cores 2. They are very large 3. They have many moons

What are 3 characteristics of Terrestrial Planets?

1. They are rocky 2. They are small 3. They have few, if any, moons

Cell

Basic unit of life

What are comets composed of?

Bits of rock, ice, methane, and ammonia

How can the exact age of a rock be measured?

By comparing the amount of parent and daughter materials present in the rock

Genes

Carry one set of instructions each and can influence more than one trait. Genes determine hair color, eye color, height, etc.

Plants

Complex multi-celled organisms that use photosynthesis to make their own food