Habitat Vocabulary

ecosystem All the living and nonliving things in a place.

community All the living things in an ecosystem. It consists of many different populations.

population All the members of a single type of organism. For example, all the American Alligators in a swamp.

habitat a living things home

organism A specific type of plant or animal.

marsh An area of wet, low land. It usually contains a large amount of grass and no trees. Similar to a swamp, but swamps usually have trees.

coast The land that borders a sea or ocean

piedmont An area of land that is made up of a series of rolling hills and occasional mountains. Its name means foot of the mountain

adaptation A special characteristic that helps an animal survive. For example, a chameleon changes colors to blend into its environment.

natural resource All the “nature made” things that are useful in your environment Minerals, timber, land, and water are examples of natural resources

conservation The act of protecting our resources; including the land, water, plants, animals and air. Save the whales

environment The things that make up an area like land, water, and air.

ocean The ocean is the large body of salt water that covers most of Earth's surface. The Atlantic is located off the coast of Georgia.

shelter One of the basic needs provided by a habitat, that helps protect an organism and offers it a safe place to rest or reproduce.

non-living organism Something that is not alive, like a rock or dirt.

endangered species A living organism that is threatened with extinction. The right whale is an endangered species of Georgia.

temperature A measure of how hot or cold it is. The temperature of a region impacts what plants and animals can survive in the habitat.

weathering The destruction or discoloring action on resources caused by air, water, or frost, especially on rock or wood

energy the ability to do work living organisms need food to provide them with energy

external features The visible features of a plant or animal that help the animal survive in a given habitat. For example, the spoonbill has a spoon-shaped beak to help him catch fish.

broad-leaf trees Broadleaf trees are those trees that lose their leaves during the fall and winter months. They have leafs, fruit or flowers and bark.Common broadleaf include the maple, oak and ash.

Needle-leaf trees Trees that are evergreen and do not change with the seasons. Tree parts include the scalelike or needle leafs, bark and cones. Common species include cedar, cypress and douglas-fir.

fruit bearing trees A type of broadleaf tree that bear fruit or flowering plants. Common fruit-bearing trees include the apple, pear and magnolia tree.