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function
an action that helps a plant or
an animal survive
gastropod
the family of snails
gene
a message carried by a chromosome
generation
a group of organisms born
and living at the same time
genetics
the study of how living things
pass traits to their offspring
herbivore
an animal that eats only
plants or algae
hibernate
when animals sleep through
the winter
inherited trait
a characteristic that
is passed down from generation to
generation
invasive
an organism that thrives in
a new area but causes problems to the
organisms in that ecosystem
joint
a place where two bones come
together
leaf
(
plural
leaves)
a plant structure
that is usually green and makes food from
sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide
life cycle
the sequence of changes or
stages an organism goes through as it
grows and develops
ligament
tissue that connects bone to
bone
mast year
a year when trees produce a
lot of seeds
mature
fully developed
migrate
when animals move from places
with cold weather to places with warm
weather
molt
to shed an outer shell in order to
grow
muscle
tissue that can contract and
produce movement
nutrient
a material needed by a living
organism to help it grow and develop
offspring
a new plant or animal
produced by a parent
omnivore
an animal that eats both
animals and plants
organism
any living thing
paleontologist
a scientist who studies
fossils
parent
an organism that has produced
offspring
petrify
to change into stone over a long
period of time
pincer
an animal’s claw used for grasping
population
all organisms of one kind
that are living together
predator
an animal that hunts and
catches other animals for food
prey
an animal eaten by another animal
proboscis
a long, strawlike mouth
protect
to keep safe
pupa
the stage of an insect’s life cycle
between the larva and the adult stages
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