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Behavioral or physical characteristic that helps a plant or animal to survive and reproduce in an environment
Refers to the leaf arrangement; leaves arranged alternately from each other along the stem
Cold blooded animals that spend part of their life on land and part of their life in water
Flowering vascular plant
Male part of the flower located at the end of the stamen where pollen develops
A modified leaf bud that defines members of the Cacti Family. Spines, flowers, or roots can originate from this growth region.
Offspring from a single parent resulting in an exact genetic copy of the parent (clone)
An adaptation that is behavioral in nature e.g. nocturnal
Two rainy seasons per year
Variety of life
Dense stands of trees- often refers to Mesquite stands
Plantlet produced asexually from parent plant; in the case of agave the bulbil is produced on the flower stalk
Tunnel or hole; often underground
Steep hill with a flat top; generally smaller than a mesa
Plant that usually has a succulent stem and spines on areoles and no leaves
Layers of very hard soil particles bound by calcium carbonate, found in arid regions; usually light colored
Outer part of flower structure consisting of sepals; can be used as a cutting tool
Coloration or patterns that disguise an organism by enabling it to resemble its surroundings
Animal that eats primarily meat
A dense shrub plant community that is adapted to frequent fires
Green pigment that captures light energy during photosynthesis
Gene carrying structure found in cells
Meteorological conditions that characterize a region
An insect that feeds on prickly pear pads and whose body produces a red color, which can be used as a dye
Tall and columnar form of cacti
A leaf in which the leaf blade is divided into smaller leaflets
Change of state from a gas or vapor to a liquid
Organism that feeds on other organisms
Term used to describe a process where distant plant families evolve adaptations that a very similar
Food storage structure found in a seed
Developed or improved by human care
Organism that breaks down organic material into recyclable pieces
An ecosystem where water is a limiting factor most of the time. Deserts receive less than ten inches of water a year, have extreme temperature fluctuations over a 24 hour period, and have a high evaporation rate
Tool used to identify organisms in the natural world by providing the user with a series of two choices that lead to the identity of the organism.
Organism that is active during the day
Deoxyribonucleic acid is genetic information organisms inherit from their parents
The gene responsible for the trait that will be visible in the organism
Survival strategy of living organisms wherein growth and development is temporarily suspended
Refers to some plants’ ability to drop their leaves during times of drought
Organism that regulates its body temperature through its surroundings (e.g. cold-blooded)
Refers to the shape of the leaf; largest at the center and tapered at both ends
Immature plant
A system of living and nonliving things interacting together
Conditions such as temperature, rainfall, evaporation, and seasons that define an environment.
The outer tissue layer of a plant
Period of inactivity in response to heat and dryness
The study of the relationship between plants and people
Process through which a liquid changes into a gas
Classification level in the organization of the Plant Kingdom
When a sperm unites with the egg
Male part of the flower; stalk portion of the stamen
Interconnections between producers, predators, and prey in an ecosystem
Mature ovary that contains seeds
Reproductive cell (e.g. egg or sperm cell)
A unit of DNA sequence that carries genetic information
Process that determines which genes are visible or expressed
Organism that can thrive in a variety of environmental conditions and take advantage of a variety of resources
The science of heredity
The beginning of growth for a seed; root (radical) emergence
Pattern of air movement around the globe that influences the location of deserts
Easily detachable tiny, hair-like bristles particular to opuntioid cacti e.g. prickly pear
A place where an organism lives, everything needed to survive can be found within the habitat
An animal that eats plants
Genetic makeup of an individual, which is passed on through generations
Spending a season in a state of inactivity
Amount of water vapor in the air
Device used to measure relative humidity
Possible explanation to answer a question
Method of investigation involving observing, questioning, hypothesizing, predicting, experimenting & collecting data, analyzing results, making conclusions, and sharing results (also scientific method or scientific process)
Pattern of air movement that pushes moisture over a continent, as it moves further inland without a source to replenish creating arid regions which influences where deserts are located
To make a detailed inquiry
Cacti of the Opuntia genus (prickly pear) grow in segmented joints. These cacti also bear glochids from their areoles.
A living organism that plays a disproportionately important role in its environment
Each of the veined, leaf-like structures that make up part of a compound leaf
Fruit that is a single chambered capsule enclosing what appears to be a single row of seeds (that is actually 2 rows); more commonly identified as a bean pod
Refers to the shape of the leaf; one continuous elongated shape
Stages of an organism’s life
An environmental factor that limits the growth, abundance, or distribution of a population of organisms in an ecosystem
Refers to the shape of the leaf; divided into rounded sections that aren’t completely separated
Warm-blooded vertebrates with hair; young are usually born live and nourished by milk from their mother
Teeth-like edges on the side of the leaf
Change in color usually as a result of temperature
Physical transformation undergone by some animals from one life stage to the next
Having small leaves; adaptation to desert environment that reduces water loss and overheating
Process arthropods undergo where they shed their exoskeleton and secrete a new one
Seasonal shift in winds which causes a dramatic increase of rain in the summer months
Sweet liquid secreted by flowers to reward pollinators
Organism’s ecological role in its environment
Organism that is active at night
Adult plant that protects young plants from environmental extremes
Receiving knowledge of the outside world through the senses
Animal that eats both plants and animals
Refers to the leaf arrangement; leaves are arranged in pairs opposite of each other on the stem
Movement of water from area of high concentration to low concentration through a cellular membrane
Female part of the flower containing the ovules and female gametes
Structures within a plant’s ovary that develop into seeds
Refers to the shape of the leaf; having three or more divisions like the outspread of your fingers
Often colorful part of a flower that attracts pollinators
Series of chemical reactions in which light energy is converted to usable carbohydrates by a plant 6CO2+light+12H2O→C6H12O6+6O2 +6H2O
Physical features of an organism that helps it to survive and thrive in its environment e.g. succulence
Refers to the arrangement of the leaf; leaf with a feather-like arrangement of leaflets
Female reproductive unit, consisting of stigma, style, and ovary
Substance produced by mesquite trees that can be used as a black paint
Male sperm cells produced by plants and found on the anthers
Organism that transfers pollen grains from a stamen to a pistil
Transfer of pollen grains from a stamen to a pistil
Any form of water, including snow or hail, which falls to the earth’s surface
Organism that kills and eats other organisms
Expected outcome if the hypothesis is true; if/ then statement
Organism that is killed and eaten by another organism
Organism that gets its energy from plants; herbivore
Organism that produces its own food, often a plant; first step of a food chain
A diagram used to predict the probability of a genetic trait being visible (phenotype) in a cross
Asexual offspring of parent plant, which is produced and sent up from the roots e.g. agave pups
A request for information; inquiry
Area of reduced precipitation on the lee side of a mountain
Trait that will be masked by a dominant form of that trait
Cold blooded vertebrate that has scales or plates on its skin and usually lays eggs
Sticky substances produced by plants that can have ethnobotanical uses
Pleated structures on the stems of some columnar cacti
Habitat interface between land and freshwater (usually a river or stream)
Part of a plant usually under ground that anchors the plant and collects water
Damaged tissue of saguaro cactus which is scabbed over and may serve as a home for desert organisms; usually a result of woodpecker damage
Edges of leaf rounded like a pie crust
Method of investigation involving observing, questioning, hypothesizing, predicting, experimenting & collecting data, analyzing results, making conclusions, and sharing results (also inquiry process or scientific process)
Method of investigation involving observing, questioning, hypothesizing, predicting, experimenting & collecting data, analyzing results, making conclusions, and sharing results (also inquiry process or scientific method)
Organism that feeds on other consumers; carnivore
Reproductive structure of a seed plant
The outer, protective layer that covers the seed
Movement of seeds away from the parent plant
Delayed germination of seeds
Leaf which has sawtoothed margins
The union of gametes from two different individuals resulting in genetic diversity
Undivided leaf
Organism that has a limited diet
Modified leaf which is hard and has a sharp point
Male reproductive part of the flower consisting of an anther and a filament
Above ground part of the plant through which water and nutrients flow
Female part of a flower; end of the style that captures pollen
Adjustable pore on the epidermis of a leaf that controls gas exchange
Plural of stoma
Female part of a flower; elongated part of the pistil between the ovary and the stigma
Ability of plants to store water in stems, leaves, or roots
Plants that have the ability to store water in stems, leaves, or roots
A close association between two species
Main vertical root of some plant’s root systems e.g. carrot
Spine at the top of the leaf
Column of rising warm air caused by uneven heating of the Earth’s surface
Biological mechanism that keeps organism’s internal temperature within normal limits
Hard, modified stem or branch which ends in a sharp point
Characteristic or feature of an organism
Evaporation of water through the stomata of leaves
Metropolitan area which is significantly warmer than the surrounding rural area
Asexual reproduction
Landscape feature which may carry surface water during rainy months
Water in gas phase
State of the atmosphere at a specific time and place
