behavior

behavior: something an organism does to get the things it needs to live

Crying is a BEHAVIOR babies use to communicate with their parents. Babies are born knowing how to cry.

Seals must learn how to balance a ball to get a treat.

characteristic

characteristic: a quality that describes a living thing or an object; a trait

CHARACTERISTICS, or properties, of matter can be observed with your five senses.

redround

“squishy”

soft

shiny

size of tennis ball

solid

floats

environment

environment: everything that is around a living thing

Many living and nonliving parts make up a forest ENVIRONMENT.

A desert provides the perfect

ENVIRONMENTfor cacti.

food chain

food chain: the path of food energy from one organism to another in an ecosystem

freshwater

freshwater: water that does not contain salt

Lakes and underground aquifers provide the FRESHWATER we drink.

habitat

habitat: : the kind of ecosystem when an organism lives

The plant layers of a forest are an ideal HABITAT for many organisms. Small animals and birds make their homes in tree canopies, while decomposers feed on decaying matter on the forest floor .

A coral reef HABITAT provides food and shelter for millions of fish and other aquatic species.

natural resource

natural resource: anything in nature that people can use for energy

saltwater

saltwater: water that contains salt

Ninety-seven percent of the water found on Earth is SALTWATER.