Seventh Grade Science Second 6 weeks _________________________________________________________ Key Understandings: Unit 3 – Organisms Internal Responses  Responses of organisms are caused by internal or external stimuli  Adaptation helps organisms maintain stable internal conditions in extreme environments o How does hibernation help maintain homeostasis? o What are some adaptations organisms need for extreme environments?  External Stimuli cause responses for maintaining homeostasis and survival. o Which responses are stimulated by a cold environment? o Which responses are stimulated by a hot environment? Vocabulary: 1. Homeostasis – keeping conditions constant inside an organism Unit 4 – Inherited and Adapted Traits for Survival  The type of reproduction used by an organism affects the diversity or uniformity of their offspring. o What are the differences in sexual and asexual reproduction? o What factors contribute to the diversity of organisms? o Why does an organism show more diversity in their offspring of they reproduce by sexual reproduction over asexual reproduction?  Inherited traits and adaptations determine survival and reproduction. o What traits do some organisms possess that help them survive in different environments long enough to reproduce offspring? o How do specific traits, such as color, size, and diet, enhance the survival and reproduction of an organism? Vocabulary: 1. Reproduction – process by which more individuals of the same species are made. 2. Ecological succession – process by which one community of organisms slowly replaces another in an area