5th Grade Science Flashcards: Matter Moves Between Organisms Environment

What this deck covers

This deck focuses on Matter Moves Between Organisms Environment, giving you a quick way to review the definitions, rules, and examples that matter most for 5th Grade Science.

How to use these flashcards

Work through these flashcards in short sessions. Try to answer each prompt before flipping the card, then revisit any cards you miss until the explanation feels automatic.

Flashcard 1: What is the process in which decomposers break down dead organisms and wastes into simpler substances?

Answer: Decomposition. Breaks complex organic matter into simple nutrients.

Flashcard 2: What is the term for organisms that must get matter and energy by eating other organisms?

Answer: Consumers (heterotrophs). They cannot produce their own food through photosynthesis.

Flashcard 3: Identify the direction matter moves in a food chain: producer → consumer or consumer → producer?

Answer: Producer → consumer. Matter flows from those who make food to those who eat it.

Flashcard 4: Which water-cycle process moves water into the ground to become groundwater?

Answer: Infiltration. Water seeps through soil to underground storage.

Flashcard 5: What is the term for plants releasing water vapor from leaves into the air?

Answer: Transpiration. Plants lose water through tiny pores called stomata.

Flashcard 6: What is the term for organisms that make their own food from sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide?

Answer: Producers (autotrophs). They convert light energy into chemical energy in food.

Flashcard 7: What is the term for the repeated movement of matter through living things and the environment?

Answer: A matter cycle (biogeochemical cycle). Matter continuously cycles between organisms and environment.

Flashcard 8: Which process moves water from plant leaves into the atmosphere as water vapor?

Answer: Transpiration. Plants release water vapor through leaf pores (stomata).

Flashcard 9: What is the term for organisms that break down dead matter and return nutrients to the environment?

Answer: Decomposers. They recycle nutrients from dead organisms back to soil.

Flashcard 10: Which movement transfers matter from plants to animals when a rabbit eats grass?

Answer: Consumption (feeding). Matter transfers when one organism eats another.

Flashcard 11: Which term describes water moving over land into streams, rivers, lakes, or oceans?

Answer: Runoff. Surface water flows downhill following gravity.

Flashcard 12: Which process moves carbon dioxide from the air into plants to build sugars?

Answer: Photosynthesis. Plants use CO₂, water, and sunlight to make glucose.

Flashcard 13: What are the two main products released by cellular respiration that return matter to the environment?

Answer: Carbon dioxide and water. These byproducts are recycled for photosynthesis.

Flashcard 14: What is the term for liquid water changing to water vapor and moving from Earth's surface to the air?

Answer: Evaporation. Heat energy transforms liquid water into water vapor.

Flashcard 15: What is a producer, in terms of how matter enters a food chain?

Answer: An organism that makes its own food from matter in the environment. Converts inorganic matter to organic through photosynthesis.

Flashcard 16: What is a consumer, in terms of how matter moves through a food chain?

Answer: An organism that gets matter by eating other organisms. Obtains organic matter by consuming other organisms.

Flashcard 17: Identify the correct order in the carbon cycle: photosynthesis then respiration, or respiration then photosynthesis?

Answer: Photosynthesis then respiration. Plants first capture carbon, then organisms release it.

Flashcard 18: Which statement best describes matter in ecosystems: is it recycled or used up permanently?

Answer: Matter is recycled through ecosystems. Same atoms are reused; matter is never destroyed.

Flashcard 19: What is the term for organisms that make their own food and start many food chains?

Answer: Producers. They convert sunlight into food through photosynthesis.

Flashcard 20: Which process moves nitrogen from the air into soil in a form plants can use (often by bacteria)?

Answer: Nitrogen fixation. Special bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen to usable forms.

Flashcard 21: Choose the word that best completes the idea: Decomposers return nutrients to the  .

Answer: Environment (soil and water). Nutrients return to soil and water for reuse by organisms.

Flashcard 22: Identify the correct arrow direction: grass is eaten by a rabbit. Which way does the arrow point?

Answer: Grass → rabbit. Arrow points from food source to consumer.

Flashcard 23: Which process returns matter to the soil when fungi break down a dead log into simpler substances?

Answer: Decomposition. Fungi break complex molecules into simple nutrients.

Flashcard 24: Identify the process that returns nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus to soil when organisms die.

Answer: Decomposition. Bacteria and fungi break down dead matter into simple nutrients.

Flashcard 25: What is the term for organisms that break down dead organisms and wastes into simpler substances?

Answer: Decomposers. They recycle nutrients back to soil and environment.

Flashcard 26: What is the term for water changing from liquid to gas and entering the atmosphere?

Answer: Evaporation. Heat energy transforms liquid water to water vapor.

Flashcard 27: What is the name for a sequence that shows who eats whom and how matter moves in an ecosystem?

Answer: Food chain. Shows linear transfer of matter through eating relationships.

Flashcard 28: What is the term for water falling from clouds to Earth as rain, snow, sleet, or hail?

Answer: Precipitation. Gravity pulls water from clouds back to Earth's surface.

Flashcard 29: Identify the correct order of matter movement: dead leaves → fungi → soil nutrients → plant roots.

Answer: Decomposition → nutrients in soil → plant uptake. Dead matter breaks down, enriches soil, then plants absorb nutrients.

Flashcard 30: What is the term for the path matter takes as organisms eat and are eaten in an ecosystem?

Answer: Food chain. Shows linear transfer of matter through eating relationships.

Flashcard 31: Which process releases carbon dioxide to the environment when organisms break down sugars for energy?

Answer: Cellular respiration. Organisms break down glucose for energy, releasing CO₂.

Flashcard 32: What is the main gas released by plants during photosynthesis that enters the environment?

Answer: $O_2$ (oxygen). A waste product of photosynthesis that organisms need to breathe.

Flashcard 33: Which group of organisms is most responsible for recycling matter by decomposition?

Answer: Decomposers (bacteria and fungi). These organisms break down dead matter to recycle nutrients.

Flashcard 34: What do decomposers return to the soil when they break down dead plants and animals?

Answer: Nutrients (minerals and compounds) for reuse by plants. Decomposition releases essential elements back to soil.

Flashcard 35: What is the main gas taken in by plants during photosynthesis that becomes part of plant matter?

Answer: $CO_2$ (carbon dioxide). Plants absorb this gas through stomata to build sugars.

Flashcard 36: Identify the correct arrow direction: a hawk eats a snake. Which way does the arrow point?

Answer: Snake → hawk. Arrow points from prey (snake) to predator (hawk).

Flashcard 37: What is the term for connected food chains showing many pathways for matter movement?

Answer: Food web. Shows complex feeding relationships with multiple connections.

Flashcard 38: What is the term for water leaving plant leaves as water vapor and entering the atmosphere?

Answer: Transpiration. Plants release water vapor through leaf pores called stomata.

Flashcard 39: What is the term for many connected food chains that show multiple feeding relationships?

Answer: Food web. Shows complex, interconnected feeding relationships in ecosystems.

Flashcard 40: Which statement is correct: Matter is recycled in ecosystems, or matter is created in ecosystems?

Answer: Matter is recycled in ecosystems. Matter cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed.

Flashcard 41: What do the arrows in a food chain or food web represent?

Answer: Direction matter and energy move (from food to eater). Arrows point from eaten to eater, showing flow of matter.

Flashcard 42: What is the name for many connected food chains showing matter movement in an ecosystem?

Answer: Food web. Shows complex feeding relationships and matter flow.

Flashcard 43: What is the term for a series of organisms where matter moves as one organism eats another?

Answer: Food chain. Shows linear transfer of matter from one organism to the next.

Flashcard 44: Which statement is correct: Matter is created, or matter is conserved, when it moves in ecosystems?

Answer: Matter is conserved. Matter cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed.

Flashcard 45: What is the term for the movement of matter through living things and the environment in repeating pathways?

Answer: A matter cycle (biogeochemical cycle). Matter moves in continuous loops through organisms and back to the environment.

Flashcard 46: What is the main way animals return carbon to the environment during cellular respiration?

Answer: They release carbon dioxide ($CO_2$) into the air. Cellular respiration breaks down glucose, releasing $CO_2$ as waste.

Flashcard 47: What is the term for organisms that must eat other organisms to get matter and energy?

Answer: Consumers. They cannot produce their own food like plants do.

Flashcard 48: What is the term for liquid water from clouds falling to Earth as rain, snow, sleet, or hail?

Answer: Precipitation. Water vapor condenses in clouds and falls back to Earth.

Flashcard 49: Which term describes water soaking into the ground to become groundwater?

Answer: Infiltration. Water seeps through soil layers into underground storage.

Flashcard 50: Which process moves carbon from air into plants by making sugars from $CO_2$ and water?

Answer: Photosynthesis. Plants combine $CO_2$ and water using sunlight to make glucose.

Flashcard 51: What is the term for water changing from liquid to gas and moving into the air?

Answer: Evaporation. Liquid water gains energy and becomes water vapor.

Flashcard 52: Choose the word that best completes the statement: Plants take in water mainly through their  .

Answer: Roots. Root hairs absorb water and minerals from soil.

Flashcard 53: What is the term for water vapor cooling and changing into liquid droplets in the atmosphere?

Answer: Condensation. Water vapor loses energy and forms liquid droplets.

Flashcard 54: Which process moves carbon from organisms to the air by releasing $CO_2$ during energy use?

Answer: Cellular respiration. Organisms break down food for energy, releasing $CO_2$ as waste.

Flashcard 55: Which statement is correct: Matter is recycled, or energy is recycled, in ecosystems?

Answer: Matter is recycled. Matter cycles through ecosystems; energy flows one way.

Flashcard 56: What is the main way plants take in carbon from the environment to build sugars?

Answer: They absorb carbon dioxide ($CO_2$) during photosynthesis. Plants use $CO_2$ to make glucose during photosynthesis.