Organisms and Environments

Knowledge and Skills Statement

Organisms and environments. The student knows that organisms undergo similar life processes and have structures and behaviors that help them survive within their environments.
Glossary terms and definitions are consistent across kindergarten through high school in the TEKS Guide. The definitions are intended to give educators a common understanding of the terms regardless of what grade level they teach. Glossary definitions are not intended for use with students.

the way in which an organism acts in response to a particular situation or stimulus 

the circumstances, objects, or conditions that surround an organism including abiotic (climate and soil) and biotic (living organisms) that act upon an organism or an ecological community and ultimately determine its form and survival  

an innate pattern of behavior in animals that follows a specific pattern and is a response to a specific stimulus, for example, migration in birds, whales, and butterflies; spiders weaving a web; or human babies crying

way of behaving that is developed through experiences 

an individual form of life, such as a plant, animal, bacterium, protist, or fungus; a body made up of organs, organelles, or other parts that work together to carry on the various processes of life  

something arranged in a definite pattern of organization; the arrangement of particles or parts in a substance or body; the aggregate of elements of an entity in their relationships to each other

Research

Teixidor, Patricia. “Cultural Traditions in Orcas.” Mapping Ignorance Blog. February 2013. https://mappingignorance.org/2013/02/25/cultural-traditions-in-orcas/.

Summary: This article explains the various ways young orcas learn behaviors from elder orcas. Young orcas learn different hunting skills by imitating the more experienced hunters. These skills help young orcas to hunt more efficiently and keeps them safe. Elder orcas have been shown encourage their young to practice certain hunting skills and demonstrating these behaviors for them. Orcas are believed to be highly intelligent and communicative which helps them teach and learn these survival skills.