Deanna G Ecology Vocabulary

1234567891011121314151617181920
Across
  1. 2. Niche: The role or function of an organism in its ecosystem, including how it gets its food, how it interacts with other species, and its physical environment.
  2. 3. Pyramid: A graphical representation of the flow of energy through different trophic levels in an ecosystem. Energy decreases as it moves up the pyramid from producers to top consumers.
  3. 6. The variety and variability of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or on the entire planet, including species diversity, genetic diversity, and ecosystem diversity.
  4. 7. Cycle: The movement and transformation of elements (such as carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus) through biological, geological, and chemical processes in the environment.
  5. 10. A large geographical biotic unit, characterized by a specific climate, soil, and vegetation type. Examples include tundra, forests, deserts, and grasslands.
  6. 11. An organism that cannot produce its own food and must rely on consuming other organisms for energy, such as animals, fungi, and some bacteria.
  7. 14. Factor: Any living component of an ecosystem, such as plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms, that can affect the ecosystem's structure and function.
  8. 15. A group of different species living in the same area or ecosystem and interacting with each other.
  9. 16. A close and long-term interaction between two different species, which can be mutualistic (both benefit), commensal (one benefits, the other is unaffected), or parasitic (one benefits at the expense of the other).
  10. 19. An organism that can produce its own food from inorganic substances, typically through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis. Plants, algae, and some bacteria are examples.
Down
  1. 1. An organism (usually a plant or algae) that produces its own food through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis, serving as the primary source of energy for other organisms in the ecosystem.
  2. 4. The total mass of living organisms in a given area or ecosystem at a given time, often used as a measure of energy availability in ecosystems.
  3. 5. An organism (such as bacteria, fungi, or detritivores) that breaks down dead organic matter, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.
  4. 8. A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment, including both living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) factors.
  5. 9. Level: The position of an organism in a food chain or web, determined by its feeding relationships. Examples include primary producers (level 1), primary consumers (level 2), secondary consumers (level 3), etc.
  6. 12. Factor: Non-living physical and chemical components of an ecosystem, such as sunlight, temperature, soil, water, and air.
  7. 13. The study of interactions between living organisms and their environment, including both biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) components.
  8. 17. An organism that obtains its energy by consuming other organisms. Consumers include herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, and decomposers.
  9. 18. Web: A complex network of interconnected food chains in an ecosystem, illustrating how energy and nutrients flow between different organisms.
  10. 20. The natural environment in which an organism lives, providing the necessary conditions for survival, such as food, water, shelter, and mates for reproduction.