Ecology Terms

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Across
  1. 2. An animal, like a vulture, that feeds on dead animals it did not kill
  2. 4. The movement of the element with symbol C through air, living things, oceans, and rock
  3. 5. The non-living parts of an ecosystem, such as sunlight, temperature, and soil
  4. 7. All the members of one species living in the same area at the same time
  5. 8. The part of Earth where life exists, from the deep ocean to the lower atmosphere
  6. 15. All the water on Earth, including oceans, lakes, rivers, and ice
  7. 16. A relationship in which one species benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed
  8. 18. A relationship in which one organism benefits while its host is harmed, like a tick on a dog
  9. 22. A close, long-term relationship between two different species
  10. 24. Process in which plants turn sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into glucose and oxygen
  11. 26. A single pathway showing who eats whom and how energy moves between organisms
  12. 29. The layer of gases surrounding Earth
  13. 34. Many interconnected feeding pathways in an ecosystem
  14. 35. Living things and their non-living surroundings interacting as one system
  15. 36. The largest population an environment can support over time
  16. 37. The continuous movement of H2O through evaporation, condensation, and precipitation
Down
  1. 1. An animal that eats only other animals
  2. 3. A fungus or bacterium that breaks down dead matter and returns nutrients to the soil
  3. 4. Process in which cells release energy from glucose using oxygen
  4. 6. Struggle between organisms for limited resources such as food, water, or space
  5. 9. An organism that makes its own food, such as a plant (also called an autotroph)
  6. 10. The variety of life found in an ecosystem or on Earth
  7. 11. A large region defined by its climate and typical plants and animals, such as tundra or desert
  8. 12. A relationship in which both species benefit, like bees and flowers
  9. 13. All the different populations of living things interacting in one area
  10. 14. The living parts of an ecosystem, such as plants, animals, and fungi
  11. 17. Earth's rocky outer layer, including the crust and soil
  12. 19. Meeting today's needs without limiting the ability of future generations to meet theirs
  13. 20. A single living thing, such as a maple tree or a deer
  14. 21. An organism that must eat other organisms for energy (also called a heterotroph)
  15. 23. A group of organisms that can breed together and produce fertile offspring
  16. 25. An organism's role in its ecosystem, including what it eats and how it survives
  17. 27. Cycle in which bacteria help convert the most abundant gas in air into forms plants can use
  18. 28. The place where an organism lives and finds what it needs to survive
  19. 30. An animal that eats both plants and animals
  20. 31. A diagram showing how the amount of available energy decreases at each feeding level
  21. 32. An organism's feeding position in a food chain
  22. 33. An animal that eats only plants