Forest Odyssey

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Across
  1. 5. The process by which atmospheric nitrogen is made available for use by plants in an ecosystem.
  2. 6. An area that contains organisms (e.g., plants, animals, bacteria) interacting with one another and their nonliving environment (e.g., climate, soil, topography).
  3. 8. An ecosystem function in which chemical energy (found in carbohydrates, proteins, and fats) is moved through the food webs of an ecosystem.
  4. 9. The relationships that exist between ecosystems.
  5. 15. The process by which plants convert the electromagnetic energy of the sun into chemical energy usable by other organisms.
  6. 17. The chemical elements that contribute to the growth and development of an organism.
  7. 18. The ability of natural resources to provide ecologic, economic, and social benefits for present and future generations.
  8. 21. The process by which rocks are broken down into minerals usable by plants.
  9. 23. An ecosystem function in which solar energy is changed into chemical energy (photosynthesis) and assimilated in plants.
  10. 25. The repeated movement of a population of organisms from one ecosystem to another.
  11. 26. Functions that support life including the fixation of energy, the cycling of matter, and the flow of energy through food webs.
  12. 27. The struggle that exists among organisms to acquire finite resources (e.g., light, space, nutrients, water).
Down
  1. 1. The capture and storage of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into biotic (e.g., trees) or abiotic (e.g., coal) pools of carbon.
  2. 2. A process involving the assimilation of carbon from the atmosphere.
  3. 3. The conversion of an element from an organic to an inorganic form; combustion,the act of burning, is a very rapid form of mineralization.
  4. 4. Scavengers (e.g., millipedes, wood lice, slugs, snails, springtails, beetles) that feed on dead plants and animals or their waste; essential for the cycling of nutrients.
  5. 7. The process by which organisms produce offspring.
  6. 10. The wearing away of the land surface by water, wind, ice, gravity, or other natural or human forces.
  7. 11. A specific biological, chemical, or physical interaction that occurs between the components of an ecosystem (e.g., erosion, decomposition, photosynthesis, predation).
  8. 12. The incorporation of energy and nutrients into the bodies of plants or animals.
  9. 13. An ecosystem characterized by a dominance of tree cover.
  10. 14. The change from one biologic community to another over time.
  11. 16. An ecosystem function in which elements are deposited, used by organisms, and stored or exported.
  12. 19. Evolutionary adjustments in structure, form, or function that help individuals, populations, or species fit in their environment.
  13. 20. The breakdown of organic matter (through a number of interrelated processes) into simple compounds available for use by plants.
  14. 22. The consumption of living plant material by plant-eating animals (herbivores and omnivores).
  15. 24. An extended wandering or journey.