The Forest Odyssey

123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627
Across
  1. 3. The change from one biologic community to another over time.
  2. 7. The incorporation of energy and nutrients into the bodies of plants or animals.
  3. 9. The struggle that exists among organisms to acquire finite resources (e.g., light, space, nutrients, water).
  4. 11. The process by which rocks are broken down into minerals usable by plants.
  5. 12. A process involving the assimilation of carbon from the atmosphere.
  6. 13. The breakdown of organic matter (through a number of interrelated processes) into simple compounds available for use by plants.
  7. 19. An area that contains organisms (e.g., plants, animals, bacteria) interacting with one another and their nonliving environment (e.g., climate, soil, topography).
  8. 22. 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.
  9. 24. The capture and storage of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into biotic (e.g., trees) or abiotic (e.g., coal) pools of carbon.
  10. 25. A specific biological, chemical, or physical interaction that occurs between the components of an ecosystem (e.g., erosion, decomposition, photosynthesis, predation).
  11. 26. An ecosystem characterized by a dominance of tree cover.
  12. 27. An ecosystem function in which chemical energy (found in carbohydrates, proteins, and fats) is moved through the food webs of an ecosystem.
Down
  1. 1. The process by which plants convert the electromagnetic energy of the sun into chemical energy usable by other organisms.
  2. 2. An ecosystem function in which solar energy is changed into chemical energy (photosynthesis) and assimilated in plants.
  3. 4. An ecosystem function in which elements are deposited, used by organisms, and stored or exported.
  4. 5. The relationships that exist between ecosystems.
  5. 6. The process by which atmospheric nitrogen is made available for use by plants in an ecosystem.
  6. 8. The repeated movement of a population of organisms from one ecosystem to another.
  7. 10. Functions that support life including the fixation of energy, the cycling of matter, and the flow of energy through food webs.
  8. 14. The conversion of an element from an organic to an inorganic form; combustion,the act of burning, is a very rapid form of mineralization.
  9. 15. The ability of natural resources to provide ecologic, economic, and social benefits for present and future generations.
  10. 16. The wearing away of the land surface by water, wind, ice, gravity, or other natural or human forces.
  11. 17. The consumption of living plant material by plant-eating animals (herbivores and omnivores).
  12. 18. The chemical elements that contribute to the growth and development of an organism.
  13. 20. An extended wandering or journey.
  14. 21. The process by which organisms produce offspring.
  15. 23. Evolutionary adjustments in structure, form, or function that help individuals, populations, or species fit in their environment.