Vocabulary

1. Organism that breaks down dead material and recycles nutrients.
4. Rapid population growth followed by a potential crash.
5. Organism that feeds on other organisms for energy.
8. One organism benefits, the other is unaffected.
9. Both organisms benefit from the relationship.
12. Web: Complex network of feeding relationships in an ecosystem.
13. Resilience: Ecosystem's ability to recover from disturbances.
15. Group of individuals of the same species in a specific area.
16. Chain: A linear sequence of organisms feeding on each other.
18. Organisms vying for the same resources.
19. Organism that eats plants.
21. Organism that produces its own food.
22. Graphical representation of logistic population growth.
23. Succession: Ecological change in an area with intact soil after a disturbance.
25. Capacity: Maximum sustainable population size in an environment.

2. Growth: Rapid population increase at a constant rate.
3. Level: Position in a food chain based on feeding relationships.
6. Close interaction between different species.
7. Organism that consumes others for energy.
10. One organism benefits at the other's expense.
11. One organism hunts and consumes another.
14. Distribution: Evenly spaced individuals in a habitat.
15. Organism that makes its own food, typically plants.
17. Succession: Ecological change in barren areas without soil.
20. Study of interactions between organisms and their environment.
24. Independent Factor: Environmental factors affecting populations regardless of density.