Across
- 4. Natural materials or substances that humans can use. Examples include water, timber, minerals, and fossil fuels.
- 6. A molecule made up of amino acids that is essential for many body functions, such as growth, repair, and enzyme activity.
- 8. The process by which plants and some other organisms use sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water to produce food (sugar).
- 9. Harmful substances released into the environment that can damage ecosystems and human health. Examples include air pollution (smog), water pollution (toxic chemicals), and soil pollution (pesticides).
- 10. The practice of using resources in a way that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
- 12. A plant or animal that is native to a particular place and is found nowhere else in the world.
- 14. Substances added to soil to provide nutrients for plants and increase crop yields.
- 16. The permanent removal of trees to make room for something else, like farmland, ranches, or roads.
- 17. Relating to or consisting of algae, which are simple, aquatic, plant-like organisms.
- 19. A group of organisms that can reproduce naturally with each other and have fertile offspring.
Down
- 1. The surroundings, objects, or conditions that influence an organism or community of organisms. This can refer to the natural environment (air, water, land, plants, animals) or the built environment (buildings, cities, social conditions).
- 2. The variety of life on Earth, including all living things: plants, animals, bacteria, and fungi. It includes the different species of life, but also the different genes within a species, and the different ecosystems where organisms live.
- 3. Gases in the Earth's atmosphere that trap heat from the sun, causing the planet to warm. Examples include carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide.
- 5. An increase in the amount of nutrients in a body of water, which can lead to an excessive growth of algae and plants. This can deplete oxygen levels in the water and harm aquatic life.
- 7. Hunting animals at a rate faster than they can reproduce, leading to population decline.
- 11. The amount of crops or other products that can be produced from a given area of land.
- 13. Deoxyribonucleic acid, the genetic material that contains the instructions for building and maintaining an organism.
- 15. A geographic area where plants, animals, and other organisms, as well as weather and landscape, work together to form a bubble of life. Examples include forests, coral reefs, and wetlands.
- 18. The release of a gas, liquid, or solid material into the environment.