Bio20 Ecosystems

1. An organism that survives by eating producers or other consumers in its ecosystem
3. A plant and animal community that covers a large part of the Earth
5. An organism, such as bacteria or fungus, that breaks down dead matter and returns nutrients to the soil
6. An area that gets less than 25 centimeters of precipitation each year, making it VERY dry
7. The movement of carbon from the environment into living things and back into the environment
8. All the living and nonliving things in an area and their interactions
10. A group of organisms living together in a certain area
11. A characteristic that helps an organism survive in its environment (Ex: A cactus storing water)
13. Cycle The movement of carbon from the environment into living things and back into the environment
17. The plant life in an area
18. The large leaf layer in the forest biomes created by overhanging leaves and branches. Can be very thick and prevent some sunlight from reaching the forest floor

1. An organism that eats only other consumers (meat eater)
2. A body of water where fresh water and salt water ecosystems merge together (marine and freshwater ecosystems will be present here)
4. A forest biome with many kinds of trees that lose their leaves each autumn
5. The cutting down and clearing of forest land – will usually lead to increased soil erosion in this area
7. An organism that eats only other consumers (meat eater)
9. The study of how living things interact with one another and their environment
12. The part of the ecosystem that is not alive and has never been alive (sun, soil, water, etc)
14. A simple plant-like organism that is food for many water organisms
15. The part of an ecosystem that is alive
16. The animal life in an area