Across
- 3. Field of biology that classifies organisms, organizing them based on similar characteristics
- 5. The zone of life on Earth, encompassing all of Earth’s ecosystems
- 8. Population grows without limit; Ex. Human population
- 11. Converts carbon from once-living organisms into fossil fuels through intense heat and compression
- 13. A graphic representation of mortality patterns
- 18. H2O and is necessary for the life processes of all living things
- 21. Multiple organisms of the same species living together
- 22. Tool used for identifying organisms based on their characteristics
- 24. Bacteria convert nitrogen in ammonia into nitrates and nitrites to be absorbed by plants in their roots (how nitrogen enters the food chain and eventually reaches humans)
- 27. The variety of organisms considered at all levels, from populations to ecosystem
- 28. Earth’s surface (including oceans, lakes, rivers, etc.), Under Earth’s surfaces (groundwater, aquifers), In the atmosphere, In living organisms
- 29. (A survivorship curve); Early loss; produce lots of offspring at once and many die right away; Ex. fish, mosquitoes
- 32. Diagram that shows relatedness of organisms (Does NOT show ancestral relationships like a phylogenetic tree does)
- 34. 2 parents produce genetically unique offspring
- 36. Water rises back into the atmosphere as water vapor from plants
- 38. Most important living organism in the nitrogen cycle and in converting nitrogen to different forms
- 40. The ____________ is different from other geochemical cycles in that no step is completed without the help of living organisms
- 41. All of the chemical reactions of each cell in an organism that provide energy for life's processes and create key molecules
- 42. CO2 released into atmosphere from burning (wood or fossil fuels, which contain carbon, are burned, causing major increase of CO2 in the atmosphere)
- 48. The use of ___________ adds WAY too much nitrogen to the soil, creating an imbalance
- 50. Plants capture CO2 from the atmosphere and H2O from the soil and use it to make sugar
- 52. Water falls to Earth as a liquid (usually rain, sleet or snow)
- 53. Composed of many cells
- 55. CO2 and H2O released into atmosphere as waste from metabolism (breaking down food for energy)
- 57. Water vapor condenses to form clouds before precipitating again
- 59. Decomposers break down carbon from dead organisms, recycling it in the soil OR decomposers, like bacteria, break down dead matter, returning nitrogen to the soil
- 60. The atmosphere, macromolecules (only proteins and nucleic acids), fossil fuels, waste, soil
- 61. Limiting factors that regulate population growth regardless of its size or density; Nearly all species in an ecosystem are affected equally by these limiting factors; Ex. Weather changes, pollution, natural disasters
- 62. (A survivorship curve); Constant loss; mortality unaffected by age; Ex. Some birds, rodents
- 63. Represent the movement of a particular form of matter through the living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem
- 64. (A survivorship curve); Late loss; heavy parental care; Ex. Humans
Down
- 1. Bacteria convert nitrogen from waste (urine and feces) into ammonia
- 2. A group of organisms of the same species living in the same place
- 4. An underground layer of permeable rock that can hold water
- 6. (like plants and algae) remove CO2 from the atmosphere and convert it into simple sugars
- 7. (like bacteria, earthworms, and fungi) break down dead materials and return nutrients (like carbon) to the soil
- 9. All macromolecules, Our atmosphere (as CO2), Minerals and rocks, Fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas), Organic (living) materials in soil or aquatic sediments
- 10. Community PLUS all of the abiotic factors in the environment
- 12. Aspects of the environment that limit the size a population can reach; can be biotic (living) or abiotic (nonliving)
- 14. The basis of all organic molecules, and is found in a variety of chemical forms
- 15. The study of relationships (between two organisms/organism and its environment)
- 16. Composed of one cell
- 17. The theoretical maximum population that a given environment could support
- 19. This cycle is driven by the sun, which causes evaporation from reservoirs and organisms
- 20. _______, plants and fungi do cellular respiration in order to break down carbon-rich foods for energy
- 22. Limiting factors that have a bigger impact on more dense populations; These are factors that can be triggered by an increase in population size, and thus crowding; Ex. Competition, Predation, Parasitism, Disease
- 23. Bacteria convert nitrogen in ammonia to N2 so it can go back into the atmosphere
- 25. Individual member of a species or population
- 26. Like carbon, takes on a variety of chemical forms
- 30. Sun heats liquid water to vapor and it rises to the atmosphere
- 31. Bacteria (or lightning!) in the soil or water convert nitrogen (from the air or water) into forms that plants can use
- 33. A change in an organism's environment (cause)
- 35. When a body of water becomes overly enriched with nutrients, causing excessive algae growth
- 37. 2-name naming system by Carolus Linnaeus that names organisms after their two most specific classification levels: Genus species
- 39. The spatial distribution of organisms in a population; could be random, uniform/even, or clumped
- 43. Multiple ecosystems that share similar characteristics but are located in different parts of the planet
- 44. One organism eats another for carbon OR one organism eats another and obtains the nitrogen in it
- 45. Some water seeps underground from the surface of the Earth
- 46. 1 parent produces genetically identical offspring
- 47. Population grows quickly at first and then levels off; Ex. Most natural populations (fish, rabbits, trees, etc.)
- 48. _____ and other decomposers breakdown nitrogen-rich waste and put it in the soil
- 49. Liquid water that isn’t infiltrated runs along the surface and collects in bodies of water
- 51. Measures the number of individual organisms living in a defined space; Affected by birth (natality), immigration, death (mortality), emigration
- 54. Multiple populations of different species living together
- 56. How an organism reacts to a change in its environment (effect)
- 58. Has cells and genetic material, capable of growth and reproduction, ability to respond and adapt as a population, and consumes energy