Biosphere Crossword

5. non-living chemical and physical parts of the environment that affect living organisms and the functioning of ecosystems
11. species which are the first to colonize barren environments or previously biodiverse steady-state ecosystems that have been disrupted
13. animals that only eat plants
14. a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment
18. something that prevents a population from growing
20. an organism that produces its own food/energy through simple substances and processes
22. all the organisms of the same group or species, which live in a particular geographical area
23. a group or association of populations of two or more different species occupying the same geographical area and time
25. a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy into chemical energy
27. a relationship between species where one organism benefits and the other organism is harmed
28. an association between two organisms in which one benefits and the other derives neither benefit nor harm.
30. an animal that eats food of both plant and animal origin

1. the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism
2. any living component that affects another organism or shapes the ecosystem
3. a change or the process of change by which an organism or species becomes better suited to its environment.
4. the regions of the surface, atmosphere, and hydrosphere of the earth
6. the process by which the structure of a biological community evolves over time
7. a group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding
8. organism's role in an ecosystem
9. the preying of one animal on others.
10. an organism that cannot produce its own food, instead taking nutrition from other sources of organic carbon such as plant or animal matter
12. a community of plants and animals that have common characteristics for the environment they exist in
15. the maximum population size of the species that the environment can sustain indefinitely
16. an animal that feeds on flesh.
17. when a body of water becomes overly enriched with minerals and nutrients
19. the action of breathing
21. the ecological interaction between two or more species where each species has a net benefit
24. a substance that takes part in and undergoes change during a reaction
26. animal that feeds on dead plant or animal material
27. the species formed from chemical reactions
29. interaction between two different organisms