Across
- 2. Niche: The role or function of an organism in its ecosystem, including how it gets its food, how it interacts with other species, and its physical environment.
- 3. Pyramid: A graphical representation of the flow of energy through different trophic levels in an ecosystem. Energy decreases as it moves up the pyramid from producers to top consumers.
- 6. The variety and variability of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or on the entire planet, including species diversity, genetic diversity, and ecosystem diversity.
- 7. Cycle: The movement and transformation of elements (such as carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus) through biological, geological, and chemical processes in the environment.
- 10. A large geographical biotic unit, characterized by a specific climate, soil, and vegetation type. Examples include tundra, forests, deserts, and grasslands.
- 11. An organism that cannot produce its own food and must rely on consuming other organisms for energy, such as animals, fungi, and some bacteria.
- 14. Factor: Any living component of an ecosystem, such as plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms, that can affect the ecosystem's structure and function.
- 15. A group of different species living in the same area or ecosystem and interacting with each other.
- 16. A close and long-term interaction between two different species, which can be mutualistic (both benefit), commensal (one benefits, the other is unaffected), or parasitic (one benefits at the expense of the other).
- 19. An organism that can produce its own food from inorganic substances, typically through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis. Plants, algae, and some bacteria are examples.
Down
- 1. An organism (usually a plant or algae) that produces its own food through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis, serving as the primary source of energy for other organisms in the ecosystem.
- 4. The total mass of living organisms in a given area or ecosystem at a given time, often used as a measure of energy availability in ecosystems.
- 5. An organism (such as bacteria, fungi, or detritivores) that breaks down dead organic matter, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.
- 8. A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment, including both living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) factors.
- 9. Level: The position of an organism in a food chain or web, determined by its feeding relationships. Examples include primary producers (level 1), primary consumers (level 2), secondary consumers (level 3), etc.
- 12. Factor: Non-living physical and chemical components of an ecosystem, such as sunlight, temperature, soil, water, and air.
- 13. The study of interactions between living organisms and their environment, including both biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) components.
- 17. An organism that obtains its energy by consuming other organisms. Consumers include herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, and decomposers.
- 18. Web: A complex network of interconnected food chains in an ecosystem, illustrating how energy and nutrients flow between different organisms.
- 20. The natural environment in which an organism lives, providing the necessary conditions for survival, such as food, water, shelter, and mates for reproduction.