Ecosystems

3. An element that is a major component of all living things.
5. Organisms that rely on other organisms for energy and nutrients
6. A representation of the way matter cycles through spheres within and among ecosystems
9. Organisms that acquire energy from other organisms
13. The total amount of living tissue in a given tropic level
15. A single step or level in a food chain or food web
18. Process where bacteria harness chemical energy to produce carbohydrates
21. A simple way that energy flows through and ecosystem where energy is transferred from one organism to another
23. An organism that chews or grinds detritus
24. A nutrient whose supply limits the productivity of an organism, a population, or an ecosystem
25. An organism that feeds by chemically breaking down organic matter

1. Process where organisms use sunlight to create energy-rich carbohydrates
2. You witness every time it rains or snows or you see a flowing river
4. Organisms that capture energy from non-living sources and convert it to energy-rich compounds
7. An organism that kills and eats other animals
8. Primary producers in aquatic ecosystems
10. An organism that obtains energy by eating plant parts
11. An organism that eats both plant and animals for energy
12. A model that shows relative amount of energy or matter in an ecosystem
14. The process of converting nitrates into nitrogen gas
16. The process where bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen gas into useable forms of nitrogen
17. A complex network of interacting food chains
19. Elements that an organism needs to sustain life
20. An organism that consumes dead animals
22. Small pieces of dead and decaying organic matter