Ecosystems Crossword

1. Relating to non-living things.
7. A consumer that feeds on dead plants and animals.
8. The connections between different organisms (plants and animals) that rely on one another as their source of food.
10. The parts of our earth that can sustain life.
12. Very large ecological areas on the earth’s surface with fauna and flora (animals and plants) adapting to their environment.
13. An organism that is caught and eaten by other organisms.
14. An organism or plant that is able to absorb energy from the sun through photosynthesis.
16. Creature that eats herbivores and/or plant matter.

1. The air in the biosphere that surrounds earth.
2. One of the steps in a food chain or food pyramid.
3. A set of processes whereby organisms extract minerals necessary for growth from soil or water, before passing them on through the food chain - and ultimately back to the soil and water.
4. Relating to living things.
5. The process of repeatedly cutting trees to a stump every 10-25 years
6. An organism that breaks down dead tissue, which is then recycled to the environment.
9. A group of different populations interacting in an ecosystem.
11. A community of plants and animals that interact with each other and their physical environment.
15. A complex hierarchy of plants and animals relying on each other for food.