Across
- 2. organism—often a microorganism or a plant—that serves as a measure of the environmental conditions that exist in a given locale.
- 5. development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
- 8. a measure of the number of organisms in a given area.
- 9. a natural resource that can't be used up, or can be replaced within a human lifetime.
- 11. an organism that cannot produce its own food and must eat other plants and/or animals to get energy.
- 12. the presence in or introduction into the environment of a substance or thing that has harmful or poisonous effects.
- 13. producers are organisms that make their own food.
- 15. the first organisms to colonize new habitats or repopulate ecosystems that have been disrupted by natural disasters or human activity.
- 19. trees and shrubs that have needles instead of leaves and cones instead of flowers.
- 20. "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off".
- 21. the number of people, other living organisms, or crops that a region can support without environmental degradation.
- 22. the sum of all ecosystems on Earth, including all life and the areas where life exists.
- 24. a variable in a system that causes a noticeable change in output or another measure of a type of system.
- 26. the long-term pattern of weather in a specific area.
- 28. a type of ecological succession that occurs when a disturbance alters a habitat, but doesn't completely destroy it.
- 29. a non-living part of an ecosystem that shapes its environment.
- 30. species selected for making conservation-related decisions.
- 31. a group of species that are commonly found together.
Down
- 1. natural resources that cannot be replaced after they are used, and therefore exist in a fixed amount on Earth.
- 3. relating to the environment of living things or the relationship between living things and their environment.
- 4. living organism that shapes its environment.
- 6. the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.
- 7. the practice of living as a parasite in or on another organism.
- 10. a species that plays a vital role in the survival of other species in an ecosystem.
- 12. the first step of ecological succession, which is the process of a biological community evolving over time.
- 14. the branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings.
- 16. the act of leaving one's place of residence to live elsewhere.
- 17. a distinct geographical region with a specific climate, vegetation, and animal life.
- 18. a process that occurs when toxic chemicals and heavy metals are transferred from food to an organism.
- 23. measures how sustainable an individual or group of people are living in their environment.
- 25. an organism that eats other plants or animals for energy and nutrients.
- 27. a community of living things and their non-living environment, such as weather, earth, sun, soil, climate, and atmosphere.