Intro to Ecology

2. The study of interactions between living organisms and their environment.
5. A sequence that shows how energy is transferred from one organism to another in an ecosystem.
6. An organism that breaks down dead plants and animals and recycles nutrients back into the environment.
8. An organism that eats other organisms for energy.
9. A non-native species that spreads rapidly and causes harm to native species and ecosystems.
11. Living components of an ecosystem, such as plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria.
13. A network of interconnected food chains that shows the feeding relationships in an ecosystem.
14. The variety of life in a particular habitat or ecosystem.
15. Non-living components of an ecosystem, like sunlight, temperature, water, and soil.
17. A group of individuals of the same species living in the same area at the same time.
18. Any factor that restricts the size of a population, such as food, space, or water.
19. – The movement of energy through an ecosystem from producers to various levels of consumers.

1. All the different populations of species that live and interact in a given area.
2. – A measure of how much a person or population impacts the environment in terms of resource use and waste.
3. A community of living organisms interacting with each other and with their non-living environment.
4. An organism that makes its own food through photosynthesis, such as a plant or algae.
7. The maximum number of individuals of a species that an ecosystem can support.
10. The ability of an ecosystem to maintain balance and support life over time.
12. The position an organism occupies in a food chain, such as producer, primary consumer, or secondary consumer.
16. The natural home or environment where an organism lives and grows.