Across
- 2. Describes organisms or habitats in the open water, away from the bottom
- 3. The classification level right above species; the first, capitalized word of a scientific name
- 5. An animal that eats other animals
- 12. Tiny algae living inside coral tissue that make food for the coral through photosynthesis
- 15. Fish with skeletons made of flexible tissue instead of bone, like sharks and rays
- 18. Water that is a mix of fresh and salt water
- 20. The science of naming, describing, and classifying organisms
- 21. The nonliving parts of an ecosystem, like sunlight, water temperature, and rocks
- 23. A partially enclosed area where fresh river water mixes with salty ocean water
- 26. The living parts of an ecosystem, like plants, animals, and bacteria
- 29. Coloring or patterns that help an organism blend into its surroundings
- 30. An interaction where one organism hunts, kills, and eats another
- 31. An animal with a backbone
- 34. An animal without a backbone
- 35. The process of making food using chemicals, like hydrogen sulfide, instead of sunlight
- 36. The seasonal movement of animals from one place to another, often to feed or reproduce
Down
- 1. The process where organisms with helpful inherited characteristics survive, reproduce more, and pass those characteristics on
- 4. A testable prediction that can be supported or refuted by an experiment
- 6. The sunlit top layer of the ocean (0-200 m) where photosynthesis happens
- 7. The two-part Latin naming system scientists use for organisms, like Tursiops truncatus
- 8. A tool that identifies organisms through a series of paired, either/or choices
- 9. An immature early life stage of an animal that often looks very different from the adult
- 10. Any factor in an experiment that can change or be changed
- 11. An animal that eats only plants or algae
- 13. An inherited characteristic that helps an organism survive and reproduce in its environment
- 14. A relationship between two different organisms in which both benefit
- 16. An organism with a huge impact on its ecosystem compared to its numbers; removing it changes the whole system
- 17. The tiny, soft-bodied animal that builds a reef by producing a limestone skeleton
- 19. The final summary of what an experiment's results mean
- 22. The marine mammal group that includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises
- 24. Information gathered using your senses or scientific tools
- 25. The variety of life in an area, including genetic, species, and ecosystem variety
- 27. A salt-tolerant tree that grows along tropical coastlines and estuaries
- 28. An animal that strains tiny food particles, like plankton, out of the water
- 32. Describes organisms or habitats on or in the ocean floor
- 33. The "twilight zone" (200-1,000 m) where light is too dim for photosynthesis