Biology Ecology Crossword Puzzle

QUESTIONS LIST:

• population : group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area
• decomposers : bacteria and fungi that break down materials
• bioticfactor : any living part of the environment with which an organism might interact
• ecological pyramid : illustration of the relative amounts of energy or matter contained within each trophic level of a food web or food chain
• herbivore : organism that only eats plants
• heterotroph : organisms that cannot directly harness energy from the sun. these organisms have to ingest energy.
• biome : a group of ecosystems that share similar climates and organisms
• trophic level : each step in a food chain or food web
• nitrogen fixation : process of converting nitrogen gas into nitrogen compounds that plants can use
• biomass : total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level
• denitrification : process by which bacteria convert nitrates into nitrogen gas
• phytoplankton : floating algae that go thru photosynthesis
• carnivore : organisms that kill and eat other organisms
• autotroph : organism that captures energy from sunlight and converts it into forms of energy the organism can use
• ecology : the study of organisms and how they interact with each other and their environment
• abiotic factor : physical or nonliving factor that shapes an ecosystem
• food web : network of complex interactions formed by feeding relationships
• community : assemblage of different populations that live together in a defined area
• biosphere : area of the earth that consists of all living things
• food chain : series of steps in an ecosystem in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten
• omnivore : organism that eats both plants and animals