Human Influences on Ecosystem Crossword Puzzle

QUESTIONS LIST:

• mono culture : an area of ground covered by a single crop, with almost no other species present
• biodiversity : the number of different species that live in an area
• extinction : the complete loss of a species from earth
• deforestation : the cutting down of large numbers of trees
• greenhouse gases : gases such as carbon dioxide and methane that trap heat within the atmosphere
• greenhouse effect : the heating effect on the earth of the trapping of heat by greenhouse gases; note that this is a natural and useful effect, as without it the earth would be too cold to support life
• eutrophication : a chain of events caused by addition of extra plant nutrients to water, resulting in a decrease in the concentration of dissolved oxygen available for organisms that require it for aerobic respiration
• non-biodegradable : not able to be broken down by decomposers
• sustainable resource : one that is produced as rapidly as it is removed from the environment, so that it does not run out
• endangered : at serious risk of becoming extinct
• captive breeding : keeping animals in captivity (e.g. in a zoo) and allowing them to breed, in order to increase the numbers in the population
• seed banks : facilities in which seeds of different plant species, or crop varieties, are stored for long periods of time, in order to conserve as many different species and varieties as possible