Sustaintability Crossword Puzzle

QUESTIONS LIST:

• sustainability : the ability of the biosphere to maintain its balance indefinitely, keeping life forms alive through built-in checks and balances.
• biogeochemical cycle : the movement and interaction of matter—such as water, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus—between the biosphere, geosphere, and atmosphere.
• nitrogen fixation : the process that converts atmospheric nitrogen, which most organisms cannot use directly, into a form that plants can absorb and use.
• population density : the number of individuals in a certain amount of space.
• limiting factor : a factor that limits the growth of a population, such as the balance between birthrate and death rate, immigration, or emigration.
• exponential growth : a rapid growth pattern in which a population multiplies quickly, increasing from one to two, four, eight, sixteen, and so on.
• carrying capacity : the maximum number of organisms that an area can sustain without being overwhelmed.
• primary succession : succession that begins in an area with no soil, such as bare rock after a volcanic eruption.
• pioneer species : the first species to return to an area after a disturbance, usually short-lived and replaced by other species.
• secondary succession : succession that occurs in a disturbed area where soil is still present, such as an abandoned farm field.
• climax species : stable, long-lived species that appear at the end of succession and mark a mature ecosystem.