Chapter 2: Principles of Ecology Crossword

scientific study of all the interrelationships between organisms and their environment
relatively thin layer of Earth and its atmosphere that supports life
any living factor in an organism's environment
large group of ecosystems that share the same climate and have similar types of communities
any nonliving factor in an organism's environment, such as soil, water temperature,and light availability
group of organisms of the same species that occupy the same geographic place at the same time
biological community and all the nonliving factors that affect it
physical area in which an organism lives
organism that captures energy from sunlight or inorganic substances to produce its own food
exchange of matter through the biosphere involving living organisms, chemical processes, and geological processes
total mass of living matter at each trophic level
heterotroph that preys on other heterotrophs
symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other organism is neither helped nor harmed
process in which fixed nitrogen compounds are converted back into nitrogen gas and returned to the atmosphere
heterotroph that decomposes organic material and returns the nutrients to soil. air . and water, making the nutrients available to other organisms
simplified model that shows a single path for energy flow through an ecosystem
model that shows many interconnected food chains and pathways in which energy and matter flow through an ecosystem
heterotroph that eats only plants
organism that cannot make its own food and gets its nutrients and energy requirements by feeding on other organisms
anything that takes up space and has mass
symbiotic relationship in which both organisms benefit
role, or position, of an organism in its environment
process in which nitrogen gas is captured and converted into a form plants can use
chemical substance that living organisms obtain from the environmentto carry out li
chemical substance that living organisms obtain from the environment to carry out life processes and sustain life
heterotroph that consumes both plants and animals
symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits at the expense of another organism