Chapter 2: Principles of Ecology Crossword

biological community and all the nonliving factors that affect it
symbiotic relationship in which both organisms benefit
relatively thin layer of Earth and its atmosphere that supports life
close mutualistic, parasitic, or commensal association between two or more species that live together
any living factor in an organisms 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
physical are in which an organism lives
role, or position, of an organism in its environment
scientific study of all the interrelationships between organisms and their environment
act of one organism feeding on another organism
symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other organism is neither helped nor harmed
___________ community; all the interacting populations of different species that live in the same geographic location at the same time
symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits at the expense of another organism
group of organisms of the same species that occupy the same geographic place at the same time
anything that takes up space and has mass
process in which fixed nitrogen compounds are converted back into nitrogen gas and returned to the atmosphere
chemical substance that living organisms obtain from the environment to carry out life processes and sustain life
each step in a food chain or food web
heterotroph that consumes both plants and animals
total mass of living matter at each trophic level
model that shows many interconnected food chains and pathways in which energy and matter flow through an ecosystem
organism that captures energy from sunlight or inorganic substances to produce its own food
heterotroph that preys on other heterotrophs
simplified model that shows a single path for energy 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
_________ cycle; exchange of matter through the biosphere involving living organisms, chemical processes, and geological processes
process in which nitrogen gas is captured and converted into a form plants can use
heterotroph that decomposes organic material and returns the nutrients to soil, air, and water, making the nutrients available to other organisms