APES UNITS 1-5: FINAL REVIEW

Individual

one organism (ONE elk)

Population

group of individuals of same species (herd of elk)

Community

all living organisms in an area

Ecosystem

all living and nonliving things in an area (plants, animals, rocks, soil, water, air)

biome

large area with similar climate conditions that determine plant and animal species there (ex: tropical rainforest)

Competition

organisms fighting over a resource like food or shelter; limits pop. size

Predation

one organism using another for energy source (hunters, parasites, even herbivores)

Mutualism

relationship that benefits both organisms

Commensalism

relationship that benefits one organism and doesn’t impact the other (birds nest in trees)

herbivores

(plant eaters) eat plants for energy

true predators

(carnivores) kill and eat prey for energy

parasites

use a host organism for energy, often without killing the host and often living inside host

parasitoids

lay eggs inside a host organism; eggs hatch and larvae eat host for energy

symbiosis

any close and long-term interaction between two organisms of different species (mutualism, commensalism, parasitism)

lichen

composite organism of fungi living with algae; algae provide sugars (energy) and fungi provides nutrients

resource partitioning

different species using the same resource in diff. ways to reduce competition

temporal partitioning

using resource @ different times, such as wolves and coyotes hunting at different times (night vs day)

spatial partitioning

using diff, areas of a shared habitat (diff. length roots)

morphological partitioning

using diff. resources based on diff. evolved body features

annual temp and precip. average

biomes are defined by…

latitude

what determines temp. and precip.?

permafrost

ground (soil, rock, sediment) that stays frozen below 0°C (32°F) for at least two consecutive years, acting like cement that binds it with ice, and it contains vast amounts of trapped organic carbon

tropical rainforest

name the biome: nutrient poor soil (high competition from so many diff. plant species)

boreal forest (taigas, coniferous)

name the biome: nutrient poor soil (low temp. and low decomp. rate of dead org. matter) are found at latitudes between 50° and 60° north of the equator. These forests experience short, warm, moist summers and long, cold, dry winters. The coniferous trees of these forests have thin, needle-like leaves that do not shed in winter. They also produce seeds in cones, which forms the root term of the name coniferous.

temp. forest

name the biome: nutrient rich soil (lots of dead org. matter leaves and warm temp/moisture for decomp)

climate change

what causes biomes to shift in location?

salinity

how much salt there is in a body of water, determines which species can survive and usability for drinking (fresh water vs. estuary vs. ocean)

depth

influences how much sunlight can penetrate and reach plants below the surface for photosynthesis

flow

determines which plants and organisms can survive, how much O2 can dissolve into water

temp

warmer water holds less dissolved O2 so it can support fewer aq. organisms

turbidity

the measure of the clarity of water and suspended solids, may be the result of soil erosion, urban runoff, algal blooms and bottom sediment disturbances.

carbon cycle

the movement of carbon across the earth, process by which carbon is changed between the Earth’s atmosphere, land, and oceans

carbon sink

a carbon reservoir that stores more carbon than it releases (ocean is the largest)

carbon source

processes that add C to atm.

Fossil fuel (oil, coal, nat gas) combustion

Animal ag. (cow burps & farts = CH4)

Deforestation, releases CO2 from trees

FF combustion

fast step in carbon cycle

sedimentation and burial

slow steps in carbon cycle

photosynthesis

Removes CO₂ from the atmosphere & converts it to glucose, how plants get energy, fast process

cellular respiration

Done by plants & animals to release stored energy, Uses O2 to break glucose down & release energy, fast process

direct exchange

CO2 moves directly between atmosphere & the ocean by dissolving into & out of ocean water at the surface, happens very quickly, balances levels of CO2 between atm and ocean

algae and phytoplankton

these organisms take CO₂ out of the ocean & atm. through photosynthesis

coral reef and marine org

these aquatic organisms also take CO₂ out of the ocean to make calcium carbonate exoskeleton

sedimentation

when marine org. die, their bodies sink to ocean floor where they’re broken down into sediments that contain C

burial

over, long, periods of time, pressure of water compresses C-containing sediments on ocean floor into sedimentary stone (limestone, sandstone) - long-term C reservoir

nitrogen cycle

Movement of N containing molecules between sources & sinks/reservoirs

the atmosphere

largest nitrogen reservoir

nitrogen

what’s the critical plant and animal nutrient?

nitrogen fixation

Process of N2 gas being converted into biologically available (useable by plants) NH3 (ammonia) or NO3- (nitrate)

assimilation

plants & animals taking N in and incorporating it into their body

ammonification

soil bacteria, microbes & decomposers converting waste & dead biomass back into NH3 and returning it to soil

nitrification

conversion of NH4 into nitrite (NO2-) & then nitrate (NO3) by soil bacteria

denitrification

conversion of soil N (NO3) into nitrous oxide (N2O) gas which returns to atmosphere

nitrogen fixation, nitrification, assimilation, ammonification, denitrification

order of nitrogen cycle

leaching

water-soluble substances, like minerals or pollutants, are washed away or dissolved and carried downward through soil layers by percolating water

eutrophification

the nutrient enrichment (especially nitrogen & phosphorus) of a water body, leading to excessive algae growth (algal blooms) that blocks sunlight, kills plants, and depletes oxygen when algae die and decompose, creating dead zones (hypoxia) that suffocate fish and other aquatic life

phosphorus cycle

Movement of P atoms & molecules b/w sources & sinks/reservoirs, VERY SLOW PROCESS

(weathering) rocks and sediments containing P minerals

major phosphorus reservoirs

what does the phosphorus cycle NOT have?

a gas phase

geologic uplift

tectonic plate collision forcing up rock layers that form mountains; P cycle can start over again with weathering & release of phosphate from rock

water cycle

Movement of H2O (in different states) b/w sources & sinks

energy from the sun

what drives the H2O cycle?

ocean and ice caps

largest water reservoirs?

transpiration

process plants use to draw groundwater from roots up to their leaves

evapotranspiration

amount of H2O that enters atm. from transpiration & evap. combined

infiltration

the process by which water on the ground surface enters the soil

percolation

the process of water slowly moving down through soil and rock layers into the ground, reaching groundwater, often following infiltration and contributing to aquifers, while also being key to soil health and septic system function

sublimation

A solid directly becoming a gas without becoming a liquid.

runoff

the draining away of water (or substances carried in it) from the surface of an area of land, a building or structure, etc.

primary productivity

rate that solar energy is converted into org. compounds via photosynthesis over a unit of time (rate of photosynthesis of all producers in an area over a given period of time)

typically higher biodiversity

what does high pp mean?

respiration loss

plants use up some of the energy they generate via photosynthesis by doing cell. respiration (movement, internal transportation, etc.)

gross primary productivity

The total amount of sun energy (light) that plants capture and convert to energy (glucose) through photosynthesis

net primary productivity

The amount of energy (biomass) leftover for consumers after plants have used some for respiration

GPP-RL

NPP equation

food web

Shows how matter & energy flow through an ecosystem, from organism to organism

trophic cascade

removal or addition of a top predator has a ripple effect down through lower troph. Levels

10% rule

in trophic pyramids, only about 10% of the energy from one level makes it to the next level; the other 90% is used by the organism & lost as heat

tertiary consumers

animals that eat secondary consumers or carnivores & omnivores (aka - top/apex predators)

secondary consumers

animals that eat primary consumers or herbivores (aka - carnivores & omnivores)

primary consumers

animals that eat plants (herbivores)

producers

“produce”- really convert sun’s light energy into chemical energy (glucose)

decomposers

organisms that feed on dead organic matter

biodiversity

Diversity of life forms in an ecosystem; measured on 3 different levels

ecosystem diversity

the number of diff. habitats available in a given area

species diversity

the number of diff. species in an ecosystem and the balance or evenness of the pop. sizes of all species in the ecosystem

genetic diversity

how different the genes are of individuals within a population (group of the same species)

higher ecosystem/population health

what does higher biodiversity mean?

species richness

the total number of different species found in an ecosystem

species evenness

a measure of how all of the individual organisms in an ecosystem are balanced between the different species

bottleneck event

An env. disturbance (natural disaster/human hab. destruction) that drastically reduces pop. size & kills organisms regardless of their genome

founder effect

a genetic phenomenon where a new, isolated population carries only a fraction of the original population's genetic diversity, leading to reduced variation and potentially higher frequencies of certain traits or rare genetic disorders present in the few founders

ecosystem resilience

the ability of an ecosystem to return to its original conditions after a major disturbance (wind storm, fire, flood, clear-cutting, etc.)

ecosystem services

Goods that come from natural resources or services/functions that ecosystems carry out that have measurable economic/financial value to humans

provisioning services

Goods taken directly from ecosystems or made from nat. resources (wood, paper, food)

regulating services

Nat. ecosystems regulate climate/air quality, reducing storm damage & healthcare costs

supporting services

Nat. ecosystems support processes we do ourselves, making them cheaper & easier(bees pollinate crops)

cultural services

Money generate by recreation (parks, camping, tours) or scientific knowledge

optimal range

range where organisms survive, grow, and reproduce

zone of physiological stress

range where organisms survive, but experience some stress such as infertility, lack of growth, decreased activity, etc.

zone of intolerance

range where the organism will die

island biogeography

Study of ecological relationships & community structure on islands