AP Environmental Science Unit Two Vocab

Population Bottleneck

When a large population declines in number, the amount of genetic diversity carried by the surviving individuals is greatly reduced.

Specialist

Species that only live under a narrow range of biotic or abiotic conditions.

Generalist

Species that can live under a wide range of biotic or abiotic conditions.

Species Richness

The number of different species in a given area.

Species Evenness

The relative proportion of individuals within the different species in a given area.

Provisioning Service

In the contest of ecosystem services, benefits of an ecosystem such as food water or fuel.

Cultural Service

In the context of ecosystem services, benefits of an ecosystem such as recreation and tourism

Regulating Service

In the context of ecosystem services, benefits of an ecosystem such as climate regulation or disease control.

Supporting services

The basic ecosystem processes, such as nutrient cycles and soil formation, that are needed to maintain other services

Species-area curve

A description of how the number of species on an island increases with the area of the island.

Invasive species

species that enter new ecosystems and multiply, harming native species and their habitats