APES UNIT 1

Individual

One organism

Population

Group of individuals of same species

Community

All living organisms in an area

Ecosystem

All living and non-living things in an area (biotic and abiotic factors(

Biome

The plants and animals found in a given region determined by climate

Competition

Organisms fighting over a resource

Interspecific Competition

Competition between two members of different species

Intraspecific Competition

Competition between two members of the same species

Predation

One organism using another for energy source

Mutualism

Relationship that benefits both organism

Commensalism

Relationship that benefits one organism and doesn’t impact the other

True Predators

Kill and eat prey for energy

Parasites

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

Coral

Animals that provide reef structure and carbon dioxide for algae that produce sugars

Lichen

Composite organism of fungi living with algae; algae provides sugars and fungi provides nutrients

Resource Partitioning

Different species using the same resource in different ways to reduce competition

Temporal Partitioning

Using resource at different times

Spatial Partitioning

Using different areas of a shared habitat

Morphological Partitioning

Using different resources based on different evolved body features

Latitude

Determines temp and precipitation; distance from equator

Biomes

Defined by avg annual temp and precipitation

Tropical Rainforest

Nutrient poor soil, high temp and rainfall, rapid decomp of org. matter, acidic soil and nutrient leaching

Boreal Forest

Nutrient poor soil, low temp and decomp

Temperate Forest

Nutrient rich soil, lots of dead organic matter, warm temp and moisture for decomp

Salinity

How much salt is in a body of water; determines which species survive and drink

Depth

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

Flow

Determines which plants and organisms can survive, how much oxygen dissolves into water

Temperature

Warmer water holds less dissolved oxygen so it can support fewer aquatic organisms

Rivers

Have high oxygen due to flow mixing water and air, carry nutrient rich sediments

Lakes

Standing bodies of fresh water

Littoral

Shallow water with emergent plants, by land

Limnetic

Where light can reach, no rooted plants, only phytoplankton

Profundal

Too deep for sunlight

Benthic

Murky bottom where inverts live, nutrient rich sediments

Wetland

Area with soil submerged in water for at least part of year but shallow enough for emergent plants; plants must be adapted to have roots in standing water

Wetlands

Store water in storms (less floods), recharges ground water, roots filter pollutants; high plant grow rates

Estuaries

Areas where rivers empty into ocean; mix of fresh and salt water; high productivity due to nutrients in sediments from river

Salt Marsh

Estuary habitat along coast in temperate climates, breeding ground for many fish and shellfish

Mangrove Swamp

Estuary habitat along coast of tropical climates; stabilize shoreline and provide habitat for fish

Coral Reef

Warm shallow waters beyond shoreline; most diverse marine biome on earth

Intertidal Zone

Narrow band of coastline between high and low tide

Photic Zone

Area where sunlight can reach in ocean

Aphotic Zone

Area where sunlight cannot reach in ocean; chemosynthetic microbes and hydrothermal vents

Open Ocean

Low productivity but produces lots of oxygen overall

Atmosphere

Key carbon reservoir

Direct Exchange

Carbon dioxide moves between atmosphere and ocean by dissolving into and out of ocean water at surface; very fast and in equal directions (diffusion)

Sedimentation

Calcium carbonate precipitates out as sediment and settles on ocean floor

Burial

Over long period of time, pressure of water compressed carbon containing sediments on ocean floor into rock; long term carbon reservoir

Fossil Fuels

Formed from fossilized remains of organic matter into coal; decomp produces natural gas

Extraction and Combustion

Digging up FFs and burning them as energy source; released carbon dioxide into atmosphere

Atmosphere

Main nitrogen reservoir

Biotic Fixation

Certain bacteria live in soil covert N₂ into NH₃ (some live in root nodules)

Abiotic Fixation

Lightning converts N₂ gas into nitrate NO₃^- and FF combustion converts N₂ into NH₃

Assimilation

Plants and animals take in N and incorporate it into their biomass

Ammonification

Soil bacteria microbes and decomposers covert waste and dead biomass into ammonia and return it to soil

Nitrification

Conversion of NH₄ into nitrite NO₂^- and then nitrate NO₃^- by soil bacteria

Denitrification

Conversion of soil N (nitrate) to nitrous oxide N₂O gas which returns to atmosphere

Nitrous Oxide

Warms earths atmosphere

Leaching, Eutrophication

Synthetic fertilizes using nitrates runs off and causes algae blooms

Rocks

Major phosphorous source

Geological Uplift

Tectonic plate collisions force up rock layers that form mountains and make P cycle

Transpiration

Water evaporates off of leaves to draw more water up stem

Infiltration

Water goes into soil when it rains

Primary Productivity

Rate that solar energy is converted into organic compounds via photosynthesis over a unit of time

Net Primary Productivity

Amt of energy leftover for consumers after plants use some for respiration

Respiration Loss

Energy lost to respiration by plants

Gross Primary Productivity

Amt of sun energy converted into energy via photosynthesis

Ecological Efficiency

Amt of incoming solar energy captures by plants and converted into energy (abt 1%)

1st law

Energy is not created or destroyed

2nd law

When energy is transferred, some is lost as heat

Trophic Cascade

Removal or addition of a top predator has a ripple effect down through lower trophic levels