AP Environmental Science Lecture Notes

A collection of vocabulary terms and their definitions related to biodiversity, ecology, and environmental science for exam preparation.

Biodiversity

The variety of life forms in an ecosystem, measured at three levels: genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity.

Genetic Diversity

The variation in genes within a population, which allows for adaptability to environmental stressors.

Species Richness

The total number of different species present in an ecosystem.

Bottleneck Event

An environmental disturbance that drastically reduces population size, leading to decreased genetic diversity.

Inbreeding Depression

A decrease in population fitness due to mating between closely related individuals, resulting in harmful genetic mutations.

Ecosystem Resilience

The ability of an ecosystem to recover to its original conditions after a disturbance.

Ecological Tolerance

The range of environmental conditions an organism can withstand before injury or death occurs.

Island Biogeography

The study of ecological relationships and distribution of organisms on islands; larger islands support more species than smaller ones.

Ecosystem Services

The benefits provided by ecosystems that support human life, including provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting services.

Human Disruptions to Ecosystem Services

Human activities that impair the functioning of ecosystems, resulting in ecological and economic consequences.