APES Unit 7

10% rule

10% rule

When energy is passed in an ecosystem from one trophic level to the next, only ten percent of the energy will be passed on

Aquatic vs Marine

Aquatic → body of water, marine → sea

Benthic

lowest zone in a water body which includes the sediment surface

Bioaccumulation

accumulation of fat-soluble chemical within the fatty tissue of a living organism

Biomagnification

amount of fat-soluble chemical increases as move up food chain

Carrying capacity

max amount of organisms a habitat can sustain

Ecotourism

form of tourism where main motivation of the tourists is the observation and appreciation of nature and traditional cultures

Ground cover

plants, such as rye, or clover that can be planted immediately after harvest to hold and protect the soil (cover crops)

Indicator species

species whose presence, absence or abundance reflects a specific environmental condition and diagnose the health of its ecosystem

Island biogeography

Keystone species

A keystone species in an ecosystem is a species whose activities have a particularly significant role in determining community structure.

Net primary productivity

the rate at which energy is stored as biomass by plants or other primary producers and made available to the consumers in the ecosystem

Niche

a habitat and way of life to which a particular organism has adapted to

Phytoplankton

microscopic plant life - primary primary producer in the ocean

Pioneer species

a species that first settles in an area as part of primary succession

Primary succession

development from a barren rocky land to climax ecosystem

Respiration

the chemical process by which organic compounds release energy

Secondary succession

development from barren land but with already having soil to climax the ecosystem

Soil horizon

soil layers (OAEBCR)

Species richness

the count of the number of different species

Terrestrial

of the land

Tilling

part of agricultural processes - accelerates surface runoff and soil erosion

Trophic level/pyramid

shows the different energy levels and nutrition

Zooplankton

tiny animal life - primary consumer in the ocean

How terrestrial biomes are defined

temperature, precipitation and the types of vegetation that live in the area

How aquatic biomes are defined

defined by salinity, temp, nutrients, currents, depth, wave action and bottom substrate

Rainshadow Effect

As moisture-filled air moves over mountain, the water vapor condenses and falls down as precipitation, while dry air flows down other side of the mountain

Sides of mountain

Windward, leeward

Windward

side of mountain gets a lot of precipitation and can support larger plants

Leeward

side of mountain has dry, cool air and cannot support a lot of vegetation (where many deserts are found)

Tundra

Low temp, low precip, thin frozen soil (permafrost), small low-lying vegetation

Permafrost

permanently frozen ground; defining characteristic of the tundra biome

Taiga

Low temp, more precip than tundra, acidic soil, coniferous vegetation, large herbivores and migratory animals, dark for much of the year

Deciduous Forest

Wamer than taiga and tundra, seasonal, moderate precip, fertile soil, fast decomposition, deciduous trees, heavily populated by humans

Temperate Rain Forest

Wamer than taiga and tundra, seasonal, more than moderate precip, rich soil, slow decomposition, oldest and tallest trees in world

Temperate Shrubland (Chaparral)

Warm, seasonal (hot and dry summers with cool and rainy winters), susceptible to forest fires, dry soil, plants depend on fires for germination, heavily populated by humans

Temperate Grassland

moderate temperature, seasonal, moderate seasonal rainfall, rich alkaline soil, many grasses and perennial plants, used for agriculture

Tropical Rain Forest

High constant temps, high and frequent precip, low nutrient and acidic soil, quick decomposition, high biodiversity, dense vegetation

Epiphytes

plants that live commensally on other plants, grows on other plants

Savannas

high constant temps, high seasonal precip, rich soil, grasslands with more trees

Deserts

hot during day and cold during night, low precip, sandy soil, special vegetation like cacti and shrubs, found on every continent except Europe

Aridisol

desert soil, dry and low organic matter

Xerophytes

desert plants

Wetlands

must be wet part of the year, saturated soil, breeding area, recharge zone, pollution is a concern

Ocean

Algae supplies a large portion of the Earth’s oxygen and takes in carbon dioxide from atmosphere, low productivity and diversity

Upwellings

where upward currents bring nutrients to surface waters, algal growth is abundant; the fish that feed on these algae have high commercial values

Intertidal/Littoral Zone

Area of shoreline under water during high tide but exposed to air during low tide; high biodiversity; sensitive to land runoff and ocean pollution

Neritic Zone

Between intertidal and oceanic zone; slopes gradually downward to the edge of the seaward side of the continental shelf; gets sunlight; most productivity

Oceanic Zone

open ocean; split into photic and aphotic (pelagic zone) parts

Benthic Zone

ocean bottom; no sunlight, no vegetation; dark, cold, high pressure; primary producers are chemosynthetic organisms

Coral Reef

Warm, clear, shallow ocean habitat near land; 3 types:

Fringing: grow on continental shelves near coastline

Barrier: parallel to shoreline, but farther from shore

Atolls: rings of coral, grow on top of sunken volcanos

Coral Bleaching

When water is too warm, corals will expel the algae zooxanthellae living in their tissues causing the coral to turn completely white (coral cannot live without zooxanthellae)

Costal

Occur near shore where tides and currents are always changing; causes a mixing of nutrients; high diversity

Estuary

occurs where rivers meet oceans; brackish water; nutrient rich; often a breeding ground

Oligotrophic

low nutrients, low plant growth

Eutrophic

rich in nutrients

Hypertrophic

excessive amounts of nutrients

detritus

Edge Effects

different microclimate along the boundary/edge of a ecosystem or biome when compared to the inner regions of the ecosystem/biome

Species diversity vs vs genetic diversity vs habitat diversity

Indicator species

a plant or animal that, by its presence, abundance, scarcity, or chemical composition, demonstrates that some distinctive aspect of the character or quality of an ecosystem is present

Keystone species

a species whose activities have a particularly significant role in determining community structure

Primary succession

establishment of pioneer producer species on bare ground:

Lichen → Moss, Fungi → Grasses, herbs, weeds → shrubs → small trees → large trees

Secondary succession

Begins in an area where the natural community has been disturbed but some topsoil remains

Ex: fire, flood, insects, overgrazing, clear-cutting, construction site

Island biogeography

• Islands have been colonized in the past by new species arriving from elsewhere.

• Many island species have evolved to be specialists or generalists because of the limited resources on most islands.

Pioneer Species

early successional species

specialists

organisms that appear later and have narrow range of tolerance

generalists

organisms that can survive in a wide range of tolerance to abiotic/biotic factors and have a fast reproductive rate (like pioneer species)

seral stages

stages in succession before climax community

climax community

final community composition, dominated by a greater biomass and species diversity