ULTIMATE APES VOCAB GUIDE

overshoot

When a population becomes larger than the environment's carrying capacity.

oxygenated fuel

A fuel with oxygen as part of the molecule.

oxygen sag curve

The relationship of oxygen concentrations to the distance from a point source of decomposing sewage or other pollutants.

ozone

A pale blue gas composed of molecules made up of three oxygen atoms (O3).

pandemic

An epidemic that occurs over a large geographic region, such as an entire continent.

parasitism

An interaction in which one organism lives on or in another organism, referred to as the host.

parasitoid

A specialized type of predator that lays eggs inside other organisms-referred to as its host.

parent material

The underlying rock material from which the inorganic components of a soil are derived.

Paris Climate Agreement

A pledge by 196 countries to keep global warming less than 2°C above pre-industrial levels. Also known as the Paris Climate Accord.

particulate matter (PM)

Solid or liquid particles suspended in the air. Also known as particulates; particles.

passive solar

A use of energy from the sun that takes advantage of solar radiation without active technology.

passive solar design

Construction technique designed to take advantage of solar radiation without active technology.

pathogen

A parasite that causes disease in its host.

population growth rate

The number of offspring an individual can produce in a given time period, minus the deaths of the individual or its offspring during the same period. Also known as intrinsic growth rate.

population momentum

Continued population growth after growth reduction measures have been implemented.

porosity

The size of the air spaces between particles.

potentially renewable

An energy source that can be regenerated indefinitely as long as it is not overharvested.

population pyramid

An age structure diagram that is widest at the bottom and smallest at the top, typical of developing countries.

predation

An interaction in which one animal typically kills and consumes another animal.

prescribed burn

When a fire is deliberately set under controlled conditions, thereby decreasing the accumulation of dead biomass on the forest floor.

precautionary principle

A principle based on the belief that when a hazard is plausible but not yet certain, we should take actions to reduce or remove the hazard.

precision

How close the repeated measurements of a sample are to one another.

primary pollutant

A polluting compound that comes directly out of a smokestack, exhaust pipe, or natural emission source.

primary productivity

The rate of converting solar energy into organic compounds over a period of time.

primary succession

Ecological succession occurring on surfaces with bare rock and no soil.

prion

A small, beneficial protein that occasionally mutates into a pathogen.

producers

Plants, algae, and some bacteria that use the Sun's energy.

placer mining

The process of looking for minerals, metals, and precious stones in river sediments.

plague

An infectious disease caused by a bacterium (Yersinia pestis).

plate tectonics

The theory that the lithosphere of Earth is divided into plates, most of which are in constant motion.

PM10

Particles smaller than 10 um are called Particulate Matter-10 and are not filtered out by the nose and throat and can be deposited deep within the respiratory tract.

PM2.5

Particles of size 2.5 μm and smaller can travel further within respiratory tract and are of even greater health concern.

PM2.5

Particles of size 2.5 μm and smaller that can travel further within the respiratory tract and are of even greater health concern.

point source

A distinct location from which pollution is directly produced.

polar cell

A convection current in the atmosphere, formed by air that rises at 60° N and 60° S and sinks at the poles, 90° N and 90° S.

polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)

A group of industrial compounds that were once used to manufacture plastics and insulate electrical transformers.

population bottleneck

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

pesticide resistance

A trait possessed by certain individuals that are exposed to a pesticide and survive.

pH

The relative strength of acids and bases in a substance, measured on a logarithmic scale where each number represents a change by a factor of 10.

phantom loads

Electrical demand by a device that draws electrical current, even when it is turned off.

phosphorus cycle

The movement of phosphorus around the biosphere among reservoir sources and sinks.

photic zone

The upper layer of ocean water that receives enough sunlight for photosynthesis.

photochemical oxidant

A class of air pollutants formed as a result of sunlight acting on compounds such as nitrogen oxides and sulfur.

photochemical smog

Smog that is dominated by oxidants such as ozone, also known as Los Angeles-type smog or brown smog.

photosynthesis

The process by which plants and algae use solar energy to convert carbon dioxide (CO₂) and water (H₂O) into glucose (C6H12O6) and oxygen (O₂).

photovoltaic solar cell

A device that uses energy from the Sun as light, converting it directly into electricity.

physical weathering

The mechanical breakdown of rocks and minerals.

phytoplankton

Floating algae.

plague

An infectious disease caused by a bacterium (Yersinia pestis) that is carried by fleas.

plate tectonics

The theory that the lithosphere of Earth is divided into plates that are in constant motion.

peak demand

The greatest quantity of energy used at any one time.

peak oil

The point at which oil extraction and use would increase steadily until roughly half the supply had been used up.

peat

A precursor to coal, made up of partly decomposed organic material, including mosses.

perennial plants

Plants that live for multiple years and do not need to be replanted at the beginning of each growing season.

periodic disruption

Occurring regularly, such as the cycles of day and night or the daily and nightly cycle of the moon's effects on ocean tides.

permafrost

An impermeable, permanently frozen layer of soil.

permeability

The ability of water to move through the soil.

persistence

The length of time a chemical remains in the environment.

persistent organic pollutants (POPs)

Synthetic, carbon-based molecules that break down very slowly in the environment.

persistent pesticide

A pesticide that remains in the environment for years to decades.

pesticide

A substance, either natural or synthetic, that kills or controls organisms that people consider pests.

metamorphic rock

Rock that forms when sedimentary rock, igneous rock, or other metamorphic rock is subjected to high temperature and pressure.

microevolution

Evolution at the population level.

mineralization

The process by which fungal and bacterial decomposers break down the organic matter found in dead bodies and waste products and convert it into inorganic compounds, such as inorganic ammonium (NH4). Also known as ammonification.

mine tailings

Unwanted waste material created during mining; chemical compounds and rock residues that are left behind after the desired metal or ore is removed.

modern carbon

Carbon in biomass that was recently in the atmosphere.

monocropping

An agricultural method that utilizes large plantings of a single species or variety.

Montreal Protocol

A commitment by 24 nations to reduce CFC production by 50 percent by the year 2000.

mountaintop removal

A mining technique in which the entire top of a mountain is removed with explosives.

municipal solid waste (MSW)

Solid waste collected by municipalities from households, small businesses, and institutions such as schools, prisons, municipal buildings, and hospitals.

sautagen

A type of carcinogen that causes damage to the genetic material of a cell.

mutualism

An interaction between two species that increases the chances of survival or reproduction for both species.

narrow spectrum pesticide

See selective pesticide.

native species

A species that lives in its historical range.

ocean acidification

A process in which an increase in ocean CO₂ causes more CO₂ to be converted to carbonic acid, which lowers the pH of the water.

oil sands

See tar sands.

O horizon

The organic horizon at the surface of many soils, composed of organic detritus in various stages of decomposition.

oligotrophic

Describes a lake with a low level of phytoplankton due to low amounts of nutrients in the water.

open ocean

Deep-ocean water, located away from the shoreline where sunlight can no longer reach the ocean bottom.

open-loop recycling

Recycling one product into a different product.

ore

A concentrated accumulation of minerals from which economically valuable materials can be extracted.

organic fertilizer

Fertilizer composed of organic matter from plants and animals.

open-pit mining

A mining technique that creates a large visible pit or hole in the ground.

organic agriculture

The production of crops in a way that sustains or improves the soil, without the use of synthetic pesticides or fertilizers.

overgrazing

Excessive grazing that can reduce or remove vegetation and erode and compact the soil.

malaria

An infectious disease caused by one of several species of protists in the genus Plasmodium.

magma

Molten rock.

mangrove swamp

A swamp that occurs along tropical and subtropical coasts, and contains salt-tolerant trees with submerged roots.

mantle

The layer of Earth above the core, containing magma, the asthenosphere, and the solid upper mantle.

manure lagoon

Human-made pond lined with rubber built to handle large quantities of manure produced by livestock.

Marine Mammal Protection Act

A 1972 U.S. law that prohibits the killing of all marine mammals in the United States and prohibits the import or export of any marine mammal body parts.

mass extinction

A large number of species that went extinct over a relatively short period of time.

maximum contaminant level (MCL)

The standard for safe drinking water established by the EPA under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

maximum sustainable yield (MSY)

The largest quality of a renewable resource that can be harvested indefinitely.

MERS-CoV

A coronavirus that causes the disease known as Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome.

mesosphere

The layer of the atmosphere above the stratosphere, extending roughly 50 to 85 km (31-53 miles) above the surface of Earth.

metal

An element with properties that allow it to conduct electricity and heat energy and to perform other important functions.

noise pollution

Unwanted sound that interferes with normal hearing.

nomadic grazing

The feeding of herds of animals by moving them to seasonally productive feeding grounds, often over long distances.

nondepletable

An energy source that cannot be used up.