AP Environmental Science Chapter 4 Vocab

Zebra Mussels

native to Russia/Ukraine, accidentally has become an invasive species in many countries worldwide.

Intraspecific / Interspecific Competition

intra\=fight for resources by members of same species, inter\=fight between different species

Resource Partitioning

division of limited resources by species to help avoid competition

Niche

role in an ecosystem

Parasitism

one species benefits, one is harmed

Coevolution

two species evolve in response to one another

Evolutionary Arms Race

type of coevolution characterized by escalating levels of defense and counterdefense between species

Scavenger

eats animals killed by another organism

Symbiosis

a close relationship. Ex: commensalism, mutualism, parasitism

Commensalism

one species benefits, one species unaffected

Mutualism

both species benefit

Allelopathy

"chemical warfare," usually one plant produces chemicals that harm or inhibit other plant

Lichen

mutualistic relationship between a fungus and algae

Mimicry

one organism copies the appearance of another

Trophic Level

levels in a food web

10% Energy Flow Rule

only 10% of energy is available to be passed on to the next level in a food chain. 90% is lost.

Consumers

eat for energy... Primary (herbivores. eat producers) / Secondary (eat primary) / Tertiary (eat secondary)

Detritivore

animal that feeds on dead organisms, usually dead plants

Saprotroph

microscopic organism that feeds on dead/decaying organic material

Autotroph

makes own food, using the sun or chemicals

Heterotroph

eats for food. A consumer.

Trophic Cascade

adding or removing a top predator alters the numbers of the other species lower on the food chain

Keystone Species

has a very large effect on the rest of the food web

Primary Ecological Succession

changes in an ecosystem starting from bare rock (no soil), usually when a new island is formed

Secondary Ecological Succession

changes in an ecosystem after a disaster (there is soil present)

Pioneer Species

first species to colonize an area

Climax Community

final mature community, ecologically diverse

Non-native / Invasive Species

not native (endemic) to an ecosystem and causes harm

Phytoplankton

microscopic plant-like organisms at the base of the marine food web. Major sink of carbon dioxide

Zooplankton

microscopic animal-like organisms at the base of marine food webs. Heterotrophs

Climatogram

graph of monthly temperatures and precipitation

Altitude

height in relation to sea level

Chaparral

hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. Ex: California coast

Deciduous

leaves fall annually

Desert

hot and dry. No trees.

Savanna/Prairie/Grassland

dry, hot summers and cold winters; lots of open space for grazing animals

Taiga / Coniferous Forest / Boreal Forest

cool and wet biome; coniferous trees (with needles and cones)

Temperate Rainforest

medium temperature, heavy rain

Temperate Seasonal / Deciduous Forest

medium rain and 4 seasons; trees have broad leaves that fall every winter

Tropical Rainforest

hot and very wet; more species of plants and animals (biodiversity) than any other biome

Tundra

very cold and dry biome, no trees

Permafrost

lower level of ground in tundra that is supposed to be frozen year round (it's thawing due to Global Warming...)