APES Unit 2 Test

Species Richness

number of different species in a community

Species Diversity

a count of how many species are in an area

Relative Abundance

number of how many individuals are present for each species

Ecology

study of living organisms in their nonliving world

Biotic Factor

living time (ex:bacteria)

Abiotic Factor

non living time (ex:rock)

Ecosystem Service

the many and varied benefits to humans gifted by the natural environment and from healthy ecosystems

Provisioning Service

products obtained from nature that helps people (ex:water)

Regulating Service

benefits obtained from moderating ecological processes (ex:air quality)

Cultural Service

non-material, aesthetic benefits people obtained from the ecosystem (ex:shells, fishing)

Supporting Service

necessary for production of all other ecosystem services (ex:water cycling, soil formation)

Ecological Hierarchy

species → population → community → ecosystem → biome → biosphere

Population

a group of individuals of the same species

Community

a group of populations interacting together

Ecosystem

a group of communities interacting together

Biosphere

another name for earth

Natural Selection

survival of the fittest

Salinity

level of salt in the water

Brackish

medium levels of salinity : often occurs in wetlands where salt and fresh water mix

Gaia Hypothesis

organisms interact with their inorganic surroundings on Earth to form a synergistic self-regulating, complex system : helps to maintain and perpetuate the condition for life on the planet

Range of Tolerance

range of environmental conditions that are tolerable for survival in a species

Ecological Footprint

a measure of human impact on Earth’s ecosystems : typically measured in area of wilderness or amount of natural capital consumed each year

Primary Succession

community change that occurs with new and formation: lichen → moss → small shrubs → small trees → large trees → climax community

Secondary Succession

community change that occurs with land already formed

Bottleneck Effect

cut down of genetic diversity due to loss of individuals in a population

Non-Native Species

a species that is not known historically in an area (ex:cane toads in Australia)

Ecotone

a transitional zone between two communities (ex:intertidal zone, zone between a field and forest)

Niche

an organism’s job in a community

Hybrid

the offspring of two different species

Lichen

a symbiotic relationship of a fungus and an algae

Germination

sprouting of a seed

Competitive Exclusion Principle

species with the same niche in the same area cannot coexist

Keystone Species

often a dominant predator whose removal allows a prey population to explore and often decrease overall diversity (ex: sea otter)

Predation

the preying of one animal on others

Mimicry

close external resemblance of an animal or plant (or part of one) to another animal, plant, or inanimate object

Aerobic

using oxygen

Anaerobic

using no oxygen