FULL AP Environmental Science VOCAB

All of the AP Environmental Science vocab words listed in the CED

10% Rule

Approximately 10% of energy is transferred to the next trophic level

Abiotic

non-living, never alive

Biogeochemical Cycle

Cycling of substances. Ex: carbon, water, nitrogen cycles

Biome

contains characteristic communities of plants and animals that result from, and are adapted to, its climate

Biotic

alive or once alive

Cellular Respiration

a set of metabolic reactions and processes that take place in the cells of organisms to convert chemical energy from oxygen molecules or nutrients into adenosine triphosphate, and then release waste products

Commensalism

a relationship in which one organism benefits and one is neither harmed nor benefits

Community

all the living things in a given area

Competition

organisms fighting for limited resources (inter = with in itself, intra = between groups)

Constants/controlled variables

variables kept the same for all treatments

Control Group

"baseline" to compare experimental/treatment results to

Decomposition

breaking down material into its basic elements

Ecology

the study of organisms and their environment

Ecosystem

all biotic and abiotic factors in a given area

Food Chain

a linear depiction of energy flow through an ecosystem

Food Web

many food chains interconnected to show the complex feeding relationships in an ecosystem

Gross primary productivity (GPP)

rate at which an ecosystems producers convert solar energy into chemical energy as biomass

Groundwater

Water that is stored underground in porous rocks (aquifers) and underground streams

Histogram

a continuous bar graph

Hydrologic Cycle

evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, run off, storage

Independent Variable

MIX (manipulated, independent, on the X axis)

Dependent Variable

DRY (dependent, reacting, on the Y axis)

First Law of Thermodynamics

energy is neither created nor destroyed, may be converted from one form to another

Second Law of Thermodynamics

when energy is changed from one form to another, some useful energy is degraded into lower quality energy (usually heat) Entropy is increased

Mutualism

a relationship in which both organisms benefit

Nitrogen fixation

the chemical processes by which atmospheric nitrogen is assimilated into organic compounds, especially by certain microorganisms as part of the nitrogen cycle.

Net Primary Productivity (NPP)

rate at which photosynthesis to produce energy minus energy used for aerobic respiration

Null Hypothesis

a hypothesis that states no change will occur as a result of your changed IV

Parasitism

a relationship in which one organism benefits and one is harmed

Photosynthesis

the process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods from carbon dioxide and water. Photosynthesis in plants generally involves the green pigment chlorophyll and generates oxygen as a byproduct.

Population

all the individuals of a species in a given area

Positive Feedback Loop

the enhancement or amplification of an effect by its own influence on the process that gives rise to it.

Negative Feedback Loops

the diminution or counteraction of an effect by its own influence on the process giving rise to it

Primary productivity

the rate at which plants and other photosynthetic organisms produce organic compounds in an ecosystem

Producer

uses the suns energy and photosynthesis to create organic compounds

Qualitative Data

descriptive data, usually words

Quantitative Data

numerical data

Resource Partitioning

the division of limited resources by species to help avoid competition in an ecological niche.

Salinity

the amount of salt in the water

Scatterplot

data display that shows the relationship between two numerical variables using points

Sink

a place where a nutrient is stored for the long term, effectively removing it from the system/cycle

Source

a place where a nutrient is added to the system/cycle

Symbiosis

a relationship between two organisms in which at least one benefits

Tragedy of the Commons

a degradation of public goods because of private interests

Trophic level

each of several hierarchical levels in an ecosystem, comprising organisms that share the same function in the food chain and the same nutritional relationship to the primary sources of energy.

Turbidity

measure of water clarity

Carbon cycle

the biogeochemical process by which carbon compounds are interconverted in the environment, involving the incorporation of carbon dioxide into living tissue by photosynthesis and its return to the atmosphere through respiration, the decay of dead organisms, and the burning of fossil fuels

Nitrogen cycle

the biogeochemical cycle by which nitrogen is converted into multiple chemical forms as it circulates among atmosphere, terrestrial, and marine ecosystems

Phosphorous cycle

the biogeochemical cycle that describes the movement of phosphorus through the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere

Adaptation

A structural, physiological, or behavioral characteristic that helps an organism survive and reproduce under a given set of environmental conditions

Adaptive trait

Characteristic passed on from parents to offspring during reproduction in an animal or plant

Anthropogenic

Relating to the influence of human beings on nature

Biodiversity

A measurement of the variety of different species, genetic variability within each species, variety of ecosystems, and functions such as energy flow and matter cycling needed for the survival of species and biological communities

Cultural service

The benefits an ecosystem provides such as the production of food and water; regulating climate and disease; supporting nutrient cycles and oxygen production; and cultural and recreational usefulness

Disruption

The break or interruption of normal environmental function

Disturbance

An event that normally allows primary succession species to thrive

Diversity index

Measures community diversity as well as biodiversity and can be used to compare diversity among ecosystems

Ecosystem

One or more communities of different species interacting with one another and with the chemical and physical factors making up their nonliving environment

Ecosystem services

Natural services or natural capital that support life on the earth and are essential to the quality of human life and the functioning of the world's economies

Environmental stress

Pressure on the environment caused by human activities or by natural events

Evolution

Change in the genetic makeup of a population of a species in successive generations, if continued long enough, it can lead to the formation of a new species

Generalist

Species with a broad ecological niche, they can live in many different places, eat a variety of foods, and tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions

Genetic diversity

Genetic variability among individuals within each species

Habitat diversity

variety of ecosystems

Indicator species

Species whose decline serves as early warnings that a community or ecosystem is being degraded

Island biogeography

The geographical distribution of animals and plants across an island or neighboring islands

Keystone species

Species that play roles affecting many other organisms in an ecosystem

Limiting factors

Single factor that limits the growth, abundance, or distribution of the population of a species in an ecosystem

Migration

Movement of a species into and out of specific geographic areas

Natural selection

Process by which a particular beneficial gene (or set of genes) is reproduced in succeeding generations more than other genes.

Natural selection

The result of natural selection is a population that contains a greater proportion of organisms better adapted to certain environmental conditions.

Periodic

Occurring repeatedly from time to time.

Pioneer species

The first species to move into the ecosystem and begin the colonization process.

Primary succession

Colonizer species that populate an ecosystem after an environmental disturbance.

Provisioning service

Material benefits people obtain from ecosystems.

Regulating service

Maintaining the quality of aspects of the Earth such as the air and soil, providing flood and disease control, or pollinating crops.

Resilience

Ability of a living system such as a forest or pond to be restored through secondary ecological succession after a severe disturbance.

Resistance

All of the limiting factors that act together to limit the growth of a population.

Secondary succession

Process in which communities of plant and animal species in a particular area are replaced over time by a series of different and often more complex communities.

Specialist

Species with a narrow ecological niche. They may be able to live in only one type of habitat, tolerate only a narrow range of climatic and other environmental conditions, or use only one type or a few types of food.

Species diversity

Variety of different species.

Species evenness

The relative abundance of individuals within each of those species.

Species richness

The number of different species.

Supporting service

Providing living spaces for plants or animals and maintaining a diversity of plants and animals.

Tolerance

A range of conditions that must be maintained for populations of a particular species to stay alive and grow, develop, and function normally.

Episodic

Occurring, appearing, or changing at usually irregular intervals.

Population crash

A sharp reduction in the size of a population due to environmental events or human activities.

Population bottleneck

Such events can reduce the variation in the gene pool of a population; thereafter, a smaller population, with a smaller genetic diversity, remains to pass on genes to future generations.

Affluence

wealth

Age structure diagram

the distribution of males and females among age groups in a population.

Biotic potential

the unrestricted growth of populations resulting in the maximum growth of that population.

Carrying capacity (K)

the maximum number of individuals an ecosystem can hold at a given time.

Crude death rate (CDR)

the number of deaths occurring among the population of a given geographical area during a given year, per 1,000.

Crude birth rate (CBR)

the number of live births occurring among the population of a given geographical area during a given year, per 1,000.

Cohort

A group of people born around the same time period from a particular population that typically shares certain events and experiences over their life course.

Community

all the living organisms in an area at a given time.

Demographic transition model

a model that is based on historical population trends of birth rate and death rate and suggests that a country's total population growth rate cycles through stages as that country develops economically.

Demography

the study of demographics.

Density-dependent

limiting factors that depend on how dense the population is (ex: illness, competition).

Density-independent

limiting factors that do not depend on how dense the population is (ex: natural disasters).