AP Environmental Science - Summer Study Guide Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary, SI unit prefixes, and mathematical foundational skills required for the AP Environmental Science summer study guide.

Adaptation

A trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce in its environment

Chromosome

A structure made of DNA that carries genetic information

Gene pool

The complete set of genes/alleles present in a population

Photosynthesis

The process by which autotrophs use sunlight to convert $CO_2$ and water into glucose and oxygen

Aerobic

Requiring oxygen

Climate

The long-term, average weather pattern of an area

Habitat

The natural environment where an organism lives

Plate tectonics

The theory that Earth's crust is broken into moving plates

Anaerobic

Occurring without oxygen

Community

All the different species living and interacting in the same area

Heterotroph

An organism that obtains energy by consuming other organisms

Pollution

The introduction of harmful substances or products into the environment

Autotroph

An organism that produces its own food (e.g., via photosynthesis)

Conservation

The protection and sustainable use of natural resources

Kinetic energy

The energy of motion

Population

A group of individuals of the same species living in the same area

Biodiversity

The variety of life in a given ecosystem or on Earth

Consumer

An organism that eats other organisms for energy

Latitude

Distance north or south of the equator, measured in degrees

Potential energy

Stored energy based on position or state

Biomass

The total mass of living organisms in a given area

Decomposer

An organism that breaks down dead organic matter

Law of Conservation of Matter

Matter cannot be created or destroyed, only changed in form

Producer

An organism that makes its own food, forming the base of a food chain (autotroph)

Biome

A large region characterized by a specific climate and dominant plant/animal life

Ecosystem

A community of organisms interacting with each other and their physical environment

Mutation

A change in an organism's DNA sequence

Toxic

Poisonous; harmful to living organisms

Biosphere

The part of Earth where life exists

Entropy

A measure of disorder or randomness in a system

Natural selection

The process by which organisms better adapted to their environment survive and reproduce more successfully

Trait

A characteristic of an organism, often genetically determined

Carrying capacity

The maximum population size an environment can sustainably support

Fossil fuel

A nonrenewable energy source formed from ancient organic matter (coal, oil, natural gas)

Niche

The role and position a species has in its environment

Trophic level

A position in a food chain (e.g., producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer)

Cellular respiration

The process by which cells break down glucose to release energy

Gene

A segment of DNA that codes for a specific trait

Organism

Any individual living thing

Weather

The short-term state of the atmosphere (temperature, precipitation, etc.) at a specific time and place

Length (SI unit)

Meter ($\text{m}$)

Mass (SI unit)

Gram ($\text{g}$)

Time (SI unit)

Second ($\text{s}$)

Temperature (SI unit)

Kelvin ($\text{K}$) or Celsius/Centigrade

Volume (SI unit)

Liter ($\text{L}$)

Energy/Work (SI unit)

Joule ($\text{J}$)

giga- ($G-$)

$$\times 10^9$$

mega- ($M-$)

$$\times 10^6$$

kilo- ($k-$)

$$\times 10^3$$

hecto- ($h-$)

$$\times 10^2$$

deka- ($da-$)

$$\times 10^1$$

deci- ($d-$)

$$\times 10^{-1}$$

centi- ($c-$)

$$\times 10^{-2}$$

milli- ($m-$)

$$\times 10^{-3}$$

micro- ($\mu-$)

$$\times 10^{-6}$$

nano- ($n-$)

$$\times 10^{-9}$$

Accuracy

How close a measured value is to the actual/true value

Precision

How close multiple measurements are to each other, regardless of accuracy

Accurate and Precise

Measurements are close to the true value AND close to each other

Accurate but Not Precise

Measurements average out close to the true value but vary a lot from each other

Precise but Not Accurate

Measurements are close to each other but consistently far from the true value

Not Accurate and Not Precise

Measurements are scattered and far from the true value

Scientific notation format

$\text{Coefficient} \times 10^{\text{Exponent}}$ (e.g., $4.6 \times 10^5$)

Converting standard form to scientific notation

Move decimal to after the first digit; count places moved (left = positive exponent, right = negative exponent)

Converting scientific notation to standard form

Move the decimal right for a positive exponent, left for a negative exponent, adding zeros as needed

Example: 85,000 in scientific notation

$$8.5 \times 10^4$$

Example: 0.000004021 in scientific notation

$$4.021 \times 10^{-6}$$

Percent

A fraction out of $100$; the $\%$ symbol means "divide by $100$"

Finding a percent of a number

Multiply: e.g., $45\%$ of $2,500 = 0.45 \times 2,500 = 1,125$

Finding what percent one number is of another

Divide the part by the whole: e.g., $54$ is what $\%$ of $75$? $\frac{54}{75} = 0.72 = 72\%$

Solving for the whole given a percent and a part

Divide the part by the decimal form of the percent: e.g., $15$ is $30\%$ of what? $\frac{15}{0.30} = 50$

TAILS (graphing mnemonic)

Title, Axes, Interval, Label, Scale

DRY MIX (graphing mnemonic)

Dependent/Responding variable = Y-axis; Manipulated/Independent variable = X-axis

Line graph

Used to show change over time

Bar graph

Used to show distribution/comparison of data among categories