APES Vocab (ALL)

Autotroph (Producer)

An organism that makes its own food using sunlight or chemical energy (ex. plants, algae)

Heterotroph (Consumer)

An organism that gets energy by eating other organisms because it cannot make its own food

Competitive Exclusion Principle

Two species competing for the same limiting resource cannot coexist in the same niche; leads to evolution or extinction of species

Resource Partitioning

Natural selection of two species to divide up limiting resources, which reduces competition; favors the species whose use of the resource overlaps the least with the other species, which allows for coexistence

Predation

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

Parasitoid

A type of predator that lays eggs inside or on another organism

Symbiosis

Close and long-term interaction between two species in an ecosystem

Mutualism

When two species both benefit

Commensalism

When one specie benefits and the other one is neither helped or harmed

Parasitism

When one organism lives on or in another organism and harms them

Biome

An area classified by species that live in the area, temperature, precipitation, light, water, and soil

Terrestrial Biome

Distribution of nonmineral terrestrial natural resources varies because of the combination of climate, geography, latitude/altitude, nutrient availability, and soil

Aquatic Biome

The global distribution of nonmineral marine natural resources varies because of the combination of salinity, depth, turbidity, nutrient availability, and temperature

Hydrologic Cycle

Water moves from the Earth’s atmosphere to Earth’s surface and back again; plants release water due to solar energy

Transpiration

The release of water vapor from plants and soil into the wair

Sublimination

The state change directly from solid water to water vapor

Precipitation

Condensed water vapor that falls from the atmosphere to the Earth’s surface

Evaporation

The transformation of water from liquid to water vapor

Deposition

Gas turns directly into a solid without becoming a liquid

Aquifer

An underground layer of porous rock or sand that contains water

Glacier

A large, slowly moving body of snow and ice

Reservoir

A body of water, often an artificial lake, which is used to store water for human use

Runoff

Water that moves across surface of land into steams and rivers

Carbon Cycle

Movement of carbon; combustion and respiration release carbon; living things undergo cellular respiration and photosynthesis; some organic carbon can become buried and become fossil fuels; inorganic carbon can become sedimentary rock

Nitrogen Cycle

Nitrogen fixation —> nitrogen in the air is converted into ammonia; bacteria helps in the process of uptake by plants by converting ammonia into nitrates by nitrification; denitrification —> bacteria takes nitrates and converts it back to nitrogen in gas

Phosphorous Cycle

Phosphorous moves between land and water; isn’t found in the atmosphere; sinks include rocks and sediments with phosphorous containing chemicals; major one is ocean sediment

Trophic Cascade

The ecological effect that occurs when the removal or addition of a top predator/species at high trophic level causes indirect effects that cascade down through trophic levels

Keystone Species

An organism that plays a critical role in maintaining the biodiversity of the system

Ecosystem Productivity

The amount of energy available in an ecosystem determines how much life it can support

Gross Primary Productivity

The total amount of energy that the producers in an ecosystem capture through photosynthesis over a given amount of time

Net Primary Productivity

GPP - respiration by producers

Provisioning Service

Any type of benefit to people that can be extracted from nature (food, freshwater, fiber, biomass fuel, and natural medicine)

Regulating Service

The benefit provided by ecosystem processes that moderate natural phenomena (air quality, water runoff, erosion, pollination, climate, and natural hazard)

Cultural Service

Non-material benefit that contributes to the development and cultural advancement of people including how ecosystems play a role in local, national, and global cultures (existence values, ethical values, recreation, and ecotourism)

Supporting Service

Underlying natural process such as photosynthesis, nutrient cycling, creation of soils, and water cycle (nutrient cycling, water cycling, photosynthesis, and soil formation)

Biodiversity

The variety of all life on Earth

Niche Generalist

Can live in many different places, eat a lot of different food, and survive a lot of environmental conditions; broader range of tolerance

Niche Specialist

Live in one habitat, eat very specific foods, and don’t change with a changing environment; narrow range of tolerance

Species Richness

Simplest measure of diversity; count of a number of species in an area

Species Evennes

Distribution of abundance across species in an area; highest when all species have the same abundance; as abundance vary, evennes goes toward 0

Indicator Species

Plant or animal that, if present, gives a measure of ecosystem’s health

Evolution

Organisms adapt to their environment over time

Founder Effect

Low genetic diversity because of low number of ancestors

Bottleneck Effect

Size of population is greatly reduced from a natural disaster

Genetic Drift

Variation in genotype in a small population; chance of genes disappearing if animals don’t reproduce

Niche

An organism’s specific role in its environment

Primary Succession

When an ecosystem starts with rock but no soil

Secondary Succession

When an ecosystem gets destroyed due to natural disaster but soil remains

Pioneer Species

Species that arrive first in a newly created environment; can outcompete others and have a broad ecologic tolerance (lichens, mosses, sea grass, algae)

Endangered Species Act (ESA)

Protects endangered and threatened species and their habitats

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

Agreement that regulates the trade of endangered species to ensure it does not threaten their survival in the wild

Predominant Species

The most abundant or ecologically influential species in a community, often shaping its structure and function

Intermediate Stage of Succession

The transitional phase between pioneer and climax stages where biodiversity and ecosystem complexity increase

Climax Community

The final, stable stage of ecological succession where ecosystem reaches equilibrium with balanced and persistent species

Photosynthesis

Organism (plant/algae) that can harness energy from the sun to make their own food; carbon + water + energy —> glucose and oxygen

Cellular Respiration

Process of using food to make energy (typically from consumption); glucose and oxygen —> carbon + water + energy

Solar Energy GPP

1% is absorbed by plants by photosynthesis; 99% is reflected and does not get absorbed

GPP Lost to Cellular Respiration

60%

NPP for Plant Growth and Reproduction

40%

GPP Calculation

NPP + Respiration

NPP Calculation

GPP - Respiration

Respiration Calculation

GPP - NPP

Movement of Matter

Matter is not lost or gained in the system; the system is the biosphere

Nitrogen Fixation

Nitrogen in the air is converted into ammonia and then bacteria converts ammonia into nitrates by nitrification

Denitrification

Bacteria takes nitrates and converts it back into nitrogen gas

Deep Sea Light

Sunlight cannot reach below 1000 meters

Sunlight Zone (Sea Level)

Sunlight rarely penetrates beyond this zone

Twilight Zone (200 meters)

Sunlight decreases rapidly with depth; photosynthesis is not possible here

Midnight Zone (1000 meters)

Sunlight does not penetrate at all; this zone is bathed in darkness

Intrinsic Value

Independent of any benefit to humans

Instrumental Value

Has value to humans such as an instrument or tool (crops, medicine, lumber)

Island Biogeography

The larger the island the closer it is to the mainland, the higher the specie richness

Threats to Biodiversity

Habitat loss

Invasive species

Pollution

Population growth

Overharvesting

Climate change

K-selected species

Low intrinsic growth rate; populations increase slowly until they reach carrying capacity; population fluctuations are small; typically large animals; reach reproductive maturity relatively late; produce few offspring; provide parent care; long life spans; reproduce more than once in their lifetime; live in stable environments; high competition for resources

r-selected species

High intrinsic growth rate; reproduce often and have many offsprings; do not remain near carrying capacity; exhibit rapid growth, overshoots, and die offs; small organisms; reach reproductive maturity early; reproduce frequently; little to no parental care; short life spans; reproduce one in their lifetime; able to thrive in disturbed environments; low competition for resources

Type I Survivorship Curve

Late loss; large percent of population survives birth to death; humans; highest curve

Type II Survivorship Curve

Constant loss; relatively equal rate of death in the population over time; animals

Type III Survivorship Curve

Early loss; lots of death early in life, very small percent lives to adulthood; plants; lowest curve

Biotic Potential

Maximum reproductive rate in populations under ideal conditions

Exponential Growth

J curve; biotic potential; when resources are plentiful and there are no predators or disease; many births, few deaths; in perfect conditions indivudals can reproduce at a constant rate

Carrying Capacity

The number of individuals in a population that the environment can support

Logistic Growth

S curve; as resources become limited, a population’s growth slows or stops

Density Dependent Factors

Tend to be biotic factors; have a strong influence on populations with larger density/closer to carrying capacity; the larger the population = the faster the resources are used (competition, predation, disease, parasitism)

Density Independent Factors

Tend to be abiotic factors; have an effect on populations regardless of size or density (natural disasters/severe weather events, drought, human activity, climate change)

Limiting Factors

Determine carrying capacity

Crude Birth rate (CBR)

The number of births per 1000 individuals per year

Crude Death Rate (CDR)

The number of deaths per 1000 individuals per year

Population Growth

Births and/or immigration

Population Decline

Deaths and/or emigraton, disease, and famine

Bottom Heavy Pyramid

Population is growing quickly; indicator of a developing country (India, Brazil, Nigeria, Mexico)

Middle Heavy Pyramid

Population growth is stable; indicator of a nation that is developed and well off (US, Australia, Canada)

Top Heavy Pyramid

Population is declining; indicator of an economically and socially developed country with higher education (Japan, Russia, Germany, Italy)

Population Growth Rate (National)

(CBR+Immigration)-(CDR+Emigration)/10

Doubling Time (Rule of 70)

70/% of Growth Rate

Total Fertility Rate (TFR)

Estimate of average number of children each woman in a population will have during childbearing years (world average is 2.5 children)

Replacement Level Fertility

The TFR to replace the average # of deaths in a population so that the current population size stays the same (2.1)

Developed Countries

High levels of industrialization and income; replacement level fertility around 2 or less

Developing Countries

Low levels of industrialization and income; higher levels of mortality in young people; replacement level much greater than 2

Infant Death Rate

Deaths in children under 1 year of age per 1000 live births

Child Death Rate

Deaths in children under age 6 per 1000 live births