fiveable unit 5 vocab apes

Abiotic

Nonliving; refers to nonliving parts of an ecosystem such as light, temperature, weather, soil, and water.

Adaptation

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

Aerobic respiration

The process by which cells convert glucose and oxygen into energy (ATP), carbon dioxide, and water.

Affluence

The state of having a great deal of money or wealth, often linked to higher resource consumption and environmental impact.

Age structure

The distribution of individuals among different ages in a population.

Agricultural revolution

The transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture and settlement, increasing food production and population growth.

Algal bloom

A rapid increase in algae in a water body, often caused by nutrient pollution.

Anthropogenic

Human-caused; used to describe environmental changes resulting from human actions.

Aquaculture

The farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, shellfish, and seaweeds.

Aquifer

A body of permeable rock that can contain or transmit groundwater.

Atmosphere

The layer of gases surrounding Earth, essential for life and climate regulation.

Autotroph

An organism that makes its own food through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis.

Background extinction

The normal rate of extinction of species over time, not caused by catastrophic events.

Benthic

Relating to the bottom of a body of water; benthic organisms live on or in the seabed.

Bioaccumulation

The gradual accumulation of substances, such as pesticides or heavy metals, in an organism.

Biodiversity

The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

Biosphere

The regions of Earth where living organisms exist.

Biotic

Living components of an ecosystem, such as plants and animals.

Carbon cycle

The movement of carbon through the atmosphere, biosphere, oceans, and geosphere.

Carrying capacity

The maximum population size an environment can support without being degraded.

Chaparral

A biome characterized by hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters, with drought-resistant shrubs.

Chemical weathering

The breakdown of rocks by chemical reactions, often involving water and atmospheric gases.

Chemosynthesis

The process by which some organisms use chemical energy to produce carbohydrates in the absence of sunlight.

Climax community

A stable, mature ecological community with little change in species composition.

Climate

The long-term average of weather conditions in an area.

Closed system

A system where energy can enter or leave but matter cannot.

Commensalism

A relationship between two organisms in which one benefits and the other is unaffected.

Community

All the different populations that live together in an area.

Competition

A relationship where organisms vie for the same resources in an ecosystem.

Conservation

The sustainable management of natural resources to prevent depletion.

Consumer

An organism that obtains energy by feeding on other organisms.

Contaminant

A substance that pollutes or makes something impure or harmful.

Coral bleaching

The loss of color in corals due to stress, often from warming waters, causing algae to leave coral tissue.

Crop rotation

The practice of growing different crops in succession on the same land to maintain soil fertility.

Death rate

The number of deaths per 1,000 individuals per year.

Decomposer

An organism that breaks down dead or decaying matter.

Deforestation

The removal of trees from an area, often leading to habitat destruction and soil erosion.

Demographic transition

The transition from high birth and death rates to lower birth and death rates as a country develops.

Density-dependent

Refers to factors whose impact on population depends on population size (e.g., disease, competition).

Density-independent

Refers to factors that affect a population regardless of its size (e.g., natural disasters).

Desertification

The process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically due to drought or deforestation.

Detritivore

An organism that feeds on dead organic matter, especially plant detritus.

Developed country

A country with a high level of industrialization, income, and standards of living.

Developing country

A country with a lower standard of living, less industrialization, and lower income.

Divergent boundary

A tectonic boundary where two plates move apart from each other.

Ecological footprint

The amount of land and water area a person uses to meet their resource needs and absorb their waste.

Ecological succession

The process of change in species structure in an ecosystem over time.

Ecosystem

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

Ecosystem service

A benefit that humans freely gain from the natural environment (e.g., pollination, water purification).

El Niño

A climate pattern involving the warming of the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, affecting global weather.

Endangered species

A species at serious risk of extinction.

Endemic species

Species that are native to and found only within a limited geographic area.

Energy pyramid

A diagram that shows the amount of energy that moves from one trophic level to another in a food web.

Environment

The natural world and all the living and nonliving things with which organisms interact.

Environmental degradation

The deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources and destruction of ecosystems.

Environmental science

The study of how humans interact with the environment.

Erosion

The process by which soil and rock are removed from the Earth's surface by wind or water flow.

Estuary

A coastal area where freshwater from rivers mixes with saltwater from the ocean.

Eutrophication

A process in which nutrient levels increase in a body of water, leading to excessive plant and algae growth.

Exponential growth

Growth whose rate becomes ever more rapid in proportion to the growing total number or size.

Extinction

The dying out of a species so that it no longer exists.

Fault

A crack in the Earth's crust resulting from the movement of tectonic plates.

Fertilizer

A substance added to soil to enhance the growth of plants, often containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

First law of thermodynamics

Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another.

Floodplain

The area adjacent to a river that floods periodically.

Food chain

A series of organisms each dependent on the next as a source of food.

Food web

A system of interlocking and interdependent food chains in an ecosystem.

Fossil fuel

A natural fuel formed from the remains of living organisms, such as coal, oil, or natural gas.

Freshwater

Water that is not salty and has little or no dissolved salts.

Gaia hypothesis

The theory that the Earth is a self-regulating system in which living organisms interact with their inorganic surroundings.

Genetic diversity

The variety of genes within a species or population.

Geosphere

The solid part of the Earth, including the crust, mantle, and core.

Greenhouse effect

The trapping of heat in Earth's atmosphere by greenhouse gases such as CO₂ and methane.

Gross primary productivity (GPP)

The total amount of solar energy captured by producers in an ecosystem through photosynthesis.

Groundwater

Water that fills the cracks and spaces in underground soil and rock layers.

Habitat

The natural home or environment of an organism.

Herbicide

A chemical used to kill unwanted plants or weeds.

Herbivore

An animal that feeds on plants.

Heterotroph

An organism that consumes other organisms for energy.

Hydrologic cycle

The continuous movement of water between the Earth's surface and the atmosphere.

Hydrosphere

All of the water on or near the Earth's surface.

Infiltration

The process by which water on the ground surface enters the soil.

Insecticide

A chemical used to kill insects.

Invasive species

A non-native species that spreads widely in a new ecosystem and disrupts the natural balance.

Keystone species

A species that has a disproportionately large effect on its ecosystem.