APES study guide

Species

A group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring.

Ecological Niche

A specific role of a species within an ecosystem, including habitat, interactions, place in food web

Symbiosis

A close relationship between two species that benefits at least one of the species.

Amensalism

a relationship in which one organism is harmed and the other is unaffected

Commensalism

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

Intraspecific competition

competition between members of the SAME species

Interspecific competition

competition between members of DIFFERENT species

Mutualism

A relationship between two species in which both species benefit

Parasitism

A relationship between two organisms of different species where one benefits and the other is harmed

Predation

An interaction in which one organism kills another for food.

Saprotrophism

feeding by absorbing dead or decaying organic matter

Tropical rainforest

High rainfall, high temperature - occur near the equator

Temperate deciduous forest

Moderate temperature (seasons), distinct winter, occur in North America, NE Asia, western and central Europe

Temperate coniferous forest

Temperate, common in coastal areas, moderate rainfall

Taiga

Largest terrestrial biome, found in N Eurasia, N America - cold temperatures

Grasslands

Dominated by grasses - includes savannas and temperate grasslands

Savannas

Grasslands scattered with individual trees - warm/hot temperatures, low rainfall

Temperate grasslands

Grassland- trees and large shrubs are absent- temperate and moderate rainfall

Tundra

An extremely cold, dry biome.

Arctic Tundra

a biome characterized by low average temperatures, brief growing seasons, the presence of permafrost, and limited precipitation

Littoral zone

the shallow zone of soil and water in lakes and ponds closest to the shore

Corals

Marine invertebrates forming coral reefs.

Wetlands

water-saturated land area that supports aquatic plants

Carbon Cycle

The organic circulation of carbon from the atmosphere into organisms and back again

Nitrogen Cycle

Resource partitioning

The division of environmental resources by coexisting species such that the niche of each species differs by one or more significant factors from the niches of all coexisting species

Phosphorus cycle

Primary productivity

Rate at which solar energy is converted into organic compounds via photosynthesis over time

Gross primary productivity

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

10% rule

Only 10% of the total energy produced at each trophic level is available to the next level.

Three types of biodiversity

genetic, species, habitat

Genetic biodiversity

The variety of genes that make up a species

Species biodiversity

differences between or within species

Habitat biodiversity

A measure of the number of different habitats found within an area.

Species richness

the number of different species in a community

Loss of habitat leads to

a loss of specialist species, followed by a loss of generalist species.

Four types of ecosystem services

provisioning, regulating, cultural, supporting

Provisioning ecosystem services

products obtained from ecosystems

Regulating ecosystem services

Control natural processes in ways that are favorable to humans

Cultural ecosystem services

aesthetic, spiritual, educational, recreational

Supporting ecosystem services

nutrient cycling, soil formation, primary production

Island biogeography

The study of rates of colonization and extinction of species on islands or other isolated areas based on size, shape, and distance from other inhabited regions

Ecological tolerance

the range of conditions in which a species can survive (such as temperature, salinity, flow rate, sunlight)

Primary succession

An ecological succession that begins in an area where no biotic community previously existed

Secondary succession

Succession following a disturbance that destroys a community without destroying the soil

Keystone species

A species that influences the survival of many other species in an ecosystem

Indicator species

Species that serve as early warnings that a community or ecosystem is being degraded.

Pioneer species

First species to populate an area during primary succession

Succession results

Affects total biomass, species richness, and net productivity

Specialist species

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.

K-selected species

Species that produce a few, often fairly large offspring but invest a great deal of time and energy to ensure that most of those offspring reach reproductive age.

R-selected species

Species that reproduce early in their life span and produce large numbers of usually small and short-lived offspring in a short period.

Biotic potential

The maximum rate at which a population could increase under ideal conditions

Most invasive species are

r-selected species

Type I survivorship curve

Late loss

Type II survivorship curve

Steady loss

Type III survivorship

Early loss

r-selected survivorship curve

Type III

K selected survivorship curve

Type I or II

Extrinsic regulation

Outside factors

Intrinsic regulation

Inside factors

Density dependent factor

factor that limits a population more as population density increases

Density independent factor

limiting factor that affects all populations in similar ways, regardless of population size

Density dependent examples

competition, predation, parasitism, disease

Density independent examples

Tornado, Flood, Natural disasters, Laws, Habitat disruption

Carrying capacity

K- maximum that an ecosystem can support indefinitely

Fecundity

The potential reproductive capacity of a species

Fertility

The production of offspring within a population

What happens when a population exceeds its carrying capacity

Overshoot occurs, which leads to resource depletion; Causes dieback of the population

Rapidly growing population on age structure diagram

Higher proportion of younger people

What factors affect total fertility rate

Age of breeding, education for females, access to family planning, government policies

Total fertility rate

The average number of children born to a woman during her childbearing years.

infant mortality rate

The total number of deaths in a year among infants under one year old for every 1,000 live births in a society.

Factors affecting infant mortality rate

Access to good healthcare and nutrition

Factors that influence population growth

Birth rates, infant mortality rates, overall death rates, access to family planning, access to nutrition, education, marriage age

Rule of 70

Doubling time (in years) = 70/(percentage growth rate).

Demographic transition

change in a population from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates

Convergent boundaries

Mountains, island arcs, earthquakes, volcanoes

Divergent boundaries

Sea floor spreading, rift valleys, volcanoes, earthquakes

Transform boundaries

Earthquakes

Earthquake

Forms when a fault becomes locked and stress overcomes it, releasing stored energy

Soil is formed when

parent material is weathered, transported, and deposited

Soil is categorized in horizons by

Organic material and composition

Porosity

the volume of open spaces in rock or soil

Permeability

Ability of soil to allow water to flow through it

Eolian erosion

wind erosion

Alluvial erosion

water erosion

Colluvial erosion

erosion by gravity

Layers of the atmosphere in order

troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere

Coriolis effect

Causes moving air and water to turn left in the southern hemisphere and turn right in the northern hemisphere due to Earth's hemisphere.

What determines the intensity of solar radiation

the angle of the sun's rays - latitude directly horizontal to solar radiation receives most intensity

What causes the seasons

Tilt of Earth's axis of rotation

Highest solar radiation per unit area is received where

The equator

Weather and climate are influenced by the sun's energy and also

Geologic and geographic area

El Niño

La Nina

Tragedy of the commons

Individuals will use shared resources in their own self-interest rather than in keeping with the common good, thereby depleting the resources

Effects of clearcutting

Economically advantageous but leads to soil erosion, flooding, and increased soil and stream temperatures and flooding

Forest effect on CO2

Trees absorb pollutants and CO2 - clearcutting of forests releases CO2 and contributes to climate change

The Green Revolution

Agricultural revolution that increased production through mechanization, GMO use, fertilization, irrigation, and use of pesticides