AP Environmental Science Units 1-4 (1st Semester Review)

Watershed

An ecosystem where all water runoff drains into a single body of water

Troposphere

The lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere

Stratosphere

The second-lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere.

Albedo

Ability of a surface to reflect light

Atmospheric convection current

global patterns of air movement that are initiated by the unequal heating of Earth

Hadley Cell

a system of vertical and horizontal air circulation predominating in tropical and subtropical regions and creating major weather patterns.

Polar Cell

Cells of air circulation occurring between 60 degrees north and south and each pole.

Ferrel Cell

A convection current in the atmosphere that lies between Hadley cells and polar cells

Coriolis effect

The effect of Earth's rotation on the direction of winds and currents.

rain shadow

a region with dry conditions found on the leeward side of a mountain range as a result of humid winds from the ocean causing precipitation on the windward side

Gyre

a circular motion of water in each of the major ocean basins

Upwelling

The movement of deep, cold, and nutrient-rich water to the surface

thermohaline circulation

an oceanic circulation pattern that drives the mixing of surface water and deep water

El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)

The periodic changes in winds and ocean currents, causing cooler and wetter conditions in the southeastern United States and unusually dry weather in southern Africa and Southeast Asia.

core

The central part of the earth below the mantle

Mantle

The layer of hot, solid material between Earth's crust and core.

Magma

A molten mixture of rock-forming substances, gases, and water from the mantle

Asthenosphere

The soft layer of the mantle on which the lithosphere floats.

Lithosphere

A rigid layer made up of the uppermost part of the mantle and the crust.

Crust

The thin and solid outermost layer of the Earth above the mantle

hot spot

An area where magma from deep within the mantle melts through the crust above it

plate tectonics

The theory that pieces of Earth's lithosphere are in constant motion, driven by convection currents in the mantle.

tectonic cycle

the sum of the processes that build up and break down the lithosphere

Subduction

The process by which oceanic crust sinks beneath a deep-ocean trench and back into the mantle at a convergent plate boundary.

volcano

A vent or fissure in the Earth's surface through which magma and gases are expelled

divergent plate boundary

an area beneath the ocean where tectonic plates move away from each other

seafloor spreading

The process that creates new sea floor as plates move away from each other at the mid-ocean ridges

convergent plate boundary

A tectonic plate boundary where two plates collide, come together, or crash into each other.

transform plate boundary

Boundary between two plates that are sliding past each other.

fault

A break in the earth's crust

seismic activity

the frequency and intensity of earthquakes experienced over time

fault zone

a large expanse of rock where a fault has occurred

earthquake

The shaking that results from the movement of rock beneath Earth's surface.

Tsunami

A giant wave usually caused by an earthquake beneath the ocean floor.

rock cycle

A series of processes on the surface and inside Earth that slowly changes rocks from one kind to another

igneous rock

a type of rock that forms from the cooling of molten rock at or below the surface

sedimentary rock

A type of rock that forms when particles from other rocks or the remains of plants and animals are pressed and cemented together

metamorphic rock

A type of rock that forms from an existing rock that is changed by heat, pressure, or chemical reactions.

physical weathering

the mechanical breakdown of rocks and minerals

chemical weathering

The process that breaks down rock through chemical changes

acid precipitation

Conversion of sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides to acids that return to Earth as rain, snow, or fog

Erosion

Processes by which rock, sand, and soil are broken down and carried away (i.e. weathering, glaciation)

parent material

the rock material from which the inorganic components of a soil are derived

soil degradation

The loss of some or all of a soil's ability to support plant growth

0 horizon

the top layer of the surface containing inorganic solids, decaying organic matter, and living organisms

Humus

material formed from decaying leaves and other organic matter

A horizon

topsoil

E horizon

The zone of leaching that forms under the O horizon or, less often, the A horizon.

B horizon

subsoil

C horizon

The least-weathered soil horizon, which always occurs beneath the B horizon and is similar to the parent material.

Biogeochemical Cycles

The movement of abiotic factors between the living and nonliving components within ecosystems; also known as nutrient cycles (i.e., water cycle, carbon cycle, oxygen cycle, and nitrogen cycle).

The Water Cycle

Cycle of water through the earth- Evaporation, condensation, precipitation, run off, transpiration, infiltration.

Condensation

The change of state from a gas to a liquid

Run off

The draining away of water (or substances carried in it) from the surface of an area of land, a building or structure, etc.

Transpiration

Evaporation of water from the leaves of a plant

Infiltration

Flow of water from the land surface into the subsurface

The Carbon Cycle

The organic circulation of carbon from the atmosphere into organisms and back again. Humans impact this by burning fossil fuels and cutting down trees,

The Nitrogen Cycle

The transfer of nitrogen from the atmosphere to the soil, to living organisms, and back to the atmosphere. Humans impact this by altering the amount of nitrogen that is stored in the biosphere.

The Phosphorus Cycle

The movement of phosphorus atoms from rocks through the biosphere and hydrosphere and back to rocks.

Abiotic Factors

Nonliving components of environment.

Biotic Factors

All the living organisms that inhabit an environment

Habitat

Where an organism lives and any aspect of the location

Niche

Full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which the organism uses those conditions

Organism

Any form of life. Belongs to any of the 6 kingdoms

Species

Group of organisms of same type that can reproduce to have fertile offspring

Population

A group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area

Community

All the different populations that live together in an area

Ecosystem

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment. All abiotic and biotic factors.

Producers/Autotrophs

Organisms that make their own food from compounds and energy obtained from the environment

Photosynthesis

Conversion of light energy from the sun into chemical energy

Salinity

A measure of the amount of dissolved salts in a given amount of liquid

Plankton

Small, weakly-swimming, free floating organisms

Decomposers

Organisms that break down the dead remains of other organisms

Phytoplankton

Photosynthetic algae found near the surface of the ocean

Layers of aquatic environments

Surface, Middle, Bottom.

Temperature, sunlight, oxygen content, and nutrients determine types and numbers or organisms in each layer

Human Impact on Freshwater Ecosystems

1. Dams, diversions, and canals fragment about 40% of our world's largest rivers

2. Flood control levees destroy aquatic habitats

3. Cities and farmlands add pollutants and excess plant nutrients to streams and rivers causing eutrophication

4. Many inland wetlands have been drained or filled to grow crops or have been covered with concrete, asphalt, and buildings

Biome

A group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical organisms

Desert

An area where evaporation exceeds precipitation and usually has little vegitation. around 30 degrees or behind mountains

Grasslands

Usually occur in the interiors of continents in areas too moist for deserts and too dry for forests. Seasonal drought

Savanna

Grassland with sparse trees. Has warm temperatures year round with alternating wet and dry seasons. Plants have deep root systems

Tundra

Treeless arctic or alpine biome characterized by cold, harsh winters, a short growing season, and potential for frost any month of the year; vegetation includes low-growing perennial plants, mosses and lichens

Tropical Rainforest

Found around the equator and has a wet and warm climate year round allowing for the growth of a dense canopy of tall trees. Have shallow root systems. Soil is low in nutrients. 40% have been destroyed

Temperate Deciduous Forest

Forest in a temperate region, characterized by trees that drop their leaves annually

Taiga(Boreal Forest)

Subarctic climate with long, cold, dry winters, and short , mild summers. Dominated by coniferous evergreen trees. Plant diversity is low

Consumers

An organism that obtains energy and nutrients by feeding on other organisms or their remains

Parasitism

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

Mutualism

A relationship between two species in which both species benefit

Commensalism

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

Intraspecific competition

Competition among members of the same species

Interspecific Competition

Competition between members of different species

Resource Partitioning

When species competing for similar scarce resources evolve specialized traits that allow them to share resources by using parts of them, using them at different times, or using them in different ways

What two factors are most important in determining the type of biome that exists in an area?

Temperature and precipitation

Coral bleaching

A phenomenon in which algae inside corals die, causing the corals to turn white. When this happens, the habitat for the animals are destroyed

What is responsible for eutrophication?

Land runoff is accelerated and more nutrients such as phosphates and nitrate are supplied to lakes and rivers, and then to coastal estuaries and bays

Greenhouse effect

Natural situation in which heat is retained in Earth's atmosphere by carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and other gases. It helps maintain a manageable temperature on Earth.

Net Primary Productivity (NPP)

The energy captured by producers in an ecosystem minus the energy producers respire. NPP=GPP-R

Food web

A community of organisms where there are several interrelated food chains

What limits the number of trophic levels in an ecological pyramid?

Decrease in energy at higher trophic levels limits this. When the number of links keep increasing, the amount of energy available decreases, as only 10% of energy gets transferred from one trophic level to the next

Ecological Efficiency

Percentage of energy transferred from one trophic level to another in a food chain or web

Biomass

A measure of the total dry mass of organisms within a particular region