APES final review

Gross Primary Productivity

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

Spatial resource partitioning

Species reduce competition by using different habitats

Asbestos

-Carcinogen
-Impaired breathing and lung cancer
-Source: Building materials

Subduction

The process in which the edge of an oceanic plate moves downward beneath the continental plate and is pushed toward the center of Earth

Ferrell Cell

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

Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis

Hypothesis that intermediate disturbance levels favor higher species diversity

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).

Benthic zone

Muddy bottom of a lake, pond, or ocean

The Water Cycle

Evaporation, condensation, precipitation, run off, transpiration, infiltration. Humans impact this by storing water in reservoirs, irrigation, deforestation, and using chemicals

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

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.

Abiotic factors

Nonliving components of environment.

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. Reduces global warming

Plankton

Small, weakly-swimming, free floating organisms

Decomposers

Organisms that break down the dead remains of other organisms

Where are nutrients found in abundance?

In shallow and cold waters

Cultural Eutrophication

When human inputs of nutrients from the atmosphere and nearby urban areas accelerate the eutrophication of lakes

Watershed

The area of land that is drained by a water system

Biome

A group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical organisms

Climatograms

Chart that is used to better understand climate by looking at the average temperature and precipitation

Savanna

warm temperatures year round with alternating wet and long dry seasons. Plants have deep root systems, grasses and shrubs. Grazing animals

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

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

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

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?

Temp 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 are some major threats to coral reefs?

Overfishing, fishing using cyanide and dynamite, pollution from sewage and agriculture, massive outbreaks of predatory starfish, invasive species, and sedimentation from poor land use practices

Net Primary Productivity

The amount of energy lost through respiration by producers subtracted from the gross primary productivity of an ecosystem.

Ecological efficiency

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

Energy Pyramid

Tertiary Consumers - 1 kcal
Secondary Consumers - 10 kcal
Primary Consumers - 100 kcal
Producers - 1000 kcal

10% rule

Only 10% of the total energy produced at each trophic level is available to the next level. The amount of energy passed up to the levels of the food pyramid reduces as you go up.

Nitrogen

Most abundant gas in the atmosphere

Tropical rain forest soil

quickly depleted of nutrients when forest is removed (it sucks)

The approximate efficiency of the conversion of light energy to chemical energy in photosynthesis

1%

Symbiosis

Close and long term association between 2 species

Competition

Struggle for limited resources within or between species

Pathogen

parasite that causes disease in its host

Ecosystem boundaries

Dependent on climate, rainfall, and biotic/abiotic components

Temporal resource partitioning

Different species utilize the same resources at different times

Morphological resource partitioning

Evolution of differences in body size or shape

Salt Marsh

Marsh containing non-woody emergent vegetation

Photic Zone

Upper layer of ocean water that receives enough sunlight for photosynthesis

Terrestrial Biomes

Categorized by average annual temperatures, precipitation, and distinctive plant growth forms

Deciduous

Trees that lose their leaves, such as oak

Tundra

Cold and treeless biome with low-growing vegetation

Permafrost

Impermeable, permanently frozen layer of soil

Temperate rainforests

Coastal biome with moderate temperatures and high precipitation

Woodland / shrubland

Biome with hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters

Temperate Grassland / Cold Desert

Biome with cold harsh winters and hot dry summers

Profundal Zone

Region of water below the limnetic zone in deep lakes

Population bottleneck

Significant decline in population size, leading to reduced genetic diversity

Species Richness

Number of different species in a given area

Primary Productivity

Rate at which energy is converted by photosynthetic organisms into organic substances

Support Systems

Ecosystem services that provide support for other organisms

Cultural Services

Ecosystem services that provide cultural or aesthetic benefits

Aquaculture

Farming of fish, shellfish, and seaweed

Species-Area Curve

Relationship between the number of species on an island and the area of the island

Allopatric Speciation

Speciation that occurs with geographic isolation

Prezygotic Barriers

Factors that prevent mating and fertilization between different species

Postzygotic Barriers

Factors that prevent the production of viable and fertile offspring between different species

Microevolution

Evolutionary change at the population level

Genetic Variation

Differences in genetic composition within a population

Genetic drift

Change in genetic composition of a population due to random mating

Primary succession

Succession that occurs on bare rock with no soil

Secondary Succession

Succession that occurs in areas with disturbed but intact soil ("bounce back plan")

Keystone species

Species that have a large effect on an ecological community despite low abundance

Indicator species

Species that indicate the health or characteristics of an ecosystem

Levee

An enlarged bank built up on each side of the river

Reservoir

The water body created by damming a river or stream

Fish Ladder

A stair-like structure with water flowing over them, which allows migrating fish to get around a dam

Distillation

A process of desalination in which water is boiled and the resulting steam is captured and condensed to yield pure water

Thermal Shock

A dramatic change in temperature that can kill many species

Run of the River

Hydroelectricity generation in which water is retained behind a low, small dam or no dam

Industrial Compounds

-Chemicals used in manufacturing that is dumped directly into bodies of water to dispose of them.-PCBs were used in manufacturing plastics and insulating electrical transformers, they are carcinogenic-PBDEs are used as flame retardants, and have been detected in some organisms and human breast milk, can lead to brain damage.

PCBs

A group of industrial compounds formerly used to manufacture plastics and insulate electrical transformers, and responsible for many environmental problems
-Cancer, impaired learning, liver damage

Neurotoxin

A chemical that disrupts the nervous systems of animals

Carcinogen

A chemical that causes cancer

Mutagen

A type of carcinogen that causes damage to the genetic material of a cell

Allergen

A chemical that causes allergic reactions.

Alcohol

-Teratogen
-Reduced fetal growth, brain and nervous system damage
-Source: beverages

DDT

-Endocrine disruptor
-Feminization of males and thin eggshells of birds
-Source: Insecticides

Persistence

The length of time a chemical remains in the environment

Persistent Organic Pollutants

Synthetic, carbon-based molecules that break down very slowly in the environment

Solubility

How well a chemical dissolves in a liquid

Biomagnification

The increase in chemical concentration in animal tissue as the chemical moves up the food chain

Septic System

A relatively small and simple sewage treatment system, made up of a septic tank and a leach field, often used for homes in rural areas

Septic Tank

A large container that receives wastewater from a house as part of a septic system

Sludge

Solid waste material from wastewater

Leach Field

A component of a septic system, made up of underground pipes laid out below the surface of the ground

Dose Response Study

A study that exposes animals or plants to different amounts of a chemical and then looks for a variety of possible responses, including mortality or changes in behavior or reproduction

Acute Study

An experiment that exposes organisms to an environmental hazard for a short duration