APES

Biosphere

The combination of all ecosystems on Earth.

Photosynthesis

The process of using solar energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose.

Cellular respiration

The process by which cells unlock the energy of chemical compounds.

Aerobic respiration

A process where cells convert glucose and oxygen into energy, carbon dioxide, and water.

Anaerobic respiration

A process where cells convert glucose into energy in the absence of oxygen.

Producers

Organisms that produce their own food through photosynthesis and consume oxygen.

Primary Consumers

Herbivores that consume producers.

Secondary Consumers

Carnivores that eat primary consumers.

Trophic levels

Successive levels of organisms consuming one another in an ecosystem.

Food Chain

A sequence of consumption from producers through tertiary consumers.

Food Web

A complex model of how energy and matter move through trophic levels.

Scavengers

Organisms that consume dead animals.

Detritivores

Organisms that break down dead tissues and waste products into smaller particles.

Decomposers

Fungi and bacteria that convert organic matter into small elements and molecules.

Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)

Measure of the total amount of solar energy captured by producers through photosynthesis.

Net Primary Productivity (NPP)

Energy captured by producers minus the energy they respire.

Standing Crop

The amount of biomass present in an ecosystem at a particular time.

Ecological Efficiency

The proportion of energy that can be passed from one trophic level to another.

Trophic Pyramid

Representation of the distribution of biomass and energy among trophic levels.

Community Ecology

The study of interactions among species.

Symbiotic Relationships

Relationships between two species living in close association.

Competition

Struggle of individuals to obtain a shared limiting resource.

Competitive Exclusion Principle

Two species competing for the same limiting resource cannot coexist.

Resource Partitioning

When two species divide a resource based on differences in behavior or morphology.

Predation

Interaction where one animal kills and consumes another animal.

Parasitism

Interaction in which one organism lives on or inside another organism.

Mutualism

Interaction between two species that increases the chances of survival or reproduction of both.

Commensalism

Relationship in which one species benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed.

Keystone Species

A species that has a large effect on an ecological community, despite being relatively rare.

Terrestrial Biomes

Geographic regions classified by average annual temperature, annual precipitation, and plant growth forms.

Aquatic Biomes

Regions characterized by a particular combination of salinity, depth, and water flow.

Permafrost

Permanently frozen layer of soil that prevents water drainage.

Boreal Forest Biome

Biome made primarily of coniferous evergreen trees, tolerating cold winters.

Temperate Rainforest Biome

Coastal biome characterized by moderate temperatures and high precipitation.

Tropical Rainforest

Warm and wet biome with high biodiversity and rapid decomposition.

Marine Biomes

Aquatic biomes that contain salt water.

Estuary

Area where fresh water from a river mixes with salt water from the ocean.

Coral Reefs

Diverse marine biome found in warm, shallow waters.

Photic Zone

Upper layer of ocean water that receives enough sunlight for photosynthesis.

Carbon Cycle

Movement of carbon through the biosphere via processes like photosynthesis and respiration.

Nitrogen Cycle

The movement of nitrogen around the biosphere through fixation, nitrification, and denitrification.

Phosphorus Cycle

Movement of phosphorus primarily between land and water; no gas phase exists.

Sulfur Cycle

Movement of sulfur through absorption by producers and atmospheric processes.

Tundra Biome

Cold, treeless biome with low vegetation and a short growing season.

Temperate Seasonal Forest

Biome with warm summers, cold winters, and over 1 m of precipitation annually.

Drought Resistant Shrubs

Plants that can survive in hot, dry conditions.

Algal Blooms

Rapid increase in algae, often due to excess nutrients.

Dead Zone

Area in aquatic ecosystems where oxygen concentrations are too low for organisms to survive.

Hydrologic Cycle

The movement of water through the biosphere involving processes like evaporation and precipitation.

Evapotranspiration

The combined amount of evaporation and transpiration from the land to the atmosphere.

Transpiration

Release of water from leaves during photosynthesis.

Limiting Nutrient

Nutrient that is required for growth but is available in lower quantities.

Denitrification

Process converting nitrate into nitrogen gas, releasing it into the atmosphere.

Nitrification

Conversion of ammonium into nitrite and then into nitrate by bacteria.

Assimilation

Process where producers incorporate elements into their tissues.

Mineralization (Ammonification)

Process where decomposers break down organic matter into inorganic compounds.

Abiotic Fixation

Nitrogen fixation through non-biological processes such as combustion.

Biotic Fixation

Conversion of nitrogen gas into ammonia by organisms like cyanobacteria.

Standing Crop Biomass

The amount of biomass present in an ecosystem at a given moment.

Resource Partitioning Types

Temporal, spatial, and morphological resource partitioning are ways to reduce competition.

Chemosynthesis

Process used by some bacteria to generate energy using methane and hydrogen sulfide.