APES 2

A horizon

MINERAL PARTICLES MIXED W/ ORGANIC MATERIAL (TOP SOIL; ROOTS MUST INTERACT WITH PLANTS AND SOIL).

Abiotic

The nonliving components of an ecosystem

Adaptation

a populations response (genetic) to a change in the environment

Albedo effect

The measure of how much sunlight a surface reflects, with high albedo (like snow) reflecting more solar energy, thus influencing Earth's temperature and climate.

Asthenosphere

A semi-fluid layer of the Earth's mantle beneath the lithosphere that allows tectonic plates to move due to its plasticity

Atmosphere

thin layer of gases surrounding the Earth (79N, 21O2, less than 1 Ar, and remaining percent is variable gas)

B horizon

COMPOUNDS DRAINING FROM ABOVE ACCUMULATE (subsoil). Horizon of soil that is enriched in clay, iron oxides, silica, carbonate or other material leached from overlying horizons. This horizon is known as the zone of accumulation.

Biogeography

The study of the distribution of species and ecosystems across geographic locations and through time, influenced by factors like climate, landforms, and evolutionary history

Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD)

The amount of dissolved oxygen needed by aerobic organisms to break down organic material in a water sample, often used as an indicator of water pollution

Biotic

The living components of an ecosystem.

C horizon

PARTLY WEATHERED ROCKS (parent material). Horizon of soil that is composed of partially altered (weathered) parent material; the material could be rock or be alluvial in nature, such as river gravels in other environments. This horizon may be stained red with iron oxides.

Carnivore

Organisms that feed on other live organisms; usually applied to animals that eat other animals; a meat eater.

Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC)

the ability of soil to hold cations (Ca+2, Mg+2, K+1)

Climax community

different populations of plants and animals that interact with one another in a stable manner and exist unchanged for long periods of time. Final stage of primary or secondary succession. Example: boreal forest

Constant(s) (science)

Factors in an experiment that are kept the same to ensure that the test results are due to the independent variable

Control group

control condition: the specimen that is used as an example in the experiment; a standard against which other conditions can be compared in a scientific experiment.; the group in an experiment that does not receive the treatment, used as a benchmark to measure how the other tested subjects do; A baseline group in an experiment that does not receive the experimental treatment, used for comparison to understand the effect of the independent variable (represents natural condition [serves as comparison group and does not recieve your change]

Controlled experiment

A controlled experiment is designed to test the effects of independent variables on a dependent variable by changing only one independent variable at a time. For each variable tested, there are two set-ups (an experiment and a control) that are identical except for the independent variable being tested. Any difference in the outcome (dependent variable) between the experiment and the control can then be attributed to the effects of the independent variable tested.; An experiment where only one variable is manipulated at a time, allowing for precise determination of cause-and-effect relationships (chatgpt)

Convergent plate boundary

Boundary between two lithospheric plates in which one plate descends below the other (subduction). (can result in the creation of mountains, island arcs, earthquakes, and volcanoes.)

Coriolis Effect

the apparent deflection of North/South wind's due to Earth's rotation.

Cultural Ecosystem Service

parts of nature that are incorporated into our culture (ecotourism, recreation, etc.)

Decomposer

Typically bacteria or fungi that convert organic matter into small elements and molecules that can be recycled back into the ecosystem

Dependent variable

the response to your single change, needs to be measurable (quantitative)

Directional Selection

individuals on one side of the bell curve have increased fitness over the otherside

Disruptive Selection

individuals at each extreme have better fitness than those in the middle

Dissolved Oxygen (DO)

The amount of oxygen present in water, crucial for aquatic life, and an important indicator of water quality and ecosystem health.

Divergent plate boundary

Boundary between two lithospheric plates characterized by the production of new lithosphere; found along oceanic ridges. (can result in seafloor spreading, rift valleys, volcanoes, and earthquakes.)

Downwelling

The process by which surface water sinks to deeper ocean layers, helping to distribute heat, nutrients, and oxygen in marine ecosystems

E horizon

Horizon that is composed of light-colored materials resulting from leaching of clay, calcium, magnesium, and iron to lower horizons. The A and E horizons together constitute the zone of leaching.

El Nino Southern Oscillations (ENSO)

The term currently used by scientists to describe basin-wide changes every 2 to 7 years in air-sea interaction in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. El Niño/La Niña is the oceanic component and the Southern Oscillation is the atmospheric component of the phenomenon.

Early Successional Species

Species that occur only or primarily during early stages of succession. With vegetation, these are typically rapidly growing and short-lived with high reproductive rates.

Ecological Tolerance

the range of conditions best suited for an organism or population to survive (ex: temperature, water, pH, moisture, sunlight, etc.)

Ecosystem Services

The essential benefits humans obtain from ecosystems, categorized into provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting services

Eutrophication

The enrichment of water bodies with nutrients (often nitrogen and phosphorus), leading to excessive plant and algae growth, and can result in oxygen depletion

Experimental Groups

The groups in an experiment that receive the variable being tested; Groups in an experiment that are exposed to the variable being tested, used to observe and measure effects compared to the control group (reference specific/even increments of change)

Flood plain

Flat topography adjacent to a stream in a river valley that has been produced by the combination of overbank flow and lateral migration of meander bends.

Generalist species

A species with the ability to live in many different places while tolerating a wide range of environmental conditions.

Heterotroph

An organism that feeds on other organisms and cannot make its own food from inorganic chemicals or a source of energy.

Hypothesis

In science, an explanation set forth in a manner that can be tested and is capable of being disproved. A tested hypothesis is accepted until and unless it has been disproved. (directional and then format- IV then DV)

Indicator species

A species that based on its presence or absence denotes characteristics about an area (e.g. water quality or air quality)

Independent variable

the single change you make between the different experimental groups manipulation of temperature, sunlight, etc.

Late Successional Species

Species that occur only or primarily in, or are dominant in late stages in succession. With plants, these are typically slower growing and longer-lived species.

Leaching

The process of dissolving, washing, or draining earth materials by chemical weathering processes of groundwater or other liquids and moving the dissolved materials laterally or downward.

Lithosphere

The outer layer of Earth, approximately 100 km thick, of which the plates that contain the ocean basins and the continents are composed.

K selected species

species that tend to maintain a stable population which fluctuates around the carrying capacity. These organisms generally have one to two offspring per reproductive event with high energy investment given to each offspring by the parent. Examples: humans, elephants

Keystone species

Loosely speaking, a species, such as the sea otter, that has a large effect on its community or ecosystem so that its removal or addition to the community leads to major changes in the abundances of many or all other species.

Mantle

The zone of the earth below the crust and above the core.

Mesopause

Narrow zone of transition between the mesosphere below and the thermosphere above; the top of the mesosphere.

Mesosphere

meteorites - 5 percent of atmosphere mass, decrease, temp w/ height

O horizon

The top layer of soil rich in organic material from decomposed leaves and other plant matter, important for nutrient cycling.

Oligotrophic

Referring to bodies of water having a low concentration of the chemical elements required for life.

Permeability

measure of the rate at which a fluid flows through void space (slow flow= low permeability, fast flow= high permeability, grain size does matter, bigger particles= faster movement)

Physical weathering

The breakdown of rocks into smaller pieces without chemical changes, primarily due to temperature changes, water, and wind.

Porosity

measure of void space (total space) in sediment or rock (size of grain has little effect)

Pioneer species

the first species to colonize an area after an ecological disturbance and which begins the process of succession. Examples: lichens, mosses

Primary consumer

An organism which is found near the very bottom of the food pyramid which consumes plant material. Butterflies are primary consumers.

Primary productivity (GPP & NPP)

The production by autotrophs (<--- primary productivity); Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) is the total energy captured by plants in an ecosystem, while Net Primary Productivity (NPP) is the energy left after plants' respiration, available to other organisms.

Primary succession

The initial establishment and development of an ecosystem that includes the process of creating soil.

Provisioning ecosystem service

materials that humans use (food, fiber, fuel, natural medicines, etc.)

Pycnocline

A layer in the ocean where water density changes rapidly with depth, often due to temperature and salinity gradients, impacting marine life and nutrient distribution.

r selected species

species that reproduces within a short time frame, has a large number of offspring per reproductive event, and whose adults do not spend a lot of energy raising their young

Rain Shadow Effect

(region of land that has become drier because a higher elevation area blocks precipitation from reaching the land.); A dry area on the leeward side of a mountain, where moist air rises, cools, and loses moisture on the windward side, leaving dry conditions downwind.

Regulating Ecosystem Service

natural regulating methods of ecosystem (pollination, water filtration, etc.)

Respiration

The complex series of chemical reactions in organisms that make energy available for use. Water, carbon dioxide, and energy are the products of respiration. The chemical equation is C6H12O6 + 6O2 = 6CO2 + 6H2O + Energy or Glucose + Oxygen = Carbon Dioxide + Water + Energy

Riparian zones

Thin strips and patches of land and vegetation that border streams.

Secondary succession

The reestablishment of an ecosystem where there are remnants of a previous biological community.

Soil Horizon

Distinct layers of soil that differ in composition, texture, structure, and color, from organic-rich topsoil to mineral-rich subsoil layers

Soil Profile

A vertical section through soil showing all horizons from the surface to the parent material, revealing the soil's structure and formation.

Soil Texture

The relative proportion of sand, silt, and clay in soil, which affects its drainage, fertility, and ability to retain nutrients

Soil Triangle

A diagram used to classify soil types based on the proportions of sand, silt, and clay, aiding in soil analysis and management

Specialist species

A species with the ability to live in only one type of habitat, eat only a few types of food, or tolerate a narrow range of climatic or environmental conditions.

Species Diversity

The number and variety of species found in a given area in a region.

Species Evenness

comparison of abundance of species within an ecosystem

Species Richness

number of different species found in an ecosystem

Stabilizing Selection

individuals in the center have increased fitness

Stratopause

The level of the atmosphere which is the boundary between the stratosphere and the mesosphere. In the stratosphere, the temperature increases with altitude, and the stratopause is the section where a maximum in the temperature occurs.

Stratosphere

jet stream - 20 percent of atmosphere mass, ozone layer, increase temp w/ height

Subduction Zone

A tectonic boundary where one plate moves under another, leading to volcanic activity, earthquakes, and the formation of mountain ranges

Supporting Ecosystem Service

the underlying services that ensure all the other services function (nutrient cycles, photosynthesis, etc.)

Sustainability

The process of using resources in a manner that will ensure that those same resources will be available for future generations

Thermosphere

aurora borealis, - 0.002 percent, if atmospheric mass, increase temp w/ height

Threatened species

Species experiencing a decline in the number of individuals to the degree that a concern is raised about the possibility of extinction of that species.

Transform fault

Break in the earth's crust where two plates slide past each other. This is another name for a strike-slip fault.

Tropopause

The boundary between the troposphere and stratosphere, characterized by an abrupt change in temperature lapse rate (temperatures decrease with height in the troposphere, but increase or remain constant with height in the stratosphere).

Troposphere

The lowermost portion of Earth's atmosphere and the one in which most weather phenomena occur. The greenhouse effect also occurs in the troposphere.

Upwelling

The movement of nutrient rich waters from the bottom of the ocean to the surface.