APES Vocab

Flashcards

Biotic

Living components of an ecosystem.

Abiotic

Non-living physical and chemical elements of an ecosystem.

10% Rule

Only about 10% of the energy at one trophic level is transferred to the next.

Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)

The total amount of solar energy captured by producers via photosynthesis.

Net Primary Productivity (NPP)

GPP minus the energy used by producers for respiration; the energy available to consumers.

Photosynthesis

Converts solar energy into chemical energy.

Cellular Respiration

Releases energy from food.

Carbon Cycle

The movement of carbon among the biosphere, pedosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere.

Nitrogen Cycle

The series of processes by which nitrogen and its compounds are interconverted in the environment.

Nitrogen Fixation

Atmospheric nitrogen (N₂) is converted into ammonia (NH₃) by bacteria or through lightning.

Nitrification

Ammonia is oxidized to nitrites (NO₂⁻) and then to nitrates (NO₃⁻), which plants can absorb.

Assimilation

Plants take up nitrates and incorporate them into organic molecules.

Ammonification

Decomposers convert organic nitrogen back into ammonia.

Denitrification

Nitrates are reduced back to nitrogen gas, returning it to the atmosphere.

Phosphorus Cycle

The movement of phosphorus through the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere.

Hydrologic Cycle

The continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth.

Limiting Nutrient

A nutrient required for the growth of an organism but available in a lower quantity than other nutrients.

Biomes

Large ecological areas on the Earth's surface, with flora and fauna adapting to their environment.

Tundra

Cold, low plants (mosses).

Taiga

Cold, coniferous trees (spruce).

Temperate Forest

Four seasons, deciduous trees (oak).

Grassland

Moderate rain, grasses.

Desert

Dry, cacti.

Tropical Rainforest

Warm, wet, dense trees.

Savanna

Warm, seasonal rain, grass & widely scattered trees.

Chaparral

Dry summers, wet winters, shrubs.

Island Biogeography

Larger islands and closer are more diverse and higher immigration/lower extinction. Smaller, further islands have less biodiversity since there are less resources

Ecological succession (primary / secondary)

The gradual change in living communities that follows a disturbance. Primary begins on bare rock; secondary follows a disturbance in an existing community.

Overshoot / Die-off

When a population exceeds the carrying capacity of its environment, leading to a sharp decline (die-off) due to limited resources.

r-selected

reproduce quickly with many offspring

K-selected

reproduce slowly with fewer offspring and more parental care.

Survivorship curves (Type I, II, III)

Graphs showing the likelihood of survival at different ages: Type I (most survive to old age), II (constant death rate), III (high death rate early).

Total fertility rate (TFR)

The average number of children a woman will have in her lifetime.

Infant mortality rate

The number of infant deaths (under age 1) per 1,000 live births.

Doubling time

The time required for a population to double in size, calculated as 70 divided by the growth rate (Rule of 70).

Demographic transition model

A model showing population change over time as a country develops economically, moving through four (sometimes five) stages.

Soil horizons (O, A, B, C)

Layers of soil: O (organic matter), A (topsoil), B (subsoil), C (parent material).

Watershed

An area of land that drains all precipitation to a common water outlet like a river or lake.

Coriolis Effect

The deflection of moving air and water due to Earth's rotation, affecting global wind patterns.

Normal Flow

Warm water flows from SA to Australia and gets subdued so the nutrient-full and cold upwelling happens in SA’s coast. Wet in Australia and dry in South America

Green Revolution

A period of increased agricultural production using high-yield crops, fertilizers, and pesticides.

Irrigation types (drip, flood, furrow, spray)

Methods to water crops—drip is most efficient; flood and furrow are less efficient and cause runoff.

Overfishing

Harvesting fish faster than they can reproduce, leading to population declines and ecosystem disruption.

Impervious surfaces

Surfaces like roads and rooftops that do not absorb water, increasing runoff and flood risk.

Sustainable agriculture

Farming methods like crop rotation and contour plowing that maintain soil health and long-term productivity

Fracking (hydraulic fracturing)

A method of extracting oil and natural gas by injecting high-pressure fluids into rock formations; increases fuel supply but can contaminate groundwater and trigger earthquakes.

Solar (passive / active)

Passive systems use building design to capture heat naturally (greenhouse effect); active systems use technologies like solar panels to convert sunlight into electricity.

Photovoltaic cells

Devices that convert sunlight directly into electricity using semiconductors, commonly used in solar panels.

Geothermal energy

Uses heat from within Earth to generate electricity or heat buildings; renewable and consistent but location-limited.

Cogeneration

The simultaneous production of electricity and useful heat from the same energy source, increasing overall energy efficiency.

Air pollutants (CO, NOx, SO2, PM, O3, lead)

Common harmful substances in the air including carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), particulate matter (PM), ground-level ozone (O3), and lead (Pb).

VOCs

Organic chemical that have a high vapor pressure at ordinary room temperature. (Acetone, Benzene, Ethylene Glycol, Formaldehyde, etc.)

Lead

metal that comes from old paint, gas, and mining. It affects nervous system and kidney damage. Bioaccumulates in food chains

Asbestos

A mineral once used in insulation; when inhaled, it can cause lung diseases including mesothelioma.

Oxygen sag curve

A graph showing how dissolved oxygen decreases downstream from a pollution source due to increased biological oxygen demand.

Sanitary landfill

A controlled landfill that uses liners and leachate collection to reduce environmental contamination.

Greenhouse effect / Greenhouse gases (GHGs)

The natural process where gases like CO₂, CH₄, N₂O, and O3 trap heat in Earth’s atmosphere; intensified by human emissions.

Global warming / Climate change

Long-term rise in Earth's temperature and changes in weather patterns due to increased greenhouse gases.

Carbon footprint

The total greenhouse gas emissions caused directly and indirectly by an individual, organization, or product.

Ozone depletion

Thinning of the ozone layer caused by CFCs and other chemicals, allowing more UV radiation to reach Earth.

CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons)

Man-made chemicals once used in refrigeration and aerosols that destroy ozone in the stratosphere.

Loss of biodiversity

The decline in the variety of life due to human impacts like habitat destruction, climate change, pollution, and invasive species

Invasive species

Non-native organisms that outcompete local species and disrupt ecosystems (lack predators)

Endangered species

Species at high risk of extinction in the near future due to declining populations or habitat loss.

Habitat fragmentation

The breaking up of large habitats into smaller, isolated patches, reducing the ability of species to survive and reproduce.

Kyoto Protocol / Paris Agreement

International agreements to limit greenhouse gas emissions and aim to combat climate change.

Clean Air Act

US law to control air pollution

Clean Water Act

US law regulating pollutant discharges in water

CITES

Protected endangered species by regulating international trade

CERCLA

Fund to clean up hazardous waste

Montreal Protocol

Phased out ozone-depleting substances

Endangered Species Act

Protected endangered species and their habitats from harm

SDWA

Set standards for safe drinking water

Delaney Clause

Prohibited carcinogenic food additives

RCRA

Managed hazardous/non-hazardous waste to protect human health/environment

El Nino

weakened trade winds, warm surface water shifts east toward SA so upwelling decreases.

SA: flooding, warmer

Australia: hotter, drier because of less warm waters that can evaporate and rain

US: wetter winters

La Nina

Same as normal but stronger trade winds toward Australia

Movement of the warm water current is closer to the Australian shoreline.

Enhanced upwelling in SA

SA: cooler, drier

Australia: warmer, wetter

US: south is hotter/drier, north is colder/wetter

Interspecific

competition between different species

Intraspecific

competition between the same species

Resource partitioning

Species competing for similar scarce resources evolve specialized traits that allow them to share the same resources

Coevolution

Changes in the gene pool of one species leads to changes in the gene pool of another to help control population growths of predator/prey species

Parasitism

a relationship where one organism benefits at the expense of another.

Mutualism

a symbiotic relationship where both species benefit from the interaction.

Commensalism

a relationship where one organism benefits while the other is neither helped nor harmed.

Layers of Freshwater Ecosystems

Littoral: lots of sun

Limnetic: depth that sunlight reaches and photosynthesis

Profundal: dak, low oxygen

Benthic: decomposition

Provisioning Benefits

are the products obtained from ecosystems, including food, fresh water, and raw materials.

Regulating Benefits

are the benefits that ecosystems provide by controlling natural processes, including climate regulation, water purification, and pest control

Supporting Benefits

are the services that maintain ecosystem functions, such as soil formation, nutrient cycling, and habitat provision for species.

Lichens

make acid that breaks down rock in primary succession

Composition of gases

78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen, stratosphere has ozone layer

Insolation

Solar radiation per unit area. Cancer on top, Capricorn on bottom

Rain shadow Effect

Moist ocean breezes pass across the ocean and hit the windward side of the mountain and rains to make vegetation. Hot and dry wind is still moving and as it rushes down leeward side, it makes arid and desert-like area

Mining

Overburden: removing the top layer of soil, rock, and other debris to access the underlying mineral resources

Spoils: unwanted rock produced when material is removed from the earth’s surface by mining

Ore: concentrated accumulation of minerals from which economically valuable materials can be extracted

Tailings: rock and other waste removed as impurities when waste mineral material is separated from the metal in an ore

Surface Mining

o   Open-pit mining: removing overburden to access ore deposits close to surface (cheaper)

o   Strip mining: land is cleared of vegetation/rocks and then dug out in strips (expensive)

o   Mountaintop removal: coal is extracted from a mountain by removing overburden and clearcutting forests

Integrated Pest Management

Biological: introduction of natural pest predators

o   Farm cat/dog, praying mantis, ladybugs

Physical: barriers that protect crops

o   Traps, tilling, screens, week blocker, fences

Chemical: poison that kills pests

o   Glyphosate, atrazine, DDT

o   Hurt non-target species

Hydrogen Fuel Cell

Combines hydrogen fuel and oxygen from the atmosphere to create electricity, Water vapor is the only emission from the fuel cell, expensive

Acid Rain

Burning fossil fuels emit nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide. They react with water vapor, oxygen, and others to make nitric acid which falls as acid rain

Carbon Oxide

carbon that is bonded to oxygen. Colorless and odorless.
Sources- Naturally exhaled during cellular respiration, given off during the burning of fossil fuels and the burning of biomass, impairs the action of photosynthesis in plants,etc.
Damage- Greenhouse gas that influences climate change.

Sulfur Dioxide

compounds that are made up of sulfur and oxygen.
Sources- Combustion of fossil fuels and some industrial processes, volcanoes and hot springs.
Damage- Can irritate lungs and tissue, can weaken buildings and harm plants when it becomes acid rain, produces a haze, etc.

Nitrogen Oxide

Compounds that are made up of Nitrogen and Oxygen
Sources- The burning of fossil fuels
Damage- Can create ground level ozone which can harm the lungs and other parts of the body, can harm plants, soil, buildings and water when it becomes acid rain.