apes units 0 and 1 terms

abiotic

non-living

biotic

living, once-lived

commensalism

in a relationship, one organism benefits, other is unaffected

parasitism

in a relationship, one organism benefits, the other is harmed

mutualism, symbiosis

in a relationship, both organisms benefit

ecology

the study of connections in nature between biotic and abiotic components

population

many individuals of the same species

community

many individuals of different species

ecosystem

both biotic and abiotic components in a habitat

resource partitioning

species avoid competition by dividing use of resources

control group

group that stays the same in an experiment

experimental group

group that is manipulated in an experiment

independent variable

variable that changes in an experiment

dependent variable

outcome in an experiment

Nitrogen Fixation

conversion of nitrogen gas (N₂) into ammonia (NH₃)

Nitrification

conversion of ammonia into nitrite (NO₂) and then nitrate (NO₃)

Assimilation

plants and/or animals incorporating nitrogen into their living tissues (ex: amino acids, DNA)

Denitrification

conversion of nitrate (NO₃) into nitrogen gas (N₂)

Ammonification

conversion of nitrogen from organic material into ammonia (NH₃) and then ammonium (NH₄)

producer

organisms that can produce their own energy through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis

consumer

organisms that can only obtain energy by eating other organisms

decomposer

breaks down organic matter into inorganic compounds (only bacteria and fungi)

detritivore

organisms that break down dead organisms and feces to smaller organic molecules (earthworms, starfish, pillbugs, flies)

photosynthesis

process of plants taking energy from the sun, water, and carbon dioxide and converting it to glucose and oxygen

groundwater

precipitation infiltrates the ground and is stored in soil and rock

aquifer

underground caverns and porous layers of sand, gravel, or bedrock through which groundwater flows

unconfined aquifer

has a permeable water table

confined aquifer

bounded above and below by less permeable beds of rock where water is confined under pressure

water table

the level below which the ground is saturated with water

10% rule

90% of energy is lost each transfer; 10% remains

terrestrial biomes characterized by:

temperature, precipitation, plant growth forms

aquatic biomes characterized by:

salinity, depth, water flow

reservoir

any place matter is stored

sink

reservoir that takes in more than it releases

source

reservoir that releases more than it absorbs

salinity

saltiness of water

what percent of the Earth’s water supply is available for human use?

0.02%

first law of thermodynamics

energy cannot be created or destroyed

second law of thermodynamics

energy quality will always decrease when it changes form

law of conservation of mass

for any closed system, mass must remain constant over time

kinetic energy

moving energy

potential energy

stored energy

nutrient

substance that provided nourishment essential for growth and maintenance of life

tragedy of the commons

when a group abuses a common resource, eventually depleting it so that it cannot return to its original power (the once-ler in the lorax with the truffula trees)

inductive reasoning

collecting facts, data

deductive reasoning

basic ‘truths’ connecting emotion to beliefs

DRY

dependent

responsive

y-axis

MIX

manipulated

independent

x-axis

null hypothesis

prediction that nothing will happen/prediction that two variables are not related

inference

educated guess based on existing facts + reasoning

controlled variable

variable kept constant in an experiment to ensure that only the independent variable affects the dependent variable, and no outside factors are impacting the experiment

constant

factor kept the same in an experiment to ensure that only the independent variable affects the dependent variable, and no outside factors are impacting the experiment

hypothesis

a research question based on existing facts but not yet proven (if…then…because…)

pseudoscience

claims that are presented as scientific but lack the scientific rigor to be considered scientific

scientific method

1) make observations

2) background info

3) form hypothesis

4) design experiment

5) gather/present data

6) analyze data/draw conclusions

7) submit for peer review

critical thinking

process of actively analyzing information that comes one’s way to form a clear argument or to make informed decisions

conclusion

summarizes experiment’s aim, results/findings, discusses limitations

error

difference between a measurement’s observed value and its true value, due to random chance, human mistakes, or anything in between

food chain

a specific example of energy transportation through animals in a food web

food web

a map of energy transfer through organisms in an ecosystem

positive feedback loop

any process that increases a change to a system

negative feedback loop

any process that decreases a change to a system

system

a set of components that function + interact with each other

quantitative data

information that can be expressed numerically, allowing mathematical analysts to test hypotheses and identify patterns

qualitative data

non-numerical, descriptive information that characterizes or explores behaviors and concepts rather than measuring them

sustainability

process of consuming resources in a way that doesn’t deplete the source for future generations

observation

something you can notice without question (objective)

repeated trials

when an experiment is conducted multiple times under the same or similar conditions to increase reliability and accuracy, and reduce random error

sample size

number of subjects included in a study

cellular respiration

process where cells break down food molecules (like glucose) and oxygen to release energy in the form of ATP