AP Environmental Science- Chapter 6 Vocab

Abiotic

Non-living

Arithmetic Growth

The situation where a population increases by a constant number of organisms in each period being analyzed.

Biotic

Pertaining to life; environmental factors created by living organisms

Biotic Potential

The maximum reproductive rate of an organism, given unlimited resources and ideal environment conditions

carrying capacity

The maximum number of of individuals of any species that can be supported by a particular ecosystem on a long-term basis.

Catastrophic System

Dynamic systems that jump abruptly from one seemingly steady state to another without any intermediate stages.

Chaotic Systems

Systems that exhibit variability, which may not be necessarily random, yet whose complex patterns are not discernible over a normal human time scale.

Dieback/Population Crash

a sudden population decline

Emigration

The outward movement of members from a population

Environmental Resistance

All the limiting factors that tend to reduce population growth rates and set the maximum allowable population size or carrying capacity of an ecosystem

Exponential/Geometric Growth

Growth at a constant rate of increasing per unit of time; can be expressed as a constant fraction or exponent

Fecundity

the physical ability to reproduce

Fertility

A measurement of actual number of offspring produced through sexual reproduction; usually described in terms of number of offspring of females, since paternity can be difficult to determine.

J-Curve

A J-shaped growth curve depicting exponential growth

life expectancy

the average age that individuals born in a particular time and place can be expected to attain

Life span

The longest duration of life reached by a type of organism

Logistic Growth

Growth rates regulated by internal and external factors that establish an equilibrium with environmental resources

Malthusian/Irruptive Growth

Growth defined by a sudden growth of a population of an organisms

Morbidity

Illness/disease

Mortality

Death rate in a population; probability of dying

Natality

The production of new individuals by birth, hatching, germination, or cloning

Neo-natal

Referring to newborn organisms

Population explosion

Growth of a population at exponential rates to a size that exceeds environmental carrying capacity; usually followed by a population crash

Overshoot

The extent to which a population exceeds the carrying capacity of its environment

Population momentum

A potential for increased population growth as young members reach reproductive age

S curve

An S-shaped curve that depicts logistic growth

Stress-related disease/stress

Diseases caused or accentuated by social stresses such as crowding

Shock

The uncertainty experienced physical and sociocultural changes in the environment

Survivorship

the percentage of a population reaching a given age or the proportion of the maximum life span of the species reached by an individual