Unit 1: The Living World: Ecosystems APES

Biotic - 1.1

Describes living factors in the environment.

intraspecific competition - 1.1

competition between members of the same species

interspecific competition - 1.1

competition between members of different species

Abiotic - 1.1

describes nonliving factors in the environment

predator-prey relationship - 1.1

mechanism of population control in which a population is regulated by predation

Symbiosis - 1.1

a close, long-term relationship between two species that usually involves an exchange of food, habitat, or energy

Mutualism - 1.1

A relationship between two species in which both species benefit

Commensalism - 1.1

A relationship between two organisms in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected

Parasitism - 1.1

A relationship between two organisms of different species where one benefits and the other is harmed

competition - 1.1

the struggle between organisms to survive in a habitat with limited resources

resource partitioning - 1.1

the differentiation of niches that enables similar species to coexist in a community by using and acquiring the resources differently

terrestrial - 1.2

relating to the land

Biome - 1.2

contains characteristic communities of plants and animals that result from, and are adapted to, its climate

adaptation - 1.2

A characteristic that improves an individual's ability to survive and reproduce in a particular environment.

Taiga (Boreal Forest) - 1.2

Has a short growing season, the soil quality is poor, the biodiversity is low, has conifers such a cedar, spruce, pine, and fir; it has insects, birds mainly in the summer, no amphibians or reptiles, and mammals such as rodents, rabbits, minks, raccoons, bears, and moose live there

Temperate rainforest - 1.2

The cool, dense, rainy forests of the northern Pacific coast; enshrouded in fog much of the time; dominated by large conifers

Temperate Seasonal Forest - 1.2

A biome with warm summers and cold winters with over 1 m (39 inches) of precipitation annually.

tropical rainforest - 1.2

Forests in which rainfall is abundant - more that 200 cm (80 in) per year - and temperatures are warm or hot year-round; poor soil

Shrubland (Chaparral) - 1.2

Found along the California coast and the coast of the Mediterranean sea. Characterized by hot summers and mild, rainy winters. Dominated by fire-tolerant shrubs.

temperate grassland - 1.2

biome characterized by deep, nutrient-rich soil that supports many grass species

desert - 1.2

An extremely dry area with little water and few plants

Tundra - 1.2

a vast, flat, treeless Arctic region of Europe, Asia, and North America in which the subsoil is permanently frozen.

freshwater biome - 1.3

Aquatic biomes that include lakes, streams, rivers and ponds. Salt concentration of less than 1%.

nonmineral terrestrial natural resources - 1.2

examples include water and trees for lumber, varies because of some combination of climate, geography, latitude and altitude, nutrient availability, and soil

marine biome - 1.3

covers 70% of earth's surface; largest biome; temperatures vary from region to region; algae and plankton form the base of the food chain; has a higher salinity then freshwater biomes

Algae - 1.3

protists that convert the sun's energy into food through photosynthesis

Nonmineral Marine Natural Resources - 1.3

examples include different types of fish, varies because of combination of salinity, depth, turbidity, nutrient availability, and temperature.

Salinity - 1.3

A measure of the amount of dissolved salts in a given amount of liquid

Turbidity - 1.3

A measure of how clear water is.

carbon cycle - 1.4

the movement of carbon from the nonliving environment into living things and back

carbon source -1.4

Anything that releases more carbon than it absorbs

carbon sink - 1.4

a forest, ocean, or other natural environment viewed in terms of its ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Carbon Reservoir - 1.4

A natural feature, such as a rock, a pinch of soil, or an organism, that stores carbon-containing molecules and exchanges them with other carbon reservoirs.

Photosynthesis - 1.4

Plants use the sun's energy to convert water and carbon dioxide into sugars

cellular respiration - 1.4

Process that releases energy by breaking down glucose and other food molecules in the presence of oxygen

Decomposition - 1.4

the state or process of rotting; decay.

fossil fuels (in relation to carbon cycle) - 1.4

burning of fossil fuels quickly moves stored carbon into atmospheric carbon, in the form of carbon dioxide. fossil fuels are from the remains of plants and animals that have fossilized over a VERY long period of time.

Nitrogen Cycle - 1.5

The transfer of nitrogen from the atmosphere to the soil, to living organisms, and back to the atmosphere

Nitrogen Cycle Reservoir - 1.5

The atmosphere is the major reservoir of nitrogen

Most of the reservoirs in which nitrogen compounds occur in the nitrogen cycle hold those compounds for a relatively short period of time.

nitrogen fixation - 1.5

the process in which atmospheric nitrogen is converted into a form of nitrogen (primarily ammonia) that is available for uptake by plants and that can be synthesized into plant tissue

uptake - 1.5

absorption of a material

synthesized - 1.5

To combine or produce more than one thing to create one

phosphorus cycle - 1.6

the cyclic movement of phosphorus in different chemical forms from the environment to organisms and then back to the environment

phosphorus major reservoirs - 1.6

Rock and sediments that contain phosphorus-bearing minerals

limiting factor - 1.6

Any biotic or abiotic factor that restricts the existence, numbers, reproduction, or distribution of organisms.

How is the phosphorus cycle different than the other cycles? - 1.6

There is no atmospheric component in the phosphorus cycle, and the limitations this imposes on the return of phosphorus from the ocean to land make phosphorus naturally scarce in aquatic and many terrestrial ecosystems.

hydrologic cycle - 1.7

The cycle through which water in the hydrosphere moves; includes such processes as evaporation, precipitation, and surface and groundwater runoff

What powers the hydrologic cycle? - 1.7

sun

Primary reservoir for hydrologic cycle - 1.7

The oceans are the primary reservoir of water at the Earth's surface, with ice caps and groundwater acting as much smaller reservoirs

primary productivity - 1.8

the rate at which solar energy (sunlight) is converted into organic compounds via photosynthesis over a unit of time

organic compounds - 1.8

carbon-based molecules

Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) - 1.8

The total amount of solar energy that producers in an ecosystem capture via photosynthesis over a given amount of time

Net Primary Productivity (NPP) - 1.8

The energy captured by producers in an ecosystem minus the energy producers respire

How is productivity measured? - 1.8

Productivity is measured in units of energy per unit area per unit time (e.g., kcal/m2/yr)

What happens to aquatic photosynthesizers? - 1.8

Most red light is absorbed in the upper 1m of water, and blue light only penetrates deeper than 100m in the clearest water. This affects photosynthesis in aquatic ecosystems, whose photosynthesizers have adapted mechanisms to address the lack of visible light.

trophic level 1.9

Each step in a food chain or food web

conservation of matter 1.9

the principle stating that matter is not created or destroyed during a chemical reaction; applies to biogeochemical cycles

The 10% Rule 1.10

The 10% rule approximates that in the transfer of energy from one trophic level to the next, only about 10% of the energy is passed on.

food chain 1.11

A series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten

food web 1.11

A community of organisms where there are several interrelated food chains

positive feedback loop 1.11

Causes a system to change further in the same direction.

negative feedback loop 1.11

A feedback loop that causes a system to change in the opposite direction from which it is moving

Bioaccumulation 8.8

The accumulation of a substance, such as a toxic chemical, in various tissues of a living organism.

Biomagnification 8.8

accumulation of pollutants at successive levels of the food chain

persistent organic pollutants (POPs) 8.8

Chemical compounds that persist in the environment and retain biological activity for a long time.

DDT 8.8

A powerful insecticide that is also poisonous to humans and animals

Mercury

A toxic chemical that harms aquatic life

PCBs 8.8

synthetic chemicals containing chlorine that are used in the manufacture of plastics and other industrial products, become stored in the tissue of animals, and also persist in the environment