APES (fixed kinda)

Abiotic

Non-living physical and chemical elements in the ecosystem (e.g., sunlight, water, soil)

Acid

A substance that releases hydrogen ions (H^+) in solution, having a pH less than 7

Acid deposition

The falling of acids and acid-forming compounds from the atmosphere to the earth's surface (acid rain, snow, fog)

Acid rain

Rainfall made sufficiently acidic by atmospheric pollution (primarily sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides)

Acidic solution

Any solution where the concentration of hydrogen ions is greater than the concentration of hydroxide ions

Adaptation

A heritable trait that enables an organism to survive and reproduce better under prevailing environmental conditions

Adaptive radiation

The diversification of a group of organisms into forms filling different ecological niches

Advanced sewage treatment

Specialized chemical and physical processes (Tertiary) that reduce specific pollutants left after primary and secondary treatment

Aerobic respiration

The process of producing cellular energy involving oxygen

Affluenza

The unsustainable addiction to overconsumption and materialism exhibited by affluent consumers

Age structure

The distribution of individuals of different ages in a population (pre-reproductive, reproductive, post-reproductive)

Agricultural revolution

The transition from hunting and gathering to farming that occurred roughly 10,000 years ago

Agroforestry

Planting trees and crops together to improve soil fertility and provide shade

Air pollution

One or more chemicals in high enough concentrations in the air to harm organisms or materials

Albedo

The ability of a surface to reflect light (Ice has high albedo; asphalt has low)

Alley cropping

Planting crops in strips between rows of trees or shrubs

Altitude

Height above sea level

Anaerobic respiration

Form of cellular respiration in which some organisms provide energy without using oxygen

Ancient forest

An uncut or regenerated forest that has not been seriously disturbed by human activities or natural disasters for 200 years or more

Anthropocentric

Human-centered; the belief that humans are the most important element of existence

Aquaculture

Growing and harvesting of fish and shellfish for food in confined areas (fish farming)

Aquatic life zone

Marine and freshwater portions of the biosphere that can support life

Aquifer

Porous, water-saturated layers of sand, gravel, or bedrock that can yield an economically significant amount of water

Arable land

Land that can be cultivated to grow crops

Area strip mining

Type of surface mining used where the terrain is flat; an earthmover strips away overburden and a power shovel digs a cut to remove the mineral

Arid

Very dry; having very little rainfall

Artificial selection

Process by which humans breed other animals and plants for particular traits

Atmosphere

The whole mass of air surrounding the earth

Atmospheric pressure

Force or mass per unit area of air, caused by the bombardment of a surface by air molecules

Autotroph

Organism that uses solar or chemical energy to manufacture the organic compounds it needs (Producer)

Background extinction

Normal extinction of various species as a result of changes in local environmental conditions

Bacteria

Prokaryotic, one-celled organisms; some are decomposers, some cause disease

Barrier islands

Long, thin, low-offshore islands of sediment that generally run parallel to the shore

Benthos

Bottom-dwelling organisms (e

g

, oysters, clams, lobsters)

Biocentric

Life-centered; the belief that all forms of life have inherent value

Biodegradable

Capable of being broken down by decomposers

Biodiversity

The variety of different species, genetic variability among individuals, and variety of ecosystems

Biogeochemical cycle

Natural processes that recycle nutrients in various chemical forms from the nonliving environment to living organisms and back (e

g

, Carbon cycle)

Biological community

Populations of all species living and interacting in an area at a particular time

Biological diversity

See Biodiversity

Biological evolution

Change in the genetic makeup of a population of a species in successive generations

Biological oxygen demand (BOD)

Amount of dissolved oxygen needed by aerobic decomposers to break down organic materials in a given volume of water

Biomass

Organic matter produced by plants and other photosynthetic producers; total dry weight of all living organisms in a trophic level

Biome

Terrestrial regions inhabited by certain types of life, especially vegetation (e

g

, Deserts, Grasslands)

Biosphere

Zone of earth where life is found (includes atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere)

Biotic

Living organisms

Biotic pollution

Harmful ecological and economic effects from the presence of invasive/non-native species

Biotic potential

Maximum rate at which the population of a given species can increase when there are no limits on its rate of growth

Birth rate

Number of live births per 1,000 people in a population in a given year

Bitumen

Gooey, black, high-sulfur, heavy oil extracted from tar sand

Breeder nuclear fission reactor

Nuclear reactor that produces more nuclear fuel than it consumes by converting non-fissionable uranium into fissionable plutonium

Broadleaf deciduous plants

Plants such as oak and maple that survive drought and cold by shedding their leaves

Broadleaf evergreen plants

Plants that keep most of their broad leaves year-round (e

g

, tropical rain forest trees)

Buffer

Substance that can react with hydrogen ions ($H^+$) or hydroxide ions ($OH^-$) to keep the pH of a solution relatively constant

Calorie

Unit of energy; amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius

Carbon cycle

Cyclic movement of carbon in different chemical forms from the environment to organisms and back

Carbon oxides

Carbon monoxide ($CO$) and carbon dioxide ($CO_2$); primary air pollutants

Carnivore

Animal that feeds on other animals

Carrying capacity (K)

Maximum population of a particular species that a given habitat can support over time

Chain reaction

Multiple nuclear fissions taking place within the critical mass of a reactive metal

Chemical evolution

Formation of the first complex organic molecules from inorganic compounds in the earth's oceans

Chemosynthesis

Process in which certain organisms (mostly bacteria) use chemical energy to produce carbohydrates

Chronic undernutrition

Condition where people cannot grow or buy enough food to meet their basic energy needs

Clear-cutting

Method of timber harvesting in which all trees in a forested area are removed in a single cutting

Climate

Physical properties of the troposphere based on records of temperature and precipitation over long periods (at least 30 years)

Coal

Solid, combustible mixture of organic compounds with 30-98% carbon by weight

Coal gasification

Conversion of solid coal to synthetic natural gas (SNG)

Coal liquefaction

Conversion of solid coal to a liquid hydrocarbon fuel

Coastal wetland

Land along a coastline, extending inland from an estuary, covered with salt water all or part of the year (e

g

, Salt marshes)

Coastal zone

Warm, nutrient-rich, shallow part of the ocean that extends from the high-tide mark on land to the edge of the continental shelf

Coevolution

Evolution in which two or more species interact and exert selective pressures on each other

Cold front

Leading edge of an advancing mass of relatively cold air

Commercial extinction

Depletion of the population of a wild species used as a resource to a level at which it is no longer profitable to harvest them

Commercial inorganic fertilizer

Commercially prepared mixture of plant nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium

Community

See Biological Community

Compost

Partially decomposed organic plant and animal matter used as a soil conditioner or fertilizer

Condensation nuclei

Tiny particles on which droplets of water vapor can collect

Coniferous evergreen plants

Cone-bearing plants (like pines) that keep some of their needles year-round

Coniferous trees

Cone-bearing trees, mostly evergreens, that have needle-shaped or scale-like leaves

Conservation

Sensible and careful use of natural resources by humans

Conservation biology

Multidisciplinary science created to deal with the crisis of maintaining the genes, species, and ecosystems that make up earth's biological diversity

Conservationist

Person who believes that resources should be used and managed sustainably for human benefit

Conservation-tillage farming

Crop cultivation in which the soil is disturbed little or not at all (e

g

, no-till)

Consumer

Organism that cannot synthesize the organic nutrients it needs and gets its organic nutrients by feeding on the tissues of producers or other consumers (Heterotroph)

Contour farming

Plowing and planting across the changing slope of land, rather than in straight lines, to help retain water and reduce soil erosion

Contour strip mining

Used on hilly or mountainous terrain; a power shovel cuts a series of terraces into the side of a hill to remove minerals

Controlled burning

Deliberately set, low-intensity fire that checks the progress of larger fires and clears out underbrush

Conventional-tillage farming

Making a planting surface by plowing land and then breaking up the exposed soil