APES Semester 1

MEDC's

More Economically Developed Countries. Such as United States

LEDC's

Less Economically Developed Countries, such as Africa

Tragedy of the commons

The depletion of shared resources by groups or individuals despite the understanding that depletion of said resource is not in their long-term best interests.

Sustainability

The capacity to maintain, support, or endure

Renewable Resource

Any natural resource that can be replenished naturally with the passage of time

Non-renewable resource

a resource that is being used faster than it can be replaced

By-catch

unwanted marine creatures that are caught in nets while fishing for other species

Aquaculture

The farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, mollusks

Trawling

To fish with a trawl net

Long-line

A fishing technique that involves hooking bait throughout a long line in intervals.

Drift-nets

Plastic nets up to 40 miles long that entangle thousands of fish and other marine organisms.

Purse-seining

a large net in the shape of a purse that encloses a school of fish and closes at the bottom

Ecology

Study of organisms and their interactions with one another and their physical surroundings

Abiotic

non- living parts of the environment

Biotic

Living things

Levels of Organization (pg.48)

Atoms --\> Molecule --\> Cell --\> Tissue --\> Organ --\> Body System --\> Organism --\> Population --\> Community and Ecosystem --\> Landscape --\> Biosphere

Natural Selection

The process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce offspring.

Species

a group of organisms that reproduce and produce fertile offspring

Population

a group of the same species living in an area

Community

different species living together in a defined habitat with some degree of interdependence

Ecosystem

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

Biodiversity

The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem

Succession

change in the species structure of an ecological community over time

Zonation

categorization of biomes into zones based on distribution and arrangement in a habit as determined by environmental factors.

Seral Stages

The term used for each successional stage of an ecosystem from a disturbed unvegetated states to a climax plant community

Primary Succession

succession that beings with bare rock

Secondary Succession

An ecological succession that takes place after some disturbance destroys the existing vegetation

Symbiosis

An intimate relationship between two or more organisms of different species

Mutualism

a relationship between two species of organisms in which both benefit from the association

Parasitism

A symbiotic relationship where one organism (the parasite) benefits, and the other (the host) is adversely affected.

Commensalism

A relationship that is beneficial for one organism and neutral for the other

Interspecific Competition

competition for resources between different species

Intraspecific Competition

Competition for resources between members of the same species,

Niche

The role or function of an organism or species in an ecosystem

Habitat

The natural environment or home of an animal, plant or other organism.

Limiting Resource

A factor present in an environment that controls a process, particularly the growth, abundance or distribution of a population of organisms in an ecosystem.

range of tolerance

The range of conditions within which an organism can survive.

Keystone Species

A species that has a large effect on its environment relative to its abundance

Species Richness

Biological Diversity that encompasses the number of species in an area or community

Edge Effect

The ecological phenomenon in which ecotones between adjacent communities often have more kinds of species o greater population densities of certain species than either adjoining community

Emigration

when individual organisms leave an area, decreasing the size of the population

Immigration

when individual organisms enter a population thus increasing its size

Competitive Exclusion Principle

sometimes referred to as Gause's Law of competitive exclusion or just Gause's Law, states that two species that compete for the exact same resources cannot stably coexist.

Resource Partitioning

Where resources in an environment are limited, different species have evolved to "share" the specific resource, for example: large herbivores such as zebra and wildebeest will live together in herds in the Africa. They are both grazers, but feed on different parts of the grass plants. Space may also be shared in a similar way.

Indicator Species

An organism that provides an early warning of environmental damage

Native (indigenous Species)

A naturally occurring species with respect to a particular environment

Photosynthesis (equation)

6CO(2) + 6H(2)O + Energy --\> C(6)H(12)0(6) + 6O(2)

Respiration (equation)

C6H12O6 + 6O(2) \-----\> 6CO(2) + 6H(2)O + energy

First Law of Thermodynamics

Energy can be changed from one form to another, but it cannot be created or destroyed. The total amount of energy and matter in the Universe remains constant, merely changing from one form to another.

Second Law of Thermodynamics

In a closed system, usable energy is lost over time to heat, although the total amount of energy remains the same

Entropy

The measure of disorder in a system

Open systems

A system that continuously interacts with its environment.The interaction can take the form of energy, or matter which transfers into or out of the system.

Closed systems

A system where energy can be exchanged with the environment, but no matter is exchanged

Isolated systems

In an isolated system neither energy nor matter can flow into or out of the system

Autotrophs

An organism capable of creating its own energy via photosynthesis

Heterotrophs

Heterotroph: An organism that is incapable of producing its own food, and is dependent on complex organic material for nutrition.

Detrivores

an organism that consumes dead organisms

Saprotrophs

are decomposers. Heterotrophs that break down dead organic material and use the decomposition products to supply themselves with energy.

Trophic levels (terms)

each level in a food chain. example- all producers on the 1st trophic level, herbivores on the second and so on

Food Web

A system of interlocking and interdependent food chains.

Food Chain

A series of organisms each dependent on the next as a source of food.

Pyramid of energy

An ecological pyramid that represents the relative energy value at each trophic level

Pyramid of numbers

an ecological pyramid that shows the relative numbers of organisms found at each trophic level

Pyramid of biomass

an ecological pyramid that shows the amount of organic material at each trophic level

Assimilation

The processes of photosynthesis and the absorption of raw materials by which plants derive their nutrition.

Ammonification

the conversion of organic nitrogen to ammonium by the action of decomposers (bacteria).

Nitrification

the oxidation of the ammonium compounds in dead organic material into nitrites and nitrates by soil nitrobacteria, making nitrogen available to plants

Denitrification

Removing of nitrogen from soil or living organisms by denitrifying bacteria

Nitrogen Fixation

when atmospheric nitrogen is converted into a usable form of nitrogen either by nitrogen fixing bacteria or lightening

Polar Molecule

a molecule that has an uneven charge distribution, such as water

Non-polar molecule

molecule that has no positive or negative poles because electrons are distributed symmetrically and the charges cancel each other out.

Drainage Basin/Watershed

An area or region drained by a river, river system, or other body of water

Surface Water

fresh water found Earth's surface in streams and rivers, lakes, ponds, reservoirs, and wetlands.

Water Table

The upper surface of the saturated zone of groundwater. Between the zone of aeration and the zone of saturation

Flood Plain

The area around a body of water which may at times be under water and may at other times be dry land, depending on the level of the water in the lake, river, pond, etc.

Subsidence

The gradual caving in or sinking of an area of land.

Saltwater Intrusion

Occurs in costal areas when freshwater sources are used faster than they can be replenished, resulting in salt water contamination of water sources like wells.

Potable Water (not in book)

Water that is safe to drink.

Endocrine Disprutors

A substance that disrupts or alters the hormonal systems in the body causing widespread effects throughout the organism. These effects can be observed at extremely low doses.

Point Source Pollution

A point source pollutant is a single identifiable localized source of pollution, ex. a city sewage pipe entering a river

Non-Point Source Pollution

when the source of the pollution is hard to identify, such as agricultural run-off

Eutrophic

rich in organic and mineral nutrients and supporting an abundant plant life

Oligiotrophic

A lake lacking in plant nutrients and having a large amount of dissolved Oxygen

Watershed

area of land where all of the water that is under it or drains off of it goes into the same place.

Contour Line

the joining points of equal elevation on a surface

Confined Aquifer

an aquifer that is covered by an impermeable layer, so the recharge area is not directly above, it is a farther away source

Unconfined Aquifer

Aquifers in which ground water seeps directly into the aquifer. Usually larger than confined aquifers.

Permeable

Penetrable. Having pores or openings that permit liquids or gases to pass through.

Water Table

The level below which the ground is saturated with water in an unconfined aquifer. Between the zone of aeration and the zone of saturation.

Zone of Aeration

area of the ground that contains both water and air, not completely saturated

Zone of Saturation

area under the water table where the rock or soil is completely saturated in water

Cone of depression

occurs in an aquifer when groundwater is pumped from a well.

Dead Zone

hypoxia--low oxygenated areas--in bodies of water caused by human pollution

Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD)

The amount of oxygen required by aerobic microorganisms to decompose the organic matter in a sample of water, such as that polluted by sewage. It is used as a measure of the degree of water pollution

Marsh

An area of soft, wet, low-lying land, characterized by grassy vegetation and often forming a transition zone between water and land.

Swamp

A forested wetland, partially covered with water.

Estuary

A coastal body of water that connects to the ocean in which fresh water from a river mixes with saltwater from the ocean

Delta

a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river, where the river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, or reservoir

Headwaters

the furthest spot in a river or stream from its estuary or confluence with another river, as measured along the course of the river

Nekton

Collection of organisms that can swim freely and are independent of currents, they can be microscopic organisms or even whales.