Ap Environmental Science - Unit 1: Intro to Ecosystems

Symbiosis

the relationship between two species that live in close association with each other.

Commensalism

type of relationship between two living organisms in which one organism benefits from the other without harming it.

Mutualism

an interaction between two species that increases the chances of survival or reproduction for both species.

Parasitism

the relationship between two organisms wherein one organism, the parasite, thrives at the cost of the other, the host.

Inter - Specific

refers to interactions between species.

Intra - Specific

refers to interactions within the same species.

Resource Partitioning

process by which species coexist by utilizing different resources or using the same resource in different ways to reduce competition.

Biome

categorized by particular combinations of average annual temp and annual precipitation.

Limiting Factor

anything that constrains a population's size and slows or stops it from growing.

Range of tolerance

refers to the span of conditions (such as temperature, humidity, or light) within which an organism can survive and thrive.

Primary productivity

The rate at which energy is converted by photosynthetic and chemosynthetic autotrophs to organic substances in an ecosystem. It reflects the amount of biomass produced by plants and algae in a given area over a specific time period.

GPP

total amount of energy captured by autotrophs through photosynthesis in a given area and time period

NPP

energy left after autotrophs use some of GPP for respiration available for growth and consumption

Biomass

total mass of all living matter in a specific area

Standing Crop

total biomass of living organisms usually plants, present in a specific area at a given

Detritus, Detiritivore

organic matter such as dead plants and animals that has decomposed into small particles

1st Law of Thermodynamics

states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or transformed

2nd Laws of Thermodynamics

states that in any energy transfer or transformation, some energy is lost as heat, increasing the entropy (disorder) of a system.

IV

Changed or manipulated

DV

Measured or observed in response to changed in the IV

Control

Constant or unchanged element.