APES Unit 1: The Living World: Ecosystems

Individual

one organism

ex. elk

Population

group of individuals of same species

ex. elk herd

Community

all living organisms in an area

Ecosystem

all living and nonliving things in an area

ex. plants, animals, rocks, soil, air, water

Biome

plants and animals found in a given region (determined by climate)

ex. tropical forest

Competition

( —, —)

organisms fighting over a resource; limits population size

Predation/Parasitism

(+, —)

one organism using another for energy source

Mutualism

(+,+)

relationship that benefits both organisms

ex. coral reef

Commensalism

(+, 0)

relationship that benefits one organism and doesn’t impact the other

ex. bird nest in tree

Herbivores

eats plants for energy

True Predators

kill and eat prey for energy

Parasites

use a host organism for energy, often w/o killing the host and living inside the host

Symbiosis

any close and long-term interaction between two organisms of different species

ex. mutualism, commensalism

Resource Partitioning

different species using the same resource in different ways to reduce competition

Temporal Partitioning

using resource at different times

Spatial Partitioning

using different areas of a shared habitat

Morphological Partitioning

using different resources based on different evolved body features

Salinity

how much salt there is an a body of water

Littoral

shallow water with emergent plants

Limnetic

where light can reach (photosynthesis), no rooted plants

Profundal

too deep for sunlight

Benthic

bottom where inverts live, nutrient rich sediments

Wetland

area with soil submerged/saturated in water for at least part of the year but shallow enough for emergent plants

Estuary

area where rivers empty into ocean, mix of fresh and saltwater

Mangroves

estuary habitat along coast of tropical climates, mangrove trees stabilize and provide habitat

Carbon Sink/Reservoir

reservoir that TAKES IN more carbon than it releases

ex. ocean, plants, soil

Carbon Source

reservoir that RELEASES more carbon than it takes in

ex. fossil fuel combustion, deforestation

Photosynthesis

6H₂O + 6CO₂ ———> C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂

removes CO2 from the atmosphere and converts it to glucose

Respiration

uses O2 to break glucose down and release energy

10% Rule

in a trophic pyramid, only about 10% of energy from one level makes it to the next level; the other 90% is used by organisms and lost as heat

1st Law of Thermodynamics

energy is never created or destroyed

2nd Law of Thermodynamics

each time energy is transferred, some is lost as heat

Producers (plants)/Autotrophs

produce or convert sun’s light energy into chemical energy (glucose)

Primary consumers

animals that eat plants (herbivores)

Secondary Consumers

animals that eat primary consumers

(carnivores and omnivores)

Tertiary Consumer

animals that eat secondary consumers

(apex predators)

Ammonification

soil bacteria, microbes and decomposers converting waste and dead biomass into NH2 and returning it to soil

Assimiliation

plants and animals taking N in and incorporating it into their biomass

(plant roots take in NO3 or NH3 from soil and animals eat plants or other animals)

Biomass

the total quantity or weight of organisms in a given area

Coral Reef

warm shallow waters beyond the shoreline, most diverse marine biome on Earth

Coral Reef mutualistic relationship

Coral take CO2 out of ocean to create the reef and provide CO2 to algae

Algae live in reef and provide sugar (energy) to the coral through photosynthesis

Denitrification

conversion of soil N (NO3) into nitrous oxide (N2O) gas which returns to the atmosphere

Food Web

shows how matter and energy flow through an ecosystem from organism to organism

arrows indicate direction of energy flow/org. taking in energy

Gross Primary Productivity

the total amount of sun energy (light) that plants capture and convert to energy (glucose) through photosynthesis

Intertidal Zone

narrow band of coastline between high and low tide

Latitude

distance from equator

determines temperature and precipitation

Salt Marsh

estuary habitat along coast in temperate climates, breeding ground for fish and shellfish

Net Primary Productivity

the amount of energy (biomass) leftover for consumers after plants have used some for respiration

Nitrification

conversion of NH into nitrite (NO2) and nitrate (NO3) by soil bacteria

Nitrogen Fixation

process of N2 gas being converted into biologically available NH3 (ammonia) or NO3 (nitrate)

Open Ocean

so large that algae and phytoplankton of ocean produce a lot of Earth’s O2 and absorb a lot of atmospheric CO2

Salinity

how much salt there is in a body of water

Transpiration

process plants use to draw groundwater from roots up to their leaves

Aerobic Respiration

the process by which cells convert glucose and O2 into energy, CO2, and H2O

Anaerobic Respiration

the process by which cells convert glucose into energy in the absence of O2

Trophic Levels

the successive levels of organisms consuming one another

Scavengers

organisms that consume dead animals

Detritivore

an organism that specializes in breaking down dead tissues and waste products into smaller particles

Decomposer

fungi and bacteria that convert organic matter into small elements and molecules that can be recycled back into the ecosystem

Trophic Pyramaid

a representation of the distribution of biomass, numbers, or energy among trophic levels

Ecological Efficiency

proportion of consumed energy that can be passed from one trophic level to the next