APES Unit 1 The Living World: Ecosystems

Primary productivity

rate at which organic matter is created by producers in an ecosystem

GPP (gross primary productivity)

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

NPP

(Net Primary Productivity): the energy captured by producers in an ecosystem minus the energy producers respire

Trophic levels

The hierarchical levels of the food chain through which energy flows from primary producers to primary consumers, secondary consumers and so on.

Conservation of matter

the principle stating that matter is not created or destroyed during a chemical reaction

Omnivore

A consumer that eats both plants and animals

Carnivore

A consumer that eats only animals.

Herbivore

A consumer that eats only plants.

First law of thermodynamics

Energy can be transferred and transformed, but it cannot be created or destroyed.

second law of thermodynamics

when energy is changed from one form to another, some useful energy is always degraded into lower quality energy (usually heat)

Energy pyramid

Shows the amount of energy that moves from one feeding level to another in a food web

10% rule

Only 10% of the total energy produced at each trophic level is available to the next level. The amount of energy passed up to the levels of the food pyramid reduces as you go up.

Food chain

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

Food web

a system of interlocking and interdependent food chains.

producers (autotrophs)

Organisms that make their own food

Primary consumers

animals that feed on producers; ex. herbivores

secondary consumers

carnivores that eat herbivores

tertiary consumers

carnivores that eat secondary consumers

heterotrophs

An organism that obtains organic food molecules by eating other organisms or their by-products.

Organic

of, relating to, or derived from living matter, contains carbon

Carbon cycle

The organic circulation of carbon from the atmosphere into organisms and back again

Carbon sinks

places such as forests, ocean sediments, and soil, where accumulated carbon does not readily reenter the carbon cycle

Photosynthesis

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

Phytoplankton

Microscopic, free-floating, autotrophic organisms that function as producers in aquatic ecosystems

Cellular respiration

Process that releases energy by breaking down glucose and other food molecules in the presence of oxygen, releases CO2

Decomposition

A chemical reaction that breaks down compounds into simpler products.

Decomposer

An organism that breaks down wastes and dead organisms

Detritivore

organism that feeds on plant and animal remains and other dead matter

Nitrogen cycle

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

Nitrification

Conversion of ammonia (NH4+) into nitrite (NO2-) and then into nitrate (NO3-)

Nitrogen fixation

process of converting nitrogen gas (N2) in the atmosphere into nitrogen compounds that plants can be absorbed and used

Ammonification

fungal and bacterial decomposers use nitrogen-containing wastes and dead bodies as a food source and excrete ammonium (NH4+)

Denitrification

process by which bacteria convert nitrates (NO3-) into nitrogen gas (N2)

Impervious surfaces

surfaces that don't absorb water ex. roads, sidewalks, houses / buildings

Leaching

removal of dissolved materials from soil by water moving downwards

Assimilation

The process by which producers incorporate elements of nitrogen into their tissues.

Phosphorous cycle

The movement of phosphorous atoms from rocks through the biosphere and hydrosphere and back to rocks.

Phosphorus sinks

- Rocks and minerals

- Long-lived vegetation

Hydrologic cycle

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

Groundwater

water held underground in the soil or in pores and crevices in rock.

Condensation

The change of state from a gas to a liquid (forms clouds)

Precipitation

Any form of water that falls from clouds and reaches Earth's surface.

Runoff

water that flows over the ground surface rather than soaking into the ground

Evaporation

The change of a substance from a liquid to a gas

Infiltration

the process by which water on the surface enters the soil

Transpiration

Evaporation of water from the leaves of a plant

Percolation

The downward movement of water through soil and rock due to gravity.

Symbiosis

A relationship in which two different organisms live in close association with each other

Ecosystem

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

Mutualism

A relationship between two species in which both species benefit

Parasitism

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

Interspecific competition

competition between members of different species

Intraspecific competition

Competition among members of the same species

Competition

A common demand by two or more organisms upon a limited supply of a resource; for example, food, water, light, space, mates, nesting sites. It may be intraspecific or interspecific.

Resource partitioning

The division of environmental resources by coexisting species such that the niche of each species differs by one or more significant factors from the niches of all coexisting species

Limiting factors

Conditions in the environment that put limits on where an organism can live

Ecological niches

the role an organism plays in its environment

Fundamental niche

The niche species could potentially occupy.

Realized niche

The niche species actually occupies.

Competitive exclusion

Strong competition can lead to local elimination of one of the species.

biome

A group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical organisms

Weather

The condition of Earth's atmosphere at a particular time and place.

Climate

The average weather conditions in an area over a long period of time

Taiga (boreal forest, northern coniferous forest)

biome with long cold winters and a few months of warm weather; dominated by coniferous evergreens; also called boreal forest

Tundra

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

Temperate rainforest

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

Tropical rainforests

Near the equator. Warm with lots of precipitation. Little seasonal temperature variation. Most diverse biome.

Shrubland (chaparral)

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 grasslands

dominated by grasses, trees and large shrubs are absent. Temperatures vary more from summer to winter, and the amount of rainfall is less than in savannas. Temperate grasslands have hot summers and cold winters. Occur in South Africa, Hungary, Argentina, the steppes of the former Soviet Union, and the plains and prairies of central North America.

Savanna/ Tropical Seasonal Forest

a grassy plain in tropical and subtropical regions, with few trees.

temperate seasonal forest

A biome with warmer summers and colder winters than temperate rainforests and dominated by deciduous trees.

Desert

An extremely dry (arid) area with little water and few plants

Latitude

distance north or south of the Equator, measured in degrees

Altitude

Elevation (height) above sea level

Permafrost

permanently frozen layer of soil beneath the surface of the ground

Climatographs

Chart that is used to better understand climate by looking at the average temperature and precipitation

Biotic

Describes living factors in the environment.

Abiotic

Describes non-living factors in the environment

streams

a small, narrow river.

rivers

a large natural stream of water flowing in a channel to the sea, a lake, or another such stream.

ponds

Bodies of fresh water (shallow, allows sunlight to go all the way through the water and makes plants grow)

lakes

A body of water that is surrounded by land it can be fresh water or salt water.

benthic zone

bottom of an aquatic ecosystem; consists of sand and sediment and supports its own community of organisms

oceans

the largest of all the ecosystems. The ocean regions are separated into separate zones: intertidal, pelagic, abyssal, and benthic. All four zones have a great diversity of species.

coral reefs

Prominent oceanic features composed of hard, limy skeletons produced by coral animals; usually formed along edges of shallow, submerged ocean banks or along shelves in warm, shallow, tropical seas

marshlands

Consisting of low lying wetlands ; areas that typically stay flooded/waterlogged. Swamp or bog.

estuaries

the tidal mouth of a large river, where the tide meets the stream.

Algae

a very simple plant without stems or leaves that grows in or near water.

Salinity

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

mangrove swamps

A swamp that occurs along tropical and subtropical coasts, and contains salt-tolerant trees with roots submerged in water.

Littoral zone

the shallow zone of soil and water in lakes and ponds where most algae and emergent plants grow

Limnetic zone

a zone of open water in lakes and ponds

profundal zone

zone in a freshwater habitat that is below the limits of effective light penetration

intertidal zone

Portion of the shoreline that lies between the high and low tide lines

photic zone (ocean)

the zone that receives enough light to allow photosynthesis to occur

aphotic zone (ocean)

where little or no light reaches in the ocean