AP Environmental Science - Key Vocabulary

A compilation of key vocabulary terms and their definitions that are crucial for understanding AP Environmental Science topics.

Ecosystem

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

Terrestrial Biomes

Land-based ecosystems characterized by distinct climates, vegetation types, and animal species.

Aquatic Biomes

Water-based ecosystems including freshwater and marine environments.

Primary Productivity

The rate at which energy is converted by photosynthetic and chemosynthetic autotrophs to organic substances.

Trophic Levels

The hierarchical levels in an ecosystem, comprising producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, and so on.

R-selected species

Species that produce many offspring with relatively lower chances of survival.

K-selected species

Species that produce fewer offspring but with a higher likelihood of survival due to parental care.

Carrying Capacity

The maximum number of individuals of a species that an environment can sustain indefinitely.

Demographic Transition

The transition from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates as a country develops.

Plate Tectonics

The theory that describes the large-scale motion of Earth's lithosphere and its impact on geological formations.

Soil Formation

The process by which soil is developed from the weathering of parent material, including organic and inorganic matter.

Coriolis Effect

The deflection of moving objects, such as air currents, caused by Earth's rotation.

Watershed

An area of land that drains all precipitation and surface water to a common body of water.

El Niño

A climate pattern characterized by the warming of surface waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Green Revolution

A period of agricultural transformation that increased food production worldwide.

Sustainable Agriculture

Farming practices that maintain the health of the environment and include the use of natural processes.

Photochemical Smog

Air pollution that results from the reaction of sunlight with pollutants such as volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides.

Eutrophication

The over-enrichment of water bodies with nutrients, leading to excessive plant growth and oxygen depletion.

Bioaccumulation

The accumulation of substances, such as pesticides, in an organism.

Global Climate Change

Long-term alteration of temperature and typical weather patterns in a place.

Invasive Species

Non-native species that spread widely in a new habitat and cause harm to the environment.

Endangered Species

A species at risk of extinction due to a drastic decrease in population.