AP Environmental Science Flashcards 1

AP Environmental Science Review vocabulary

Environment

all living and nonliving things around us

Ecosystem Services

normal functioning of natural systems, not meant for our benefit but we couldn’t live without them

Ecological Footprint

area of productive land it would take to provide for 1 person

Paradigm Shift

when one dominant view is changed for another

Speciation

the evolutionary process by which new biological species arise.

Allopatric Speciation

two populations are separated geographically, causing them to evolve separately

Fundamental Niche

the full niche of a species

Realized Niche

when a species only fills part of their niche due to competition

Novel Community

a community with no known precedent in nature

Symbiosis

species with a physically close association

Plankton

tiny floating organisms … CARRIED BY CURRENTS

Nekton

tiny ocean organisms, strong swimmers… MOVE INDEPENDENTLY OF CURRENT

Lotic Ecosystem

an ecosystem with flowing water, depth varies over time

Lentic Ecosystem

an ecosystem with still water, little or no flow

O Horizon

soil layer with mostly organic matter, top layer

B Horizon

subsoil layer (where leaching occurs)

Leaching

chemcials in upper soil layers are dissolved and carried to lower layers (happens in B horizon)

J Curve

population curve where the population increases at a constant rate

S Curve

population curve where the population slows down as carrying capacity is reached

Thermal Inversion

cool air mass trapped near surface, pollutants like smog PM and NOx trapped near earth

Positive Feedback Loop

the feedback loop that promotes global warming

Negative Feedback Loop

the feedback loop that does not contribute to global warming

Point Source

pollution that can be traced to specific source

Non-point Source

Pollution with a source that is unidentifiable

Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)

All energy absorbed by Producers

Net Primary Productivity (NPP)

Energy available to the next trophic level
Is difference b/t gross primary productivity & cellular respiration

Biotic

living

Abiotic

nonliving

Producer / Autotroph

Organisms that perform photosynthesis

First level of food chain / web

Heterotroph / Consumer

Organisms that must eat other organisms for energy

Bioaccumulation

buildup of chemical within bodies of organisms

Biomagnification

occurs when toxic substances that are present in small amounts in organisms low in food chain are concentrated in larger amounts in organisms high in the chain