APES Unit 1 Vocab (Ch 1, 3, 4)

environment

the sum of all the conditions surrounding us that influence life

environmental science

the field of study that looks at interactions among human systems and those found in nature

ecosystem

a particular location on earth with interacting biotic and abiotic components

biotic

living

abiotic

nonliving

environmentlism

a social movement that seeks to protect the environment through lobbying, activism, and education

environmental studies

the field of study that includes environmental science and additional subjects such as environmental policy, economics, literature, and ethics

ecosystem services

the processes by which life supporting resources such as clean water, timber, fisheries, and agricultural crops are produced

environmental indicator

an indicator that describes the current state of an environmental system

biodiversity

the diversity of life forms in an environment

genetic diversity

a measure of the genetic variation among individuals in a population

species

a group of organisms that is distinct from other groups in its morphology, behavior, or biochemical properties

species diversity

the number of species in a region or in a particular ecosystem

speciation

the evolution of a new species

background extinction rate

the average rate at which species become extinct over the long term

anthropogenic

derived from human activities

per capita

amount per each person in a country or unit of population

development

improvement in human well being through economic advancement

sustainability

living on earth in a way that allows humans to use its resources without depriving future generations of those resources

sustainable development

development that balances current human well being and economic advancement with resource management for the benefit of future generations

biophilia

love of life

ecological footprint

a measure of how much an individual consumes, expressed in area of land

scientific method

an objective method to explore the natural world, draw inferences from it, and predict the outcome of certain events, processes, or changes

hypothesis

a testable prediction about how something works

variable

any categories, conditions, factors, or traits that differ in the natural world orin experimental situations

independent variable

a variable that is not dependent on other factors

dependent variable

a variable that is dependent on other factors

null hypothesis

a prediction that there is no difference between the groups or conditions that are being compared

replication

the data collection procedure of taking repeated measurements

sample size (n)

the number of times a measurement is replicated in data collection

accuracy

how close a measured value is to the actual or true value

precision

how close the repeated measurements of a sample are to one another

uncertainty

an estimate of how much a measured or calculated value differs from a true value

theory

a hypothesis that has been repeatedly tested and confirmed by multiple groups of researchers and that reached wide acceptance

biosphere

where all life resides on planet earth

producer/ autotroph

an organism that uses the energy of the sun to produce usable forms of energy

photosynthesis

the process by which producers use solar energy to convert CO2 and water into glucose

cellular respiration

the process by which cells unlock the energy of chemical compounds

aerobic respiration

the process by which cells convert glucose and oxygen into energy, carbon dioxide, and water

anaerobic respiration

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

consumer/ heterotroph

an organism that is incapable of photosynthesis and must obtain energy by consuming other organisms

herbivore/ primary consumer

a consumer that eats producers

carnivore

a consumer that eats other consumers

secondary consumer

a carnivore that eats primary consumers

tertiary consumer

a carnivore that eats secondary consumers

trophic levels

the successive levels or organisms consuming one another

food chain

the sequence of consumption from producers through tertiary consumers

food web

a complex model of how energy and matter move between trophic levels

scavenger

an organism that consumes dead animals

detritivore

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

decomposers

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

biomass

the total mass of all living matter in a specific area

standing crop

the amount of biomass present in an ecosystem at a particular time

ecological efficiency

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

trophic pyramid

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

biogeochemical cycle

the movements of matter within and between ecosystems

hydrologic cycle

the movement of water through the biosphere

transpiration

the release of water from leaves during photosynthesis

evapotranspiration

the combined amount of evaporation and transpiration

runoff

water that moves across the land surface and into streams and river

carbon cycle

the movement of carbon around the biosphere

macronutrient

one of six key elements that organisms need in relatively large amounts: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur

limiting nutient

a nutrient required for the growth of an organism but available in a lower quantity then other nutrients

nitrogen cycle

the movement of nitrogen around the biosphere

nitrogen fixation

the process that converts nitrogen gas in the atmosphere (N2) into forms of nitrogen that producers can use

nitrification

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

assimilation

the process by which producers incorporate elements into their tissues

mineralization

the process by which fungal and bacterial decomposers break down the organic matter found in daed bodies and waste products and convert it into inorganic compounds

ammonification

the process by. which fungal and bacterial decomposers break down the organic nitrogen found in daed bodies and waste products and convert it into inorganic ammonium (NH4+)

denitrification

the conversion of nitrate (NO3-) in a series of steps into the gases nitrous oxide (N2O) and nitrogen gas (N2), which is emitted into the atmosphere

leaching

the transportation of dissolved molecules through the soil via groundwater

phosphorous cycle

the movement of phosphorous around the biosphere

algal bloom

a rapid increase in the algalpopulation of a waterway

hypoxic

low in oxygen

dead zone

when oxygen concentrations become so low that it kills fish and other aquatic animals

sulfur cycle

the movement of cycle around the biosphere

disturbance

an event caused by physical, chemical, or biological agents that results in population size or community composition changes

resistance

a measure of how much disturbance can affect flows of energy and matter in an ecosystem

resilience

the rate at which an ecosystem returns to its original state after a disturbance

restoration ecology

the study and implementation of restoring damaged ecosystem

watershed

all land in a given landscape that drains into a particular stream, river, lake, or wetland

intermediate disturbance hypothesis

the hypothesis that ecosystems experiencing intermediate levels of disturbance are more diverse than those with high or low disturbance levels

fossil fuel

a fuel derived from biologicall material that became fossilized millions of years ago

fracking

hydraulic fracturing, a method of oil and gas extraction that uses high pressure fluids to force open rocks deep underground

greenhouse gases

gases in earths atmosphere that trap heat near the surface

control group

a group that experiences the exact conditions as the experimental group, except for the single variable under study

natural experiment

a natural event that acts as an experimental treatment in an ecosystem

climate

the average weather the occurs in a given region over a long period of time

weather

the short term conditions of the atmosphere in a local area. includes: temperature, humidity, clouds, precipitation, and wind speed

troposhpere

a layer of the atmosphere closest to the surface of the earth, extending up to approx. 16 km (10 mi)

stratosphere

the layer of atmosphere above the troposphere

albedo

the percentage of incoming sunlight reflected from a surface

saturation point

the max amount of water vapor in the air at a given temperature

adiabatic cooling

the cooling effect of reduced pressure on air as it rises higher in the atmosphere and expands

adiabatic heating

the heating effect of increased pressure on air as it sinks toward the surface of the earth and decreases in volume

latent heat release

the release of energy when water vapor in the atmosphere condenses into liquid water

atmospheric convection current

global patterns of air movement that are initiated by the unequal heating of earth

hadley cell

a convection current in the atmosphere that cycles between the equator and 30º N and 30º S