APES Semester 1 Final

Sustainability

The ability to meet present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Sustainable Yield

The amount of resources that can be harvested without reducing the ability of the resource to regenerate.

GDP (Gross Domestic Product)

The total value of all goods and services produced in a country in a given time frame.

Per Capita GDP

GDP divided by the population, indicating the average economic output per person.

Developed Nations

Countries with high levels of income, industrialization, and standard of living.

Developing Nations

Countries with lower levels of income, industrialization, and standard of living.

Tragedy of the Commons

A situation in which individuals acting in their own self-interest deplete shared resources, leading to a loss for the whole community.

Open Access Resource

A resource that is available to all, but is unregulated and overused.

Renewable Resource

Resources that can be replenished naturally over time.

Nonrenewable Resource

Resources that are finite and cannot be replaced once they are consumed.

Point Source Pollution

Pollution that comes from a single, identifiable source.

Nonpoint Source Pollution

Pollution that comes from multiple, diffuse sources.

Anthropogenic

Environmental changes caused by human activity.

Biodegradable

Substances that can be broken down by microorganisms into harmless products.

Entropy

A measure of disorder or randomness in a system; often associated with energy dispersal.

Net Primary Productivity (NPP)

The rate at which plants produce net useful energy; NPP = GPP - R (Respiration).

Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)

The total rate of photosynthesis in a given area.

Respiration (R)

The process by which organisms convert glucose and oxygen into energy, producing carbon dioxide and water.

Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD)

The amount of dissolved oxygen needed by aerobic bacteria to break down organic matter in a water body.

Ecological Efficiency

The percentage of energy that is transferred from one trophic level to the next, typically around 10%.

Biomagnification

The process by which the concentration of toxins increases in organisms at higher trophic levels.

Synergy

The interaction of multiple factors or agents, where their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects.

Prokaryotic

Cells that lack a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles.

Eukaryotic

Cells that contain a nucleus and other organelles enclosed within membranes.

Abiotic Factors

Non-living chemical and physical parts of the environment that affect living organisms.

Biotic Factors

Living components of an ecosystem that affect other organisms.

Range of Tolerance

The limits of abiotic conditions that a species can tolerate.

Limiting Factors

Factors that restrict the growth, abundance, or distribution of a population.

Trophic Level

The position an organism occupies in a food chain.

Autotroph

Organisms that produce their own food using sunlight or chemical energy.

Heterotroph

Organisms that cannot produce their own food and must consume other organisms.

Decomposers

Organisms that break down dead organic material, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.

Bioaccumulation

The gradual buildup of substances, such as pesticides, in an organism.

Transpiration

The process by which moisture is carried through plants from the roots to small pores on the underside of leaves.

Infiltration

The process by which water enters the soil from the surface.

Percolation

The process of a liquid slowly passing through a filter.

Nitrogen-fixing

The conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into a form usable by plants.

Assimilation

The process by which plants absorb nitrogen after it has been converted to a usable form.

Nitrification

The process of converting ammonia into nitrates and nitrites by bacteria.

Ammonification

The process by which organic nitrogen is converted to ammonia.

Denitrification

The conversion of nitrates back into nitrogen gas, returning it to the atmosphere.

1st Law of Thermodynamics

Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another.

2nd Law of Thermodynamics

When energy is transformed, the quantity remains the same but its ability to do work decreases.

Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) Factors

Temperature, nutrient levels, and organic matter control oxygen levels in bodies of water.

Carbon Cycle

The process by which carbon is cycled through the environment, involving reservoirs like the atmosphere and ocean.

Phosphorus Cycle

The process by which phosphorus is cycled through the environment, mainly through rocks and soil.

Ecosystem Services

Benefits provided by ecosystems to humans, categorized into supporting, regulating, provisioning, and cultural.

Percent Change Formula

(New value - Old value) / Old value.

Primary Wastewater Treatment

Uses screens and settling tanks to remove large solids from wastewater.

Secondary Wastewater Treatment

Uses bacteria in aeration tanks to break down organic waste, lowering BOD.

Natural Selection Requirements

Variability, heritability, and differential reproduction must be present in a population.

Generalist Species

Species that can thrive in various conditions and use different resources.

Specialist Species

Species that are highly adapted to specific resources or environments.

Niche

The role and position a species has in its environment.

Habitat

The natural environment in which a species lives.

Invasive Species

Non-native species that spread widely and negatively impact ecosystems.

Keystone Species

Species that have a disproportionately large effect on their environment relative to their abundance.

Indicator Species

Species that signal the health of an ecosystem.

Primary Succession

The series of community changes that occur on an entirely new habitat.

Secondary Succession

The process of recovery after a disturbance in an ecosystem.

Survivorship Curve

Graph showing the number or proportion of individuals surviving at each age for a given species.

Carrying Capacity (K)

The maximum population size that an environment can sustain.

Biotic Potential

The maximum reproductive capacity of an organism under optimal environmental conditions.

Logistic Growth

Population growth that levels off as population size approaches carrying capacity.

Zero Population Growth

When the number of births equals the number of deaths in a population.

Demographic Transition Model

A model that describes the transition from high birth and death rates to lower birth and death rates as a country develops.

Rule of 70

A formula to estimate the doubling time of a population; 70 divided by the growth rate.

Hadley Cell

A system of vertical and horizontal air circulation predominating in the tropics, affecting climate patterns.

Plate Tectonics

The theory explaining the movement of the Earth's lithosphere, resulting in geological activity.

Divergent Boundaries

Boundaries where tectonic plates move apart, causing seafloor spreading and rift valleys.

Convergent Boundaries

Boundaries where tectonic plates move together, leading to subduction, mountain formation, and earthquakes.

Transform Boundaries

Boundaries where tectonic plates slide past each other, often causing earthquakes.

Hot Spot

An area of volcanic activity arising from a stationary plume of hot magma beneath the Earth's crust.