[APES] Unit 1: The living world: ecosystems and biodiversity

Individual

One single organism

Population

Group of individuals of the same species

Example: elk herd

Community

All living organisms/populations in an area

Ecosystem

All living and nonliving things in an area

Biome

A large area that shares the same combination of average annual temperature, precipitation, and ypes of minerals that determine the plants & species living there.

Ex: tropical rainforests, dessert, tundra

Biotic factors

Living or once-living parts of an ecosystem

Abiotic factors

Nonliving parts of an ecosystem

Competition

Relationship where organisms of different species compete for the name resources, negatively impacting both.

Predation

Relationship where one species uses another for an energy source (such as eating them), where one species benefits at the expense of another.

Herbivory predation

Predation where the species being consumed is a plant

Symbiosis

any close, long-term interaction between two species

ex: coral

True predators

Predators that kill and eat prey for energy (practice predation)

Parasitism

relationship where one species/organisms (the parasite) benefts by feeding and living on another (the host) who is harmed but not immediately killed

ex: tapeworms

Parasitoidism

relationship where one species/organism (the parasite) lays eggs in the host organism; the hatched larvae eats its way out, often killing the host

ex: braconid wasps and caterpillars

mutualism

relationship where two species living in close interaction both benefits by providing each other with resources or services

ex: coral and algea

commensalism

relationship where one species benefits without significantly affecting the other species.

ex: remora fish and shark

terrestrial biomes

land biomes, whose characteristics are heavily influenced by temperature and rainfall

aquatic biomes

underwater/water-related biomes, whose characteristics are heavily influenced by the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water and the amount of nutrional sediments in the water

tropical rainforests

biome found at latitudes around the equator

experiences year-round high temperatures & rainfall, warm wet climate that allows for high biodiversity

temperate forest

biome found at latitudes between 30-60

experiences well defined seasons and distinct winter, hosts species adapted to changing seasons

temperate deciduous (seasonal) forest

temperate forest biome with cold, dry winters and hot, humid summers. deciduous trees shed leaves to save energy in the winter

temperate rainforest

temperate forest biome with mild winters and evently-distributed and yearly rainfall

coniferous forest (boreal forest or taiga)

biome at latitudes of 50-60

experiences long, cold, dry winters and short, moist summers. Dominated by coniferous trees: trees with thin, needle-like leaves that do not shed.

Desert

biome commonly found around 30 degrees, but can occur everywhere

experiences harsh and dry climate conditions and every little rainfall; dominated by species adapted to conserving water

Grasslands

dry, grassy biomes that can occur anywhere

experiences occasional fire, seasonal drought, and grazing by herbivores that prevent it from having a large tree population

savannah

grassland biome with warmer temperature and scattered trees

temperate grassland (prairies, steppes)

grassland biome with milder temperatures and very few trees

scrublands/shrublands/chaparrals/woodlands

biome between 30-40 degrees

experiences more rainfall than grasslands but less than forests, populated by woody shrubs, short trees, and grasses.

tundra

the most inhospitable of all biomes, located above 60 degrees latitude

experiences cold and dry weather, with a short growing season and layer of peranantly frozen soil called permafrost; has relatively low biodiversity