AP Environmental Science: Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services, and Ecological Tolerance

Vocabulary flashcards covering topics in ecology and environmental science: island biogeography, biodiversity indices, ecosystem resilience, categories of ecosystem services, habitat specialization, and ecological tolerance.

Island Biogeography Theory

The ecological theory stating that after an island forms, it will be inhabited by organisms, with the number of species it can support determined by island size, distance from the mainland, immigration rates, and extinction rates.

Species Richness

The number of different species present in a community.

Species Evenness

A measure of how evenly individual organisms are distributed among the different species in a community.

Simpson's Diversity Index

A mathematical formula used to quantify biodiversity, defined as $D = 1 - \sum \left(\frac{n}{N}\right)^2$, where $n$ represents the number of individuals for a particular species and $N$ represents the total number of individuals for all species.

Resilience

The ability of an ecosystem to recover after a disturbance.

Resistance

The ability of an ecosystem to remain relatively unchanged when disturbed.

Salt Marshes

Highly productive environments with vegetation that filters water contaminants and provides shelter for young aquatic life.

Ecosystem Services

The many benefits that human societies receive from ecosystems, classified into provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural services.

Provisioning Services

Resources that humans obtain directly from ecosystems, such as drinking water, wood/lumber, and natural food (not from farming).

Regulating Services

Natural processes through which ecosystems regulate environmental conditions, including carbon storage, water purification, and flood regulation.

Supporting Services

Fundamental natural processes that support other ecosystem services, such as nutrient cycling, photosynthesis, and soil formation.

Cultural Services

Recreational, aesthetic, and economic benefits obtained from human experiences in nature.

Genetic Biodiversity

Genetic differences among organisms within a population that enable a better response to environmental stresses; having too little diversity creates a bottleneck with fewer variants.

Species Diversity

The variety of living species in an area that enables certain species to survive disruptions (natural or manmade) and keep the ecosystem functioning.

Specialist Species

Species that can only handle a limited set of habitats and environmental changes, making them susceptible to being affected by habitat loss before generalists.

Generalist Species

Species capable of handling a wide range of habitats and environmental changes.

Ecological Tolerance

The range of conditions—such as temperature, salinity, flow rate, and sunlight—that an individual or species can endure before injury or death results.

Indicator Species

Species sensitive to environmental stressors such as pollution and temperature that can signal overall ecosystem health on a local scale (e.g., steelhead vs. rainbow trout).