APES CH. 5

Biodiversity

The amount of biological or living diversity per unit area. It includes the concepts of species diversity, habitat diversity and genetic diversity.

biodiversity hotspots

Relatively small areas of land that contain an exceptional number of endemic species and are at high risk from human activities

Carbon Cycle Steps

photosynthesis, respiration, exchange, sedimentation and burial, extraction, and combustion

phosphorus cycle

The movement of phosphorus atoms from rocks through the biosphere and hydrosphere and back to rocks.

nitrogen cycle steps

nitrogen fixation, nitrification, assimilation, ammonification, denitrification

Transpiration

Evaporation of water from the leaves of a plant

biogeochemical cycle

process in which elements, chemical compounds, and other forms of matter are passed from one organism to another and from one part of the biosphere to another

Geographic Information System (GIS)

A collection of computer hardware and software that permits spatial data to be collected, recorded, stored, retrieved, manipulated, analyzed, and displayed to the user.

ecological modeling

involves constructing and testing simplified representations of ecological systems

ecosystem services

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

landscape ecology

focuses on the exchanges of energy, materials, and organisms across multiple ecosystems

metapopulation

a group of spatially distinct populations that are connected by occasional movements of individuals between them

conservation biology

The integrated study of ecology, evolutionary biology, physiology, molecular biology, and genetics to sustain biological diversity at all levels.

habitat fragmentation

Breakup of a habitat into smaller pieces, usually as a result of human activities.

gross primary productivity

The total amount of solar energy that producers in an ecosystem capture via photosynthesis over a given amount of time

net primary productivity

The energy captured by producers in an ecosystem minus the energy producers respire

secondary production

biomass generated by heterotrophs from consuming autotrophs

Biosphere

Consists of all life on Earth and all parts of the Earth in which life exists, including land, water, and the atmosphere.

Lithosphere

the rigid outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle.

atmosphere

A mixture of gases that surrounds a planet or moon.

Hydrosphere

all the waters on the earth's surface, such as lakes and seas, and sometimes including water over the earth's surface, such as clouds.

hypoxia/anoxia

decreased oxygen/lack of oxygen

Watershed

The land area that supplies water to a river system.

positive feedback loop

Causes a system to change further in the same direction.

negative feedback loop

A feedback loop in which a system responds to a change by returning to its original state, or by decreasing the rate at which the change is occurring.

emergent properties

New properties that emerge with each step upward in the hierarchy of life, owing to the arrangement and interactions of parts as complexity increases.

Homeostasis

A tendency to maintain a balanced or constant internal state

System

a network of relationships among parts, elements, or components that interact with and influence one another through the exchange of energy, matter, or information

dead zone

a location within a body of water that does not have enough dissolved oxygen to sustain life.

Albedo

the proportion of the incident light or radiation that is reflected by a surface, typically that of a planet or moon.

Eutrophication

A process by which nutrients, particularly phosphorus and nitrogen, become highly concentrated in a body of water, leading to increased growth of organisms such as algae or cyanobacteria.

matter cycling

Matter is constantly cycled between living and nonliving parts of the environment

energy flow

The passage of energy through the components of an ecosystem

Productivity of Ecosystems

The rate at which primary production occurs in an ecosystem

nutrient source

a pool where a nutrient is released faster than it is absorbed

nutrient sink

a part of the biosphere where a particular nutrient is absorbed faster than it is released

residence time

The average time a given particle will stay in a given system

The only biogeochemical cycle that doesn't include gases

phosphorus

nitrogen fixaction

process of converting nitrogen gas into nitrogen compounds that plants can absorb and use

nitrogen-fixing bacteria

bacteria that convert nitrogen in the air into forms that can be used by plants and animals

Haber-Bosch process

production of fertilizers by combining nitrogen and hydrogen to synthesize ammonia

Nitrification

the process by which nitrites and nitrates are produced from ammonia by bacteria in the soil

denitrifying bacteria

Bacteria that convert the nitrates in soil or water to gaseous nitrogen and release it back into the atmosphere.

Permafrost

permanently frozen layer of soil beneath the surface of the ground

methane hydrate

An ice like solid that consists of molecules of methane within a crystal network of water molecules

ocean acidification

decreasing pH of ocean waters due to absorption of excess atmospheric CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels

remote sensing

The acquisition of data about Earth's surface from a satellite orbiting the planet or other long-distance methods.

Community

A group of interdependent organisms inhabiting the same region and interacting with each other

Legumes

plants of the bean and pea family, with seeds that are rich in protein and root nodules containing nitrogen-fixing bacteria

Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act

1998-present law that led to research and incentives for farmers and cities to reduce nutrient runoff/discharge into waterways