Unit 1 APES Vocab

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from Units 1.1-1.11 of the lecture notes.

Ecosystem

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

Biotic factors

Living components of an ecosystem.

Abiotic factors

Nonliving physical and chemical components of an environment.

Niche

The role and position of a species within its environment, including resource use and interactions.

Habitat

The physical location where an organism or population exists.

Community

All the populations of different species that interact within an area.

Population

A group of individuals of the same species living in a given area.

Species

A group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring.

Biodiversity

The variety and variability of life in an area or on Earth.

Ecological succession

The gradual change in species composition of a community over time in a habitat.

Biome

A large geographic area with similar climate, flora, and fauna.

Tundra

Cold, treeless biome with permafrost and short growing seasons.

Taiga (Boreal Forest)

Coniferous forest in cold climates; long winters; typically acidic soils.

Temperate rainforest

Coastal forests with high rainfall and mild temperatures; dominated by evergreen trees.

Temperate seasonal forest (deciduous)

Forest with four seasons; trees that lose leaves seasonally.

Tropical rainforest

Warm, wet biome with high biodiversity and year-round rainfall.

Shrubland (chaparral)

Dry summers and wet winters; dominated by shrubs and fire-adapted species.

Temperate grassland (prairie)

Grassy ecosystems with few trees and periodic fires.

Savanna

Grassland with scattered trees and distinct wet and dry seasons.

Desert

Biomes with very low precipitation and sparse vegetation.

Climatogram (climate diagram)

A graph showing average temperature and precipitation over time.

Freshwater

Inland bodies of water with low salinity (lakes, rivers).

Saltwater (marine)

Oceans and seas with high salinity.

Wetlands

Saturated land areas (marshes, swamps) with high productivity.

Estuaries

Where rivers meet the sea; brackish water and high nutrient input.

Coral reefs

Shallow, warm-water ecosystems built by coral organisms; high biodiversity.

Intertidal zone

Shoreline area exposed to air and submerged with tides.

Open ocean (pelagic zone)

Water column away from coastlines; major marine habitat.

Photic zone

Sunlit layer of water where photosynthesis can occur.

Aphotic zone

Deeper, darker water layer with little to no light.

Littoral zone

Nearshore shallow zone where sunlight reaches the bottom.

Benthic zone

Bottom substrates of an aquatic environment.

Phosphorus

Essential element that cycles through rocks, water, and organisms; has no atmospheric component.

Weathering

Breakdown of rocks releasing phosphorus into soil and water.

Runoff

Water flow over land carrying nutrients, including phosphorus, to waterways.

Sedimentation

Deposition of materials into sediments; phosphorus can become part of sediment.

No atmospheric component (important distinguishing fact)

The phosphorus cycle lacks a gaseous phase and atmospheric transport.

Evaporation

Liquid water turning into water vapor.

Condensation

Water vapor turning into liquid droplets.

Precipitation

Water released from the atmosphere as rain, snow, etc.

Infiltration

Water seeping into soil.

Percolation

Downward movement of water through soil and rock.

Transpiration

Release of water vapor from plant leaves.

Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)

Total rate of photosynthesis by producers in an area.

Net Primary Productivity (NPP)

GPP minus plant respiration; biomass available to consumers.

Respiration

Process by which organisms convert sugars to energy, releasing CO2.

Photosynthesis

Process by which plants convert light energy into chemical energy (sugars).

Limiting factors (e.g., sunlight, nutrients)

Factors that limit the rate of photosynthesis and productivity.

Producer (autotroph)

Organisms that produce their own food via photosynthesis or chemosynthesis.

Primary consumer (herbivore)

Eats producers.

Secondary consumer (carnivore)

Eats primary consumers.

Tertiary consumer

Eats secondary consumers.

Decomposer

Organisms that break down dead material, recycling nutrients.

Detritivore

Feeds on detritus (decomposing organic matter).

Trophic level

Position in a food chain or web based on feeding relationships.

Energy pyramid

Diagram showing energy flow among trophic levels.

10% Rule

Approximately 10% of energy is transferred to the next trophic level.

Energy efficiency

Proportion of energy transferred between trophic levels.

Heat loss

Energy lost as heat during metabolism and transfer.

Law of Thermodynamics (Second Law: energy degradation)

Energy quality decreases with each transfer; not all energy becomes biomass.

Food chain

A linear sequence showing who eats whom.

Food web

A network of interconnected food chains in an ecosystem.

Keystone species

A species with a disproportionately large effect on ecosystem structure and function.

Trophic cascade

Ecological effects that cascade through trophic levels when a keystone species is affected.

Energy flow

Movement of energy through the trophic levels.

Top-down control

Predators regulate ecosystem structure by consuming prey.

Bottom-up control

Resource availability at low trophic levels regulates higher levels.