AP Environmental Science Vocabulary Flashcards

Flashcards to help review vocabulary terms.

Population

Organisms of the same species living in a particular area

Community

Populations of all species living and interacting in an area

Ecosystem

Populations of all species living and interacting in an area along with any abiotic factors

Habitat

The home or environment of an organism

Niche

The role of an organism within an ecosystem

Biotic

Living

Abiotic

Non-living

Producer/Autotroph

Organisms that can make their own food.

Photosynthesis

Process by which plants convert CO, to carbohydrates; removes C from the atmosphere

Chemosynthesis

The biological conversion of one or more carbon molecules into organic matter using the oxidation of inorganic compounds or methane as a source of energy rather than sunlight

Productivity

Measured in units of energy per unit area per unit time (e.g., kcal/m²/yr)

Net Primary Productivity

The rate of energy storage by photosynthesizers in a given area, after subtracting the energy lost to respiration

Consumer/Heterotroph

Organisms that cannot make their own food.

Aerobic Respiration

Oxygen is used by producers, consumers, and decomposers to break down complex organic compounds and release energy

Anaerobic Respiration

The breakdown of carbohydrates without oxygen; products are methane (CH4), alcohol, etc.

Decomposer

Excrete chemicals and absorb the nutrients from the decomposed material

Detritivore

Ingests or feeds on dead plants and/or animals

Scavenger

Ingests or feeds on dead animals

Mutualism

Interaction between two species in which both species benefit

Parasitism

Relationship in which one partner obtains nutrients at the expense of the host

Commensalism

One partner benefits, the other is neither harmed nor benefited

Competition

Organisms competing for the same resource

Intraspecific

Among the same species

Interspecific

Between different species

Competitive Exclusion

The inevitable elimination of one of two different species with the same niche in a habitat

Resource Partitioning

When a species divides a niche to avoid competition

Terrestrial Biome

Large region having a similar climate and plant life, determined mostly by temperature and precipitation

Edge Effect

Ecological concept that describes how there is a greater diversity of life in the region where the edges of two adjacent ecosystems overlap, such as land/water or forest/grassland

Thermal Stratification

In temperate regions, lakes become stratified into layers based upon temperature; dissolved oxygen and nutrients are exchanged between the layers when the lake overturns in the fall and spring

Littoral Zone

Shallow water near the shore; rooted plants grow here

Limnetic Zone

Open, sunlit, offshore area

Profundal Zone

Deep, open water that's too dark for photosynthesis

Benthic Zone

Bottom of the water system; nourished by dead matter

Estuary

A partially enclosed area of coastal water where seawater mixes with freshwater creating brackish water; breeding ground for many ocean organisms; performs the ecosystem service of water purification

Kelp

Largest of the brown algae; grows in cooler water along rocky coasts; habitat for lots of species as well as a food source for many invertebrates

Freshwater Wetlands

Nature's sponges

Marsh

Grassland that's temporarily flooded

Swamp

Permanently covered with water; has woody plants

Prairie Pothole

Has depressions that hold water; good duck habitat

Peat Moss Bog

Collects salt which increases acidity and prevents decomposition

Watershed

The land from which water drains into a body of surface water (drainage basin)

Nitrogen Fixation

N₂ is converted to ammonia (NH3); bacteria (Ex: Rhizopbium in legumes) and lightning are responsible for this

Nitrification

Ammonia is converted to nitrite (NO2) and nitrate (NO3) ions; N2O can also be created

Assimilation

Plants incorporate ammonia and nitrate ions into organic molecules such as nucleic acids and amino acids

Ammonification

Bacteria acting as decomposers break down organic compounds into ammonia

Denitrification

Specialized denitrifying bacteria convert nitrogen compounds into N2 and N2O which is released into the atmosphere

r-strategists

Reproduce early, mature rapidly, have short lives, have many unprotected offspring

K-strategists

Reproduce late, mature slowly, have long lives, fewer offspring with high parental care

Fecundity

The potential to reproduce offspring, not the same as fertility

Species Diversity

A combination of species evenness and species richness

The study of the ecological relationships and distribution of organisms on islands, and of these organisms' community structures

Island biogeography

Rangelands

Natural grasslands

Pastures

Managed grasslands

Old-Growth Forest

Uncut or regenerated forest that has not been seriously disturbed for several hundred years

Second-Growth Forest

A stand of trees resulting from natural secondary succession that has not reached its climax community yet

Surface Fire

Usually burns only undergrowth and leaf litter on the forest floor

Crown Fire

Hot fires that leap from treetop to treetop

Ground Fire

May smolder for days or weeks; difficult to detect and extinguish

Keystone Species

Species whose role in the ecosystem is more important than others

Foundation Species

Create or enhance habitats for other species

Indicator Species

Species that serves as an early warning sign that an ecosystem is being degraded

Endemic Species

Found only in one geographical region

Invasive Species

Non-native species introduced accidently or purposefully to an area; usually r-strategists

Threatened Species

Still abundant in its natural range but is likely to become endangered in the near future

Rare Species

Well secluded, uncommon, or few in number

Endangered Species

So few individual survivors that it could soon become extinct

Primary Succession

Colonization and establishment of communities in an area not previously inhabited with no soil present

Pioneer Species

Move into unoccupied habitat and over time adapt to its particular conditions

Secondary Succession

Change in communities after a disturbance such as logging, a forest fire, or a hurricane; succession continues in order to create a climax community dominated by a few long-lived species

Carrying Capacity

Number of individuals that can be sustained over time by an ecosystem

Biotic Potential (Intrinsic Growth)

Maximum reproductive capacity if resources are unlimited

Environmental Resistance (Limiting Factors)

Factors that control the growth of a population

Density-Dependent Limiting Factors

Include factors pertinent to the population itself such as competition for food

Density-Independent Factors

Factors that occur outside the population such as drought

Exponential Growth

A steep J-curve of an ever-increasing rate of growth

Doubling Time

Divide 70 by percent growth rate

Population Density

Number of individuals per unit of area

Growth Rate

[(births plus immigrants) minus (deaths plus emigrants)] divided by the total population times one-hundred

Demographic Transition

As countries become industrialized, death rates decline followed by declining birth rates

Replacement Fertility Level

Number of children needed to replace a couple

Total Fertility Rate (TFR)

The average number of children a woman has during her reproductive years

Age Structure

Proportion of population in each age and sex category

Plate Tectonics

Earth's crust is broken into plates which move relative to each other; the movement is caused by convection currents dissipating Earth's internal heat

Divergent Plate Boundaries

Seafloor spreading; new crust is generated creating mid-ocean ridges

Transform Boundaries

Plates slide past each other causing earthquakes

Soil Texture

Refers to the composition of sand, silt, and clay in a soil sample

Loam

Ideal agricultural soil with optimal portions of sand, silt, and clay (40%, 40%, 20%)

Humus

Organic material in soil remaining after decomposition generally by microorganisms

Leaching

Removal of dissolved materials by water moving through

Illuviation

Depositing of leached minerals in lower soil layers

Permeability

Ability to transmit water

Porosity

Ability to hold water

Friability

How easily the soil is crumbled

Soil pH

Measure of the amount of hydrogen ions within soil

O-Horizon

Rich in organic matter

A-Horizon

Topsoil that's rich in humus; provides habitat for organisms such as worms

E-Horizon

Only present in nutrient rich biomes; nutrient poor exchange zone

B-Horizon

Zone of mineral accumulation due to leaching from above

C-Horizon

Contains weathered pieces of rock (parent material)

Coriolis Effect

Forces in the atmosphere created by the rotation of the Earth on its axis. Deflects wind to the right in the N. Hemisphere