AP Bio Unit 8 Vocab

Organism

An individual living thing

Population

A large group consisting of the same species

Community

different populations inhabiting the same area

Ecosystem

All organisms in a community with abiotic (nonliving) factors

Examples of abiotic factors

Air, salinity, soil, temperature, light, water, minerals, pH, humidity

Insolation

Regions of the Earth receive more or less light than other regions based on the angle of incoming light, due to the tilt of the Earth

Earth Rotates

daily, yearly, and the tilt of the Earth’s axis is 23.5 degrees

Desert biomes are caused by

sinking air

Rainforest biomes are caused by

Rising air

Homeostasis

All levels of a biological organization are able to exist in this state, “balance”

Disruption

Any factor that moves the system away from homeostasis, affects all levels of the system

Invasive species

Species that are introduced to habitats they do not naturally inhabit, and are thriving (no predators, no diseases). Disrupt homeostasis

Natural/Human Disturbance

Natural and human disturbances that cause large-scale, rapid changes to ecosystem structure (volcano eruption, deforestation)

Feedback mechanisms

Positive/Negative loops that either disrupt or restore homeostasis (respectively)

Physiological responses

changing the functioning of the body (acclimating to hot temperatures by dilating the capillaries)

Morphological Responses

changing the anatomy of the body (growing thicker fur or different color fur in winter)

Behavioral responses

Changing behavior in response to an environment factor

Taxis

Directional movement towards or away from a specific stimulus.

Kinesis

Random movement in response to a stimulus (pillbugs randomly move when exposed to sunlight to find shade)

Fixed Action Pattern

Produced by the innate behavioral releasing mechanism, a hard-wired neural network in response to a key stimulus. (Runs even if the stimulus is gone/changes) Evolutionarily advantageous due to fitness and speed increase.

Nocturnal/Diurnal

Relating to night/day activity

Photoperiodism

Plants dropping their leaves to conserve energy in response to decreased sunlight.

Phototropism

Plants growing towards a light source

Fight or Flight

Chemical, physical, and behavioral chain response to a perceived threat. Releases hormones, increase respiration, and heart rate, decreases digestive system, releasing toxins, etc.

Interspecific

Between different species

Intraspecific

Within the same species

Signaling behaviors

Behavior that changes the behavior in other organisms, which can result in differential reproductive success.

Innate Behaviors

Strongly genetic based, behaviors considered instinct

Learned Behaviors

Behaviors that are picked up watching other individuals, more often in the earlier years.

Cooperative Behaviors

Behaviors done in larger populations or packs to improve the fitness of the entire group.

Competitive Exclusion Principle

Two species have overlapping requirements (within the same niche) in an ecosystem, one species will (dramatically) outcompete the other for those overlapping resources.

Two major population properties

Distribution and abundance of species

Niche

Total interactions of an organism with its environment. Area where the organism inhabits within an ecosystem

Realized Niche

Total possible niche where an organism can live

Fundamental Niche

The Actual niche where a species lives, which is not necessarily the same as the realized niche

Intraspecific Competition

Competition between other members of the same species

Intraspecific Competition

Competition between two different species

Mutualism

+/+ Both organisms benefit

Commensalism

+/0 one organism benefits, the other organism is chill

Parasitism

+&-, one benefits at the expense of the other organism

Mechanical Defense

Physical spikes/protection

Chemical defense

Releasing chemicals when organism feels threatened

Aposematic Coloration

Brightly colored (frogs) to signal toxicity

Batesian mimicry

An organism non harmful organism that mimics the look of a harmful organism

Mullerian mimicry

Two species that have the same pattern or look and are both harmful

Cryptic coloration

Blending into the environment like camouflage

Bottom-Up

Limitations in higher trophic levels as a result of energy availability in lower levels

Limited amounts of tertiary consumers as a result of limited prey.

Top-down

Trophic cascades occur when predators limit the density and/or behavior of their prey and thereby enhance survival of the next lower trophic level.

Keystone Species

Species that have a large role in maintaining ecosystem structure, such as a predator keystone (wolves), ecosystem engineer (beaver), or mutualist (pollinator bees).

Primary Succession

New Patch of land is created or exposed for the very first time S

Secondary Succession

Area previously inhabited, but experienced a disturbance (still has soil)

GPP

Gross Primary Productivity, amount of energy from light (or chemicals) converted to the chemical energy of organic molecules per unit of time.

NPP

Net Primary Productivity, GPP minus energy used by the primary producers for their autotrophic respiration.

Photosynthetic autotrophs

Capture energy from sunlight in the environment

Chemosynthetic autotrophs

capture energy from small, inorganic molecules in the environment, anaerobic process.

Heterotrophs

Capturing carbon compounds produced by other organisms, usually by eating them. MAY metabolize proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, as sources of energy by hydrolysis.

Detritivore

Eating dead things

Producers move…

Abiotic sources of energy to biotic food web (growing from soil to grass)

Decomposers move…

Biotic sources of energy to abiotic system (decomposing organisms)