APES unit 1

Predator:

• An organism that hunts, kills, and consumes other organisms (prey) for food and energy

Prey:

An organism that is hunted, killed, and eaten by a predator.

• Symbiosis: .

• A close, long-term biological interaction between two different species living together

Mutualism:

A symbiotic relationship in which both participating organisms benefit from the interaction (+/+).

Commensalism:

A symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits while the other is neither helped nor harmed (+/0).

• Parasitism:

• A symbiotic relationship where one organism (parasite) benefits by living on or inside another organism (host), causing it harm (+/-).

• Competition:

• The interaction between organisms or species competing for the same limited resource (e.g., food, water, light, territory)

• Niche Partitioning:

• The process by which competing species use limit resources in different ways, places, or times to reduce direct competition and coexist.

• Terrestrial Biome:

• A large, naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat on land, defined primarily by climate (temperature and precipitation) and plant life.

Abiotic Factors:

Non-living physical and chemical elements in an ecosystem (e.g., sunlight, temperature, precipitation, soil quality) that dictate plant species, which in turn dictate animal species.

Taiga (Boreal Forest)

A cold biome characterized by coniferous (evergreen) forests, long cold winters, and short cool summers; found in high northern latitudes.

Temperate Rainforest:

A coastal biome with mild temperatures and high precipitation, dominated by large evergreen trees.

• Shrubland (Chaparral):

• A biome with hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters, dominated by drought-resistant shrubs and frequent natural fires

Temperate Grassland:

A biome with nutrient-rich soils, hot summers, cold winters, and moderate precipitation, dominated by grasses rather than trees.

Savanna (Tropical Grassland):

A warm biome with a distinct wet and dry season, characterized by grasses with scattered trees and high herbivore diversity.

Desert:

An arid biome receiving less than 25 cm (10 inches) of rain annually, characterized by extreme temperature shifts and vegetation adapted to water conservation.

Tundra:

A cold, treeless biome in high latitudes or altitudes characterized by short growing seasons, low precipitation, and a layer of permanently frozen subsoil.

• Aquatic Biome:

• A water-based biological community, categorized primarily by salinity, water depth, light availability, turbidity, nutrient level, and temperature.

Coral Reef:

A highly biodiverse marine biome formed by coral polyps in warm, clear, shallow ocean waters, reliant on mutualistic algae.

• Marshland (Salt Marsh):

• A coastal wetland flooded and drained by saltwater brought by tides, rich in nutrients and plant life.

Estuary:

partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water where freshwater from rivers meets and mixes with saltwater from the ocean.

• Mangroves:

• Coastal wetland trees/shrubs growing in brackish or saline intertidal waters, offering shoreline protection and critical nursery habitats for aquatic species.

Intertidal Zone:

The narrow marine zone between the highest high-tide line and the lowest low-tide line, where organisms must survive extreme changes in exposure, temperature, and wave action.

Turbidity:

A measure of water clarity; high turbidity means cloudy water, which reduces light penetration for photosynthesis.

Carbon Reservoir:

A location where carbon is stored for short or long periods (e.g., atmosphere, oceans, biomass, soil, fossil fuels).

• Photosynthesis (Carbon): VS

• Cellular Respiration:

• The process by which producers draw $CO_2$ from the atmosphere/water and convert it into glucose. vs The process by which organisms break down organic molecules for energy, releasing $CO_2$ back into the atmosphere or water.

Trophic Level:

The specific position an organism occupies in a food chain or energy pyramid (e.g., producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, tertiary consumers).

• 10% Rule:

• The ecological principle stating that only approximately 10% of the energy stored in biomass at one trophic level is transferred to the next higher level; the remaining 90% is lost as metabolic heat or unusable waste.

Food Chain:

A linear sequence showing how energy and nutrients move from one organism to another.

Food Web:

A complex network of interconnected food chains demonstrating multiple feeding interactions within an ecosystem.

Positive Feedback Loop (Ecological):

A process in which an initial change causes further change in the same direction, amplifying the original condition (e.g., loss of vegetation leading to soil erosion, which prevents further plant growth).

Negative Feedback Loop (Ecological):

A process where a system responds to a change by returning to its original state or maintaining equilibrium (e.g., increase in predator population reduces prey population, leading to a eventual decline in predators).

Trophic Cascade:

An ecological event triggered by the addition or removal of a top predator, causing indirect population and structural changes throughout the lower levels of a food web.

• Calculate percent change

((New Value - Original Value) / Original Value) * 100