Unit One Flashcards - APES

Unit One Flashcards for AP Environmental - note: literal notes are more inclusive

Resource Partitioning

An ecological concept where different species utilize resources in different ways or at different times to reduce competition.

Symbiotic Relationships

Interactions between two different species that live together, which can be mutualistic, commensal, or parasitic.

Mutualism

A type of symbiotic relationship where both species benefit, such as bees and flowering plants.

Commensalism

A symbiotic relationship where one species benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed, like barnacles on whales.

Parasitism

A relationship where one species benefits at the expense of the other, such as lice on humans.

Predation

A relationship where one species (predator) hunts and consumes another (prey), exemplified by foxes and sheep.

Biomes

Large ecological areas defined by climate, vegetation, soil type, geography, wildlife, and human impact.

Aquatic Biome

A biome characterized by water, including freshwater and marine environments, influenced by factors like salinity and temperature.

Littoral Zone

The shallow area near the shore of a lake where sunlight supports aquatic plants.

Limnetic Zone

The open water area of a lake where light penetrates, home to plankton and fish.

Profundal Zone

The deeper, darker part of a lake with lower oxygen levels due to lack of light.

Benthic Zone

The bottom layer of a lake consisting of sediments and organisms.

Neritic Zone

The ocean zone over the continental shelf, rich in sunlight and nutrients.

Intertidal Zone

The area of the ocean affected by tides, requiring animals to adapt to changing conditions.

Oceanic Zone

The open ocean area, not defined by a specific depth.

Aphotic Zone

The part of the ocean below 200 meters where sunlight is insufficient for photosynthesis.

Photic Zone

The top 200 meters of the ocean where photosynthesis occurs abundantly.

Water Cycle

The continuous movement of water through evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and other processes.

Nitrogen Cycle

The process of nitrogen transformation in the environment, including fixation, nitrification, and denitrification.

Phosphorus Cycle

The movement of phosphorus through weathering, absorption by plants, and decomposition.

Carbon Cycle

The cycle of carbon through photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, and fossil fuel combustion.

Sulfur Cycle

The movement of sulfur through volcanic eruptions, absorption by plants, and decomposition.

Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)

The total amount of organic matter produced by photosynthesis in a given area and time.

Net Primary Productivity (NPP)

The organic matter available for consumption after accounting for plant respiration, calculated as NPP = GPP - R.

Trophic Levels

The hierarchical levels in an ecosystem, including producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, and tertiary consumers.

Decomposers

Organisms that break down dead matter, returning nutrients to the soil.

Energy Transfer

The process of energy moving through trophic levels, with approximately 10% being transferred to the next level.

10% Rule

The principle that only about 10% of energy is passed on from one trophic level to the next, with 90% lost as heat.

Food Chain

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

Food Web

A complex network of interconnected food chains illustrating the diversity of feeding relationships in an ecosystem.