AP Environmental Science Chapter 1 & 2 Review Flashcards

Flashcards for AP Environmental Science Chapter 1 & 2 Review

Ecosystem

A community of living organisms interacting with the non-living components of their environment as a system through various nutrients and energy cycles.

Organism

A living thing that can function on its own

Species

Organisms that resemble each other; are similar in genetic makeup, chemistry, and behavior; and are able to interbreed and produce fertile offspring.

Interspecific

Means between different species

Population

Organisms of the same species that interact with each other and occupy a specific area.

Community

Population of different species

Ecological Niche

A particular area within a habitat occupied by an organism, as well as the function of that organism within its ecological community.

Symbiosis

Any type of close and long-term biological interaction between two different biological organisms of the same or different species.

Amensalism

The interaction between two species whereby one species suffers and the other species is not affected.

Commensalism

The interaction between two species whereby one organism benefits and the other species is not affected.

Intraspecific Competition

Competition between members of the same species.

Interspecific Competition

Competition between members of different species.

Mutualism

The interaction between two species whereby both species benefit.

Parasitism

The interaction between two species whereby one species is benefited, and the other species is harmed.

Predation

Predators hunt and kill their prey.

Saprotrophism

Saprotrophs obtain their nutrients from dead or decaying plants or animals through the absorption of soluble organic compounds.

Law of Tolerance

It states that the existence, abundance, and distribution of species depend on the tolerance level of each species to both physical and chemical factors.

Limiting Factor

Any abiotic factor that limits or prevents the growth of a population.

Morphological partitioning

It occurs when two species share the same resource but have evolved slightly different structures to utilize the same resource

Spatial partitioning

It occurs when competing species use the same resource by occupying different areas or habitats within the range of occurrence of the resource

Temporal partitioning

It occurs when two species eliminate direct competition by utilizing the same resource at different times

Biomes

Major regional or global biotic communities characterized by dominant forms of plant life and the prevailing climates

Deserts

Defined in terms of the amount of rainfall they receive, not temperature.

Succulents

Plants that have fleshy leaves or stems that store water.

Aestivation

A summer hibernation.

Closed canopy

Tree crowns cover more than 20% of the ground’s surface.

Open canopy

Tree crowns cover less than 20% of the ground surface.

Overstory

The uppermost trees in a forest.

Understory

Layer made up of young trees, short species of trees, shrubs, and soft-stemmed plants.

Taiga

Largest terrestrial biome; found in northern Eurasia, North America, Scandinavia, and two-thirds of Siberia.

Grasslands

Lands dominated by grasses rather than by large shrubs or trees.

Savannas

Grasslands with scattered individual trees and cover almost half the surface of Africa and large areas of Australia, South America, and India.

Tundra

Has extremely low temperatures, large repetitive population changes, limited soil nutrients, little precipitation, low biotic diversity, poor drainage, short growing and reproductive seasons, and simple vegetation structure.

Arctic tundra

Circles the North Pole and extends south to the taiga, is cold, dry, and desert-like.

Permafrost

A layer of permanently frozen subsoil

Alpine tundra

Located on mountains throughout the world at high altitudes where trees cannot grow.

Krill

Key food sources in the Antarctic ecosystem and serve as food for many predators.

Littoral Zone

The part of the ocean that is closest to the shore.

Neretic Zone

This zone extends to the edge of the continental shelf.

Photic Zone

The uppermost layer of water in a lake or ocean that is exposed to sunlight.

Polyps

Small, sac-like animals with a set of tentacles surrounding a central mouth opening and an exoskeleton made of calcium carbonate at the base.

Fringing reefs

Grow near the coastline around islands and continents and are separated from the shore by narrow, shallow lagoons.

Barrier reefs

Parallel to the coastline but are separated by deeper, wider lagoons.

Atolls

Rings of coral that create protected lagoons and are usually located in the middle of the sea.

Lakes

Large natural bodies of standing freshwater formed when precipitation, runoff, or groundwater seepage fills depressions in Earth’s surface.

Benthic Zone

The bottom of lake, organisms can tolerate cool temperatures and low oxygen levels.

Limnetic Zone

A well-lit, open surface water, farther from shore, extends to a depth penetrated by light, occupied by phytoplankton, zooplankton, and higher animals; produces food and oxygen that supports most of a lake’s consumers.

Littoral Zone (Lakes)

Shallow, close to shore, extends to depth penetrated by light; rooted and floating plants flourish

Profundal Zone

Deep, no-light regions, too dark for photosynthesis; low oxygen levels; inhabited by fish adapted to cool, dark waters

Oligotrophic (Young Lake)

Deep, cold, small surface area relative to depth; nutrient-poor, phytoplankton are sparse; not very productive; doesn’t contain much life; waters often very clear; and sediments are low in decomposable organic matter.

Mesotrophic (Middle-Aged Lake)

Moderate nutrient content and moderate amounts of phytoplankton; reasonably productive.

Eutrophic (Old Lake)

Shallow, warm, large surface area relative to depth; Nutrient-rich, phytoplankton more plentiful and productive; Waters often murky; High organic matter content in benthos, which leads to high decomposition rates and potentially low oxygen.

Lake Stratification

The stratification or layering of water in lakes is the result of density changes caused by shifts in temperature.

Seasonal Turnover

Refers to the exchange of surface and bottom water in a lake or pond that happens twice a year.

Wetlands

These are areas that are covered with water at some point in the year and that support aquatic plants.

Riparian areas

Lands adjacent to creeks, lakes, rivers, and streams that support vegetation dependent upon free water in the soil.

Carbon

Is exchanged among the biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere and is the basic building block of life and the fundamental element found in carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and nucleic acids

Nitrogen Fixation

Atmospheric nitrogen is converted into ammonia or nitrate ions, which are biologically usable forms of nitrogen.

Nitrification

Ammonia is converted to nitrite and nitrate, which are the most useful forms of nitrogen to plants.

Assimilation

Plants absorb ammonia, ammonium ions, and nitrate ions through their roots.

Ammonification

Decomposing bacteria convert dead organisms and wastes, which include nitrates, uric acid, proteins, and nucleic acids, to ammonia and ammonium ions—biologically useful forms.

Denitrification

Anaerobic bacteria convert ammonia into nitrites, nitrates, nitrogen gas, and nitrous oxide to continue the cycle.

Environmental Resistance

Any factor that inhibits an increase in the number of organisms in the population.

Ecological succession

The process of change in the species structure of an ecological community over time

Succession

A non-seasonal, cumulative change in the types of plant species that occupy a given area over time, involving colonization, establishment, and extinction,

Keystone Species

A species whose very presence contributes to a diversity of life and whose extinction would lead to the extinction of other forms of life.

Indicator Species

These are organisms whose presence, absence, or abundance reflects a specific environmental condition and can indicate the health of an ecosystem.

Generalist Species

Species that live in different types of environments and have varied diets.

Specialist Species

These species require unique resources and often have a very limited diet; they often need a specific habitat in which to survive

Population Bottleneck

A large reduction in the size of a single population due to a catastrophic environmental event.

Species Richness

The number of different species (diversity) represented in an ecological community or region.

Island Biogeography

Examines the factors that affect the richness and diversity of species living in these isolated natural communities.

Habitat fragmentation

Occurs when a habitat is broken into pieces by development, industry, logging, roads, etc., and can cause an edge effect.

Law of Tolerance

States that the existence, abundance, and distribution of species depend on the tolerance level of each species to both physical and chemical factors within its environment.

Adaptation

The biological mechanism by which organisms adjust to new environments or to changes in their current environment.

Pioneer Species

Earlier successional plants, generalists.

Ecological succession

The gradual and orderly process of ecosystem development brought about by changes in community composition and the production of a climax community

Tundra

Large repetitive population changes, limited soil nutrients, little precipitation, low biotic diversity, poor drainage, short growing and reproductive seasons, and simple vegetation structure.

Type I survivorship curve

Late loss- Reproduction occurs fairly early in life, with most deaths occurring at the limit of biological life span.

Type II survivorship curve

Constant loss- Individuals in all age categories have fairly uniform death rates, with predation being the primary cause of death

Type III survivorship curve

Early loss- Death is prevalent for younger members of the species due to environmental loss and predation and declines with age.

Carrying capacity (K)

Refers to the number of individuals that can be supported sustainably in a given area.

Biotic potential

The maximum reproductive capacity of an organism under optimum environmental conditions.

J-Curve

It represents a population growth occurs in a new environment when the population density of an organism increases rapidly in an exponential or logarithmic form, but then stops abruptly as environmental resistance or another factor suddenly impacts the population growth.

S-Curve

It occurs when, in a new environment, the population density of an organism initially increases slowly but then stabilizes due to the finite amount of resources available.

Limiting Factor

Any resource or environmental condition that limits the abundance, distribution, and/or growth of a population.

Demographic transition

The transition from high birth and death rates to lower birth and death rates as a country or region develops from a pre-industrial to an industrialized economic system.

Plate tectonic theory

States that Earth’s lithosphere is divided into a small number of plates that float on and travel independently over the mantle, with much of Earth’s seismic activity occurring at the boundaries of these plates.

Convergent Boundaries

Occur where two plates slide toward each other.

Divergent Boundaries

Occur when two plates slide apart from each other.

Transform boundaries

Occur where plates slide past each other in opposite directions

Soil

A thin layer on top of most of Earth’s land surface and is composed of minerals, open spaces, and organic materials. .

Soil erosion

The movement of weathered rock and/or soil components from one place to another caused by flowing water, wind, and human activity.

Landslides

Occur when masses of rock, earth, or debris move down a slope.

Mudslides

Known as debris flows or mudflows, are a common type of fast-moving landslide that tends to flow in channels.

Igneous Rocks

Formed by cooling and classified by their silica content.

Formed by intense heat and pressure, high quartz content.

Metamorphic Rocks

Sedimentary

Formed by the piling and cementing of various materials over time in low-lying areas.

Humus

The dark organic material that forms in soil when plant and animal matter decays

Aeration

Refers to how well a soil is able to absorb oxygen, water, and nutrients.