AP Environmental Science (copy)

Ecosystem

A community of living organisms interacting with the non-living components of their environment.

Organism

A living thing that can function on its own.

Species

Organisms that resemble each other and are capable of interbreeding to produce fertile offspring.

Population

A group of organisms of the same species that interact and occupy a specific area.

Community

A population of different species that interact within a certain area.

Ecological Niche

A particular area within a habitat occupied by an organism, including its role in the ecosystem.

Symbiosis

A close and long-term biological interaction between two different organisms.

Amensalism

An interaction where one species suffers while the other is not affected.

Commensalism

An interaction where one organism benefits while the other is unaffected.

Competition

The struggle between organisms for the same resources in an ecosystem.

Mutualism

An interaction where both species benefit.

Parasitism

An interaction where one species benefits at the expense of another.

Predation

An interaction where one organism hunts and kills another for food.

Law of Tolerance

The concept that the existence and distribution of species depend on their tolerance levels to environmental factors.

Limiting Factor

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

Morphological partitioning

When two species share the same resource but have evolved different structures to utilize it.

Grasslands

Lands dominated by grasses, characterized by their vegetation and climate.

Biomes

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

Deserts

Areas where rainfall is less than 20 inches (50 cm) per year, characterized by extreme temperatures and low humidity.

Succulents

Plants with fleshy leaves or stems that store water to survive in dry environments.

Tundra

A cold, treeless biome characterized by low temperatures and short growing seasons.

Aquatic Biomes

Biomes that occur in water environments, including freshwater and marine ecosystems.

Carbon Cycle

The process by which carbon is exchanged among the biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere.

Nitrogen Cycle

The series of processes by which nitrogen and its compounds are interconverted in the environment and in living organisms.

Phosphorous Cycle

The movement of phosphorus through the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere.

Hydrologic Cycle

The continuous movement of water within the Earth and atmosphere.

Biodiversity

The variability among species, between species, and of ecosystems.

Population Bottleneck

A sharp reduction in the size of a population due to environmental events.

Generalist Species

Species that can thrive in a wide variety of environmental conditions.

Specialist Species

Species that have specialized requirements and live in specific environments.

Species Richness

The number of different species represented in an ecological community.

Ecological Succession

The gradual process of change in species composition in an ecological community over time.

Keystone Species

A species whose presence has a disproportionate effect on its environment.

Indicator Species

Species whose presence or absence in an environment indicates the health of that ecosystem.

Cultural Eutrophication

The process whereby human activity increases nutrient input to water bodies, leading to excessive plant growth.

Bioaccumulation

The increase in concentration of a substance in an organism over time.

Biomagnification

The increasing concentration of a substance, such as a toxic chemical, in the tissues of organisms at successively higher levels in a food chain.

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)

Everyday items that are discarded and are commonly referred to as trash or garbage.

Sustainable Development

Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Renewable Energy

Energy from sources that are regenerated naturally and sustainably.

Nonrenewable Energy

Energy from sources that are finite and not replenished in a human timeframe.

Greenhouse Effect

The warming of Earth’s atmosphere caused by greenhouse gases trapping heat.

Air Pollution

The introduction of harmful substances or products into the atmosphere.

Thermal Inversion

A weather phenomenon in which a layer of warm air traps cooler air at the surface.