AP Environmental Science Notes

These flashcards cover essential terms and concepts from environmental science, focusing on biomes, biodiversity, population dynamics, and agriculture.

Temperate Deciduous Forests

Biomes with warm summers and cold winters, known for high rainfall and fertile soil due to decomposed fallen leaves.

Prairie

Another name for temperate grasslands, characterized by fires and limited plant growth due to dry conditions.

Temperate Rainforests

Coastal biomes with high rainfall, mostly coniferous trees, and nutrient-poor soils.

Aquatic Biomes

Biomes that include freshwater and marine ecosystems, characterized by varying salt concentrations.

Freshwater Systems

Make up about 2.5% of Earth's water, critical for human use but unevenly distributed globally.

Floodplain

Areas near a river's course that are flooded periodically.

Wetlands

Saturated soil systems with standing shallow water, often seasonal.

Photic Zone

Top layer of ocean water where sunlight penetrates, supporting most marine life.

Carbon Sink

A reservoir that absorbs more carbon than it releases.

Primary Productivity

The rate at which solar energy is converted into organic compounds via photosynthesis.

Trophic Cascade

An ecological phenomenon where the removal of a top predator alters the structure and function of the ecosystem.

Keystone Species

Species whose impact on the ecosystem is disproportionately large relative to their abundance.

Biodiversity

The variety of life across all levels of biological organization, including genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity.

Mutations

Random changes in the genetic code that can be caused by environmental factors.

Natural Selection

The process by which traits that enhance survival and reproduction become more common in a population.

Gene Flow

The transfer of genetic variation from one population to another.

Bottleneck Effect

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

Logistic Growth

Population growth that levels off as population size approaches carrying capacity.

Overshoot

When a population exceeds the environment's carrying capacity.

Ecosystem Diversity

The measure of the diversity of ecosystems or habitats in a given region.

Extinction

The permanent loss of a species when the last individual dies.

Habitat Fragmentation

The gradual degradation of habitats, resulting in isolated patches that can threaten species.

El Niño

A climate pattern that describes the unusual warming of surface waters in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.

Sustainable Agriculture

Farming practices that maintain healthy soil and ecosystems while meeting the food needs of the current and future generations.

Soil Horizons

Distinct layers of soil that differ in physical characteristics and composition.

Irrigation

The artificial application of water to soil for the purpose of plant growth.

Erosion

The process by which soil and rock are removed from the Earth's surface by natural processes such as wind or water.

Conservation Biologists

Scientists who study and work to protect biodiversity and ecosystems.

Pesticides

Synthetic chemicals used to kill pests that threaten crops or livestock.