APES Midterm Review

Sustainability

Ability of Earth's various systems, including human cultural systems and economies, to survive and adapt to changing environmental conditions indefinitely.

Environmental Science

Interdisciplinary study that uses information from the physical sciences and social sciences to understand how the earth works, learn how humans interact with the earth, and develop solutions to environmental problems.

Ecology

Biological science that studies the relations between living organisms and their environment; study of the structure and functions of nature.

Developing Countries

Countries that have low to moderate industrialization and low to moderate per capita GDP (gross domestic product).

Developed Countries

Countries that are highly industrialized and have a high per capita GDP (gross domestic product).

Perpetual Resources

Essentially an inexhaustible resource on a human time scale because it is renewed continuously, such as solar energy.

Non-renewable Resources

Resources that exist in a fixed amount in Earth's crust and have potential for renewal by geological processes over millions to billions of years.

Environmental Degradation

Depletion or destruction of a potentially renewable resource; used faster than it is naturally replenished.

Ecological Footprint

Amount of biologically productive land and water needed to supply a population with the renewable resources it uses and to absorb waste.

Recycling

Collecting and reprocessing a resource so that it can be made into new products.

Non-Point Source Pollution

Pollution that comes from large or dispersed land areas that discharge pollutants into the environment.

Input Pollution Control

Device or process that prevents a potential pollutant from forming or entering the environment.

Output Pollution Control

Device or process that removes or reduces the level of a pollutant after it has been produced.

Organisms

Any form of life.

Population

Group of individual organisms of the same species living in a particular area.

Community

Populations of all species living and interacting in an area at a particular time.

Ecosystems

Community of different species interacting with one another and with its non-living environment.

Biosphere

Zone of the earth where life is found, consisting of parts of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere.

Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index

Quantifies the uncertainty associated with predicting the next letter based on the variety and abundance of letters present.

Atmosphere

Mass of air surrounding the Earth.

Troposphere

The lowest portion of Earth's atmosphere, containing approximately 75% of its mass.

Stratosphere

Layer of the atmosphere situated between 10 km and 50 km above the surface, stratified in temperature.

Hydrosphere

All liquid water on Earth's surface, including oceans, lakes, and groundwater.

Lithosphere

Outer shell of the earth composed of the crust and rigid outer layer of the mantle.

Carbon Cycle

Cyclic movement of carbon in different chemical forms from the environment to organisms and back.

Phosphorus Cycle

Cyclic movement of phosphorus from the environment to organisms and back.

Nitrogen Cycle

Cyclic movement of nitrogen from the environment to organisms and back.

Water Cycle

Biogeochemical cycle that collects, purifies, and distributes the earth's fixed supply of water.

Oxygen Cycle

Biogeochemical cycle describing the movement of oxygen among its reservoirs driven by photosynthesis.

Aquatic Ecosystems

The largest ecosystems on Earth, including oceans, estuaries, and coral reefs.

Producers/Autotrophs

Organisms that use solar energy or chemical energy to manufacture organic compounds needed for nutrients.

Consumers/Heterotrophs

Organisms that cannot synthesize their own organic nutrients and obtain them by feeding on other organisms.

Decomposers/Detrivores

Organisms that break down dead organic material and recycle nutrients back into the ecosystem.

Energy Transfer

The transfer of energy from one object to another in various forms.

Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)

The rate at which an ecosystem's producers capture and store a given amount of chemical energy.

Net Primary Productivity (NPP)

The rate at which plants produce net useful chemical energy in an ecosystem after respiration.

O Horizon

High percentage of organic matter, containing leaves, pine needles, and hummus.

A Horizon

Composed mostly of mineral material; dark color is due to humus mixing with minerals.

B Horizon

Subsoil where leaching occurs, containing rocks and minerals.

C Horizon

Substratum consisting of parent materials, rocks, and minerals.

Sand

Naturally occurring granular material with high permeability.

Silt

Granular material of medium size between sand and clay, with moderate permeability.

Clay

Very fine particles that are easily compacted and have low permeability.

Humus

Slightly soluble residue from decomposed organic material that retains water and nutrients.

Leaching

Process where chemicals in soil are dissolved and carried to lower layers or groundwater.

Biodiversity

Variety of different species, genetic variability, ecosystems, and biological processes in an environment.

Niches

The total way of life or role of a species in an ecosystem, including its habitat and behaviors.

Microevolution

Small genetic changes that occur in a population over time.

Macroevolution

Long-term large-scale evolutionary changes among groups of species.

Generalists

Species that live in broad niches and can withstand a wide range of environmental conditions.

Specialists

Species that live in narrow niches and are sensitive to environmental changes.

Extinction

Complete disappearance of a species from Earth due to inability to adapt or reproduce.

Species

A group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring.

Fundamental Niche

Full potential range of conditions a species can use without competition.

Realized Niche

Part of the fundamental niche that a species actually uses.

Artificial Selection

Humans choose desirable traits in species to breed and produce specific populations.

Isobars

Lines on a map that connect places of equal atmospheric pressure.

High Pressure

Usually brings clear skies and rotates counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere.

Low Pressure

Brings clouds and precipitation, rotating clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere.

Climate

Long-term weather patterns of an area based on temperature and precipitation records.

Weather

Short-term atmospheric conditions at a specific time and place.

Latitude

Distance from the equator, which influences climate and weather patterns.

Elevation

Distance above sea level, impacting temperature and weather.

Seasons

Changes in weather and ecology due to Earth's revolution around the Sun and axial tilt.

Coriolis Effect

Deflection of winds due to Earth's rotation, affecting atmospheric movements.

Convection Currents

Winds caused by uneven heating of Earth's surface, leading to air movements.

Desert

A dry region with little rainfall, high temperatures, and sparse vegetation.

Savannas

Grassland regions with widely spaced trees and an open canopy.

Prairie

Grass-dominated ecosystem, often referred to as temperate grassland.

Chaparral

Vegetation consisting of tangled shrubs and thorny bushes.

Tundra

Flat, treeless regions with permanently frozen subsoil.

Coniferous Forest

A forest biome with evergreen trees in temperate regions.

Temperate Deciduous Forest

Forest biome with distinct seasons and a variety of trees that lose leaves.

Tropical Rain Forest

Forest found in the equatorial zone with high rainfall and biodiversity.

Rivers

Natural freshwater courses flowing towards larger bodies of water.

Streams

Smaller watercourses with defined banks and currents.

Lakes

Large bodies of relatively still water surrounded by land.

Ponds

Smaller bodies of standing water, often with different ecological characteristics than lakes.

Vernal Ponds

Temporary ponds that dry up part of the year, usually lacking fish.

Swamps

Wetlands that are forested.

Bogs

Wetlands with acidic waters and peat accumulation.

Watershed

Area of land where surface water converges to a single point.

Littoral Zone

Shoreline areas of lakes and oceans where light penetrates.

Limnetic Zone

Well-lit surface waters away from the shore, supporting photosynthesis.

Profundal Zone

Very cold, dark depths below the range of effective light penetration.

Benthic Zone

Lowest level of a body of water, including the sediment surface.

Oceans

Large bodies of saline water composing a significant part of the hydrosphere.

Coral Reefs

Underwater structures made of calcium carbonate secreted by corals.

Patch Reefs

Small isolated reefs found within lagoons or embayments.

Atolls

Ring-shaped reefs encircling a lagoon, with no land protruding.

Pelagic Zone

Open water areas of seas or lakes that are not close to the bottom or shore.

Mangrove

Trees and shrubs growing in saline coastal sediments.

Estuaries

Partially enclosed coastal bodies of water where freshwater meets saltwater.

Eutrophic Lakes

Lakes with high biological productivity due to nutrient-rich waters.

Oligotrophic Lakes

Lakes with low primary productivity and high water clarity.

Mesotrophic Lakes

Lakes with intermediate levels of productivity.

Runoff

Water flow that occurs when excess water flows over land after soil saturation.

Wetlands

Saturated land areas that take on distinct ecosystem characteristics.

Mitigation

Part of an environmental crediting system involving the allocation of environmental credits.