APES UNIT ONE

Flashcards covering ecosystems, biomes, and ecological cycles based on AP Environmental Science unit one notes.

What are the two interacting components of an ecosystem?

Biotic and abiotic components

What are biotic components?

Living components of an ecosystem

What are abiotic components?

Nonliving parts of an ecosystem

What is a biosphere?

Combination of all ecosystems on Earth

Define predator-prey relationship.

One animal kills and consumes another.

What is a symbiotic relationship?

A long-term interaction between two different biological species

Give examples of symbiotic relationships.

Mutualism (+/+), Commensalism (+/0), Parasitism (+/~)

Define competition in an ecosystem.

Occurs when organisms must share a limited resource

What is resource partitioning?

Equally dividing resources according to survival needs

What is a keystone species?

Plays a large role in its ecosystem despite being low in population

What are ecosystem engineers?

Types of keystone species that create or maintain habitats for other species

What is a biome?

Geographic region characterized by a certain climate and diverse presence of plants and animals; larger than ecosystems

Name the two categories of biomes.

Terrestrial and aquatic

How are terrestrial biomes characterized?

By plant growth, temperature, and precipitation

Name the two categories of aquatic biomes.

Marine and freshwater

Describe the tundra biome.

Coldest biomes, very little rain, home to mosses and small plants

Describe the boreal forest/taiga biome.

Coniferous forest with long, cold winters and short, cool summers; trees with dense leaves and canopies

Describe the temperate rainforest biome.

Moderate temps with high precipitation; most species diversification; coniferous trees, nutrient-poor soil due to rainfall

Describe the woodland/shrubland biome.

Year-long growing season, weather extremes; home to species with drought-resistant evolutionary traits

Describe the tropical rainforest biome.

Near the equator, always hot and humid; nutrient-poor soil, large rainfall; ecosystem is productive: biomass forms at a quick rate; 3 layers of vegetation - canopy, subcanopy, forest floor

Describe the savanna biome.

Dry/hot seasons with little vegetation; nutrient-rich soil, but dry climate prevents large plant growth; high biodiversity

Describe the subtropical desert biome.

Hot and dry; no nutrients, little biodiversity (cacti and succulents); little precipitation

What characterizes freshwater biomes?

Low salinity, high biodiversity

How are lakes and ponds classified?

By productivity level: oligotrophic to mesotrophic to eutrophic (low to high)

Name the zones of lakes and ponds in order of increasing depth.

Littoral -> limnetic -> profundal -> benthic

What characterizes freshwater wetlands?

High productivity, submerged in water for most of the year; supports emergent vegetation; soil saturated in water, high nutrient density

What are the functions of wetlands?

Prevent flooding and drought, filter out water pollutants

Give characteristics of salt marshes.

Flooded partially/entirely, non-woody emergent vegetation; located along estuaries: freshwater meets saltwater; prevent flooding and extreme coastal erosion

Give characteristics of mangrove swamps.

Trees with submerged roots; prevents natural disaster effects; located in estuaries/shallow saltwater

What characterizes marine biomes?

High salinity, high biodiversity

Describe intertidal zones.

Narrow bands of coastline between high and low tide; stable when submerged, low tide exposes organisms to harsh conditions; home to barnacles, sponges, sea stars, crustaceans

Describe coral reefs.

In warm, shallow waters; made up of tiny animals that produce limestone to form an external skeleton; rely on photosynthetic algae for food

Define coral bleaching.

Algae inside corals die

Define acidification in the context of coral reefs.

Lowers pH of water, causing bleaching/erosion of coral

Describe the open ocean.

Deep ocean water where sunlight cannot penetrate

What is the photic zone?

Layer of ocean where sunlight can penetrate, allows for photosynthesis

What is the aphotic zone?

Below the photic zone, no photosynthesis

What is the benthic zone?

Bottom of the ocean

What is nitrogen fixation and how does it occur?

Conversion of N2 to NH3 or NO3-; biotically (fixing bacteria) or abiotically (lightning, industrial processes)

What is nitrification?

Conversion of NH3 etc. to NO2- to NO3-; by bacteria in soil/water

What is assimilation?

Nitrogen taken by plant tissues, either synthesized or runs into the ocean

What is mineralization?

Decomposition of living organisms, reformed into NH3

What is denitrification?

Bacteria converts NO3- to N2O to N2

What is GPP (Gross Primary Productivity)?

Energy captured by producers

What is NPP (Net Primary Productivity)?

EQUATION: GPP - respiration

What percentage of solar energy supports growth and reproduction in ecosystems?

0.4%

What role do scavengers, detritivores, and decomposers play in an ecosystem?

Eat dead organic matter

Explain the 10% rule.

Only 10% of energy is passed down from a trophic level

State the First Law of Thermodynamics

Energy cannot be created nor destroyed

State the Second Law of Thermodynamics

In any natural process, entropy increases in an isolated system

What is a food chain?

Shows how different organisms depend on each other for food and linear energy transfer

What is a food web?

Shows all trophic interactions in an ecosystem

What is a trophic cascade?

When a predator at the top of a food chain impacts species lower down

Differentiate between negative and positive feedback loops.

Negative loops decrease change rate, positive loops amplify change.