APES

Environment

Sum of all the conditions surrounding us that influence life; living organisms and nonliving components (soil, temperature, and water).

Environmental Science

The field of study that looks at interactions among human systems and those found in nature.

Ecosystem

Particular location on Earth with interacting biotic and abiotic components.

Biotic

Living.

Abiotic

Nonliving.

Environmentalism

A social movement that seeks to protect the environment through lobbying, activism, and education.

Environmentalist

A person who participates in environmentalism.

Environmental Scientist

Follows the process of observation, hypothesis testing, and field and library research to study environmental science.

Environmental Studies

The field of study that includes environmental science and additional subjects such as environmental policy, economics, literature, and ethics.

Four Big Ideas for APES

Energy transfer; interactions between earth systems; interactions between different species and the environment; and sustainability.

Sustainability

Using Earth's resources in a way that does not jeopardize future generations from engaging in similar activities.

The Scientific Method

An objective method to explore the natural world, draw inferences from it, and predict the outcome of certain events, processes, or changes.

Hypothesis

A testable conjecture about how something works.

Testable Hypothesis vs. Non-Testable Hypothesis

A hypothesis that can be tested through experimentation vs. one which cannot.

Variables

Any categories, conditions, factors, or traits that differ in the natural world or in experimental situations.

Independent Variable

A variable that is not dependent on other factors.

Dependent Variable

A variable that is dependent on other factors.

Null Hypothesis

A prediction that there is no difference between the groups or conditions that are being compared.

Control Group

In a scientific investigation a group that experiences exactly the same conditions as the experimental group, except for the single variable under study.

Natural Experiment

A natural event that acts as an experimental treatment in an ecosystem.

Replication

The data collection procedure of taking repeated measurements.

Sample Size (n)

The number of times a measurement is replicated in data collection.

Accuracy

How close a measured value is to the actual or true value.

Precision

How close the repeated measurements of a sample are to one another.

Uncertainty

An estimate of how much a measured or calculated value differs from a true value.

Inductive reasoning

The process of making general statements from specific facts or examples.

Deductive reasoning

The process of applying a general statement to specific facts or situations.

Theory

A hypothesis that has been repeatedly tested and confirmed by multiple groups of researchers and has reached wide acceptance.

First Law of Thermodynamics

A theory with no known exception that states that energy is neither created nor destroyed but it can change from one form to another.

Second Law of Thermodynamics

A theory with no known exception that states that when energy is transformed, the quantity of energy remains the same, but its ability to do work diminishes.

What is environmental science and why is it important?

Environmental Science is the study of the connections between the natural world and humans. It is important because it allows us to understand the way that humans impact the natural world.

What are ways in which humans have altered and continue to alter our environment?

Some of the major ways humans impact the natural world include contributing to the clearing of land, extinction of animals and contributing to greenhouse gases that accelerate climate change.

What are the four "Big Ideas" in Environmental Science?

The four Big Ideas in environmental science, which will appear throughout this book, are energy transfer, interactions between Earth systems, interactions between different species and the environment, and sustainability.

Scientific Method

An objective process used to explore the natural world, draw inferences from it, and predict the outcome of events, processes or changes.

First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics

Important theories that have no known exceptions and relate to energy and energy transfer.

Climate

The average weather that occurs in a given region over a long period of time.

Weather

The short-term conditions of the atmosphere in a local area that include temperature, humidity, clouds, precipitation, and wind speed.

Community Ecology

The study of interactions among species.

Symbiosis

Two species living in a close and long-term association with one another in an ecosystem.

Biosphere

The region of our planet where life resides.

Competition

The struggle of individuals, either within or between species, to obtain a shared limiting resource.

Competitive Exclusion Principle

The principle stating that two species competing for the same limiting resource cannot coexist.

Resource Partitioning

When two species evolve to divide a resource based on differences in their behavior or morphology; caused by competition.

Spatial Resource Partitioning

Different species or individuals use different areas or habitats within the same ecosystem to reduce competition for resources.

Temporal Resource Partitioning

Species or individuals use the same resource but at different times to minimize competition.

Morphological Resource Partitioning

Species evolve differences in their body shapes or structure to exploit different types of the same resource.

Predation

An interaction in which one animal typically kills and consumes another animal.

Parasitoids

A specialized type of predator that lays eggs inside other organisms — referred to as its host.

Parasitism

An interaction in which one organism lives on or in another organism, referred to as the host.

Pathogens

A parasite that causes disease in its host.

Herbivory

An interaction in which an animal consumes plants or algae.

Mutualism

An interaction between two species that increases the chances of survival or reproduction for both species.

Photosynthesis

The process by which plants and algae use solar energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen.

Commensalism

An interaction between two species in which one species benefits and the other species is neither harmed nor helped.

Native Species

A species that lives in its historical range, typically where it has lived for thousands or millions of years.

Exotic Species

A species living outside its historical range; alien species.

Invasive Species

A species that spreads rapidly across large areas and causes harm.

Ecosystem Boundaries

Distinguish one ecosystem from another, commonly defined by topographic features or administrative criteria.

Competition

An interaction between two species that share a limiting resource, leading to natural selection favoring reduced overlap in resource use.

Predators

Organisms that can affect the abundance of prey populations and cause the evolution of antipredator defenses in prey populations.

Parasitism

An interaction in which one organism lives on or in another organism.

Pathogens

Parasites that can cause disease in their hosts.

Herbivory

An interaction in which animals consume plants or algae.

Mutualism

Interactions that benefit two interacting species by increasing the chances of survival or reproduction for both.

Pollinators

Organisms that interact with flowering plants in a mutualistic relationship.

Commensalism

Interactions in which one species benefits but the other is neither harmed nor helped.

Invasive Species

Species that represent novel species interactions and can have substantial impacts on native species in an ecosystem.

Biome

The plants and animals that are found in a particular region of the world.

Terrestrial Biomes

A geographic region of land categorized by a particular combination of average annual temperature, annual precipitation, and distinctive plant growth forms.

Aquatic Biome

An aquatic region characterized by a particular combination of salinity, depth, and water flow.

Habitat

An area where a particular species lives in nature.

Tundra

A cold and treeless biome with low-growing vegetation.

Permafrost

An impermeable, permanently frozen layer of soil.

Taiga

A forest biome made up primarily of coniferous evergreen trees that can tolerate cold winters and short growing seasons.

Temperate Rainforest

A coastal biome typified by moderate temperatures and high precipitation.

Temperate Seasonal Forest

A biome with warm summers and cold winters with over 1 m (39 inches) of annual precipitation.

Shrubland

A biome characterized by hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters.

Temperate Grassland

A biome characterized by cold, harsh winters, and hot, dry summers.

Tropical Rainforest

A warm and wet biome found between 20° N and 20° S of the equator, with little season temperature variation and high precipitation.

Savanna

A biome marked by warm temperatures and distinct wet and dry seasons.

Hot Desert

A biome located at roughly 30° N and 30° S, characterized by hot temperatures, extremely dry conditions, and sparse vegetation.

Climate Diagrams

Illustrate monthly patterns of temperature and precipitation during the year, including the growing season of a biome.

Changing Boundaries of Terrestrial Biomes

Caused by climate changes in Earth's history, which have shifted biome boundaries over time.

Freshwater Biomes

Categorized as streams and rivers, lakes and ponds, or freshwater wetlands.

Littoral Zone

The shallow zone of soil and water in lakes and ponds near the shore where most algae and emergent plants such as cattails grow.

Limnetic Zone

A zone of open water in lakes and ponds as deep as the sunlight can penetrate.

Phytoplankton

Floating algae.

Profundal Zone

A region of water where sunlight does not reach, below the limnetic zone in very deep lakes.

Benthic Zone

The muddy bottom of a lake, pond, or ocean beneath the limnetic and profundal zone.

Oligotrophic

Describes a lake with a low level of phytoplankton due to low amounts of nutrients in the water.

Mesotrophic

Describes a lake with a moderate level of fertility.

Eutrophic

Describes a lake with a high level of fertility.

Freshwater Wetlands

An aquatic biome that is submerged or saturated by water for at least part of each year, but shallow enough to support emergent vegetation.

Estuaries

An area along the coast where the freshwater of rivers mixes with salt water from the ocean.

Salt Marshes

Found along the coast in temperate climates, a marsh containing nonwoody emergent vegetation.

Mangrove Swamps

A swamp that occurs along tropical and subtropical coasts, and contains salt-tolerant trees with roots submerged in water.

Intertidal Zone

The narrow band of coastline that exists between the levels of high tide and low tide.

Coral Reefs

Represents Earth's most diverse marine biome, and are found in warm, shallow waters beyond the shoreline in tropical regions.

Coral Bleaching

A phenomenon in which algae inside coral die, causing the corals to turn white.

Open Ocean

Deep-ocean water, located away from the shoreline where sunlight can no longer reach the ocean bottom.