ALL VOCAB FOR APES 2025

10% Rule

an ecological principle stating that when energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next in a food chain

Abiotic pathway

Pathway that involves non-living components.

Acid Deposition

The falling of acids from the atmosphere to the earth.

Acid Precipitation

Precipitation that contains acidic components.

Acid Rain

Rainfall made acidic by atmospheric pollution.

Acid Rain Prevention

Methods to reduce acid rain formation.

Acidification

The process of making something more acidic.

Activated Sludge Tanks

Tanks used in wastewater treatment to promote microbial growth.

Acute toxicity

The harmful effects of a substance after a short exposure.

Aedes mosquito

A genus of mosquitoes known for transmitting diseases.

Aerated Lagoons

Lagoons that are aerated to promote biological treatment.

Aeration

The process of introducing air into a substance.

Aerobic Decomposition

Decomposition that occurs in the presence of oxygen.

Aerobic Respiration

Respiration that requires oxygen.

Aesthetic values

Values related to beauty and visual appeal.

Age Structure Diagram

A graphical representation of the age distribution of a population.

Agricultural Activities

Practices related to farming and cultivation.

Agricultural Practices

Methods and techniques used in farming.

Agricultural Runoff

Water that carries fertilizers and pesticides from agricultural fields.

Air Pollutants

Substances in the air that can harm human health or the environment.

Air Pollution

The presence of harmful substances in the atmosphere.

Air Quality

The measure of pollutants in the air.

Air quality regulation

Laws and guidelines to maintain air quality.

Alcohol Fuels

Fuels derived from the fermentation of sugars.

Algae

Simple non-flowering plants of a large group that includes seaweeds.

Algal Bloom

Rapid increase in the population of algae in water bodies.

Alleles

Different forms of a gene that can exist at a specific locus.

Antibiotic resistance

The ability of bacteria to resist the effects of antibiotics.

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO)

Large-scale industrial agricultural facilities that raise animals in confined spaces.

Conference of the Parties (COP)

The supreme decision-making body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Conservation status

A classification that indicates the likelihood of a species becoming extinct.

Control rods

Devices used in nuclear reactors to control the fission rate of uranium and plutonium.

Convection Cells

Patterns of movement in fluids where warmer

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)

An international agreement aimed at ensuring that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.

Coral Bleaching

The loss of color in corals due to stress factors like temperature changes

Critically endangered (CR)

A category in the IUCN Red List indicating a species is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.

Cultural eutrophication

The process by which human activities increase the nutrient load in water bodies

DDT (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane)

A synthetic pesticide that was widely used but is now banned in many countries due to its environmental impact.

Demographic Transition Model

A model that describes the transition of a country from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates.

Density Dependent Factor

Factors that affect population size in relation to the population's density.

Disease Vectors

Organisms that transmit pathogens and parasites from one host to another.

Dissolved Oxygen (DO)

The amount of oxygen that is present in water

Divergent Boundary

A tectonic plate boundary where two plates are moving away from each other.

Ecological Footprint

A measure of human demand on the Earth's ecosystems

Ecosystem Resilience

The ability of an ecosystem to recover from disturbances or changes.

Energy Return on Energy Investment (EROEI)

A ratio that measures the amount of usable energy obtained from a particular energy resource

Endangered Species Act (ESA)

A U.S. law aimed at protecting critically imperiled species from extinction.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

An agency of the U.S. federal government responsible for protecting human health and the environment.

Exponential Growth

A growth pattern in which a population grows at a constant rate over time

Family Planning

The practice of controlling the number and spacing of children in a family.

Feedback Loop

A system where the output of a process influences its own input

First Law

The law of conservation of energy

Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

An oil spill that occurred in Prince William Sound

Family Farms

Farms that are owned and operated by families

Feed pump

A device used to supply fuel to an engine or system.

Feedback Loop

A process in which the output of a system feeds back into the system as input

Ferrel cell

A wind cell in the mid-latitudes that is characterized by westerly winds.

Fertility

The ability to conceive children or young.

Fertilizer

A chemical or natural substance added to soil to increase its fertility.

Filtration

The process of removing impurities or particles from a liquid or gas.

Finite Resources

Natural resources that are limited in supply and cannot be replenished within a human timescale.

Fire Regimes

Patterns of fire occurrence

First Law of Thermodynamics

Energy cannot be created or destroyed

Fish Kills

Events where a significant number of fish die in a specific area

Fish Migration Patterns

The seasonal movement of fish from one habitat to another for breeding or feeding.

Fishing Regulations

Laws and rules governing the practice of fishing to ensure sustainable practices.

Flood Control

Methods used to prevent or reduce the impact of flooding.

Food Security

The state of having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable

Food Web

A system of interlocking and interdependent food chains in an ecosystem.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere

Habitat Destruction

The process in which natural habitat is rendered unable to support the species present.

Hazardous Waste

Waste that poses a risk to health or the environment due to its chemical nature.

Human Impacts on Biodiversity

The effects of human activities on the variety of life in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

Hydraulic Fracturing

A method of extracting natural gas or oil by injecting high-pressure fluid into subterranean rocks.

Invasive Species

Non-native species that spread widely in a new habitat and cause harm to the environment.

Irrigation Methods

Techniques used to supply water to crops to aid in growth.

Keystone species

A species that has a disproportionately large effect on its environment relative to its abundance.

Land Use Changes

Alterations in the way land is utilized

Lethal Dose 50% (LD50)

The dose of a substance that is lethal to 50% of a test population.

Lead

Lead poisoning

Legislation for fisheries

mercury check

Love Canal

New York

Methane

Methane (CH4)

Ozone

Ozone (O3)

Beetle

Pioneer species

Plant Uptake

Plastic Debris

Plastic Pollution

PM10

PM2.5

Pneumonic plague

POD (Probable-Effect-Dose)

Point source pollutant

Point Source Pollution

Poisonous gas cloud escape

Polar Areas

Polar Ice Caps

Polar Regions

Pollination

Pollutant Runoff

Pollutants

Pollution

Pollution and Human Health

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE)

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB)

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)

Population Age Structure

Population Bottleneck

Population Crash

Population density

Population Doubling Time

Population Dynamics

Population Growth

Population Growth Rate

Population Growth Rate formula