APES Vocabulary List – By Unit (Review)

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Biotic factor

Any living component that affects the ecosystem, including plants, animals, and microorganisms.

Abiotic factor

Non-living elements of the environment, such as sunlight, temperature, water, and minerals.

Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)

The total amount of organic matter or biomass produced by photosynthesis in a given area over a specific time period.

Net Primary Productivity (NPP)

The rate of energy storage in plants after accounting for respiration; NPP = GPP - respiration.

Trophic level

The position an organism occupies in a food chain, determining its role in energy transfer.

Food web

A complex network of interconnected food chains within an ecosystem, illustrating how different organisms are related through feeding.

Ecological niche

The specific role or function of an organism within its ecosystem, including its habitat and interactions with other species.

Keystone species

A species that has a disproportionately large impact on its environment relative to its abundance, often crucial for maintaining the structure of an ecosystem.

Indicator species

A species whose presence, absence, or abundance reflects the health of an ecosystem or environmental conditions.

Bioaccumulation

The gradual accumulation of substances, such as pesticides or heavy metals, in an organism over time.

Biomagnification

The increasing concentration of toxins in the bodies of organisms at each successive level of the food chain.

Genetic diversity

The total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species, contributing to its adaptability.

Species richness

The number of different species present in a given area or ecosystem.

Species evenness

A measure of how similar the abundances of different species are within an ecosystem.

Ecosystem services

The benefits that ecosystems provide to humanity, including provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural services.

Invasive species

Non-native species that spread rapidly and cause harm to native species and ecosystems.

Specialist species

Species that require specific environmental conditions or resources to survive and thrive.

Generalist species

Species that can thrive in a wide variety of environmental conditions and can utilize a variety of resources.

Endemic species

Species that are native to and found only within a specific geographic area.

Habitat fragmentation

The process by which large habitats are divided into smaller, isolated patches, often due to human activities.

Island biogeography

A field of study that examines the ecological relationships and species diversity on islands, influenced by distance to mainland and island size.

Ecological succession

The gradual process of change and replacement in the species composition of a community over time.

Crude birth rate

The number of live births per 1,000 people in a population per year.

Crude death rate

The number of deaths per 1,000 people in a population per year.

Total fertility rate (TFR)

The average number of children a woman will have during her lifetime based on current age-specific birth rates.

Doubling time

The time it takes for a population to double in size, often calculated using the Rule of 70.

Replacement-level fertility

The total fertility rate at which a population exactly replaces itself from one generation to the next, typically around 2.1 children per woman.

Rule of 70

A formula used to estimate the doubling time of a population by dividing 70 by the annual growth rate.

Carrying capacity

The maximum number of individuals of a given species that an environment can sustainably support.

Exponential growth

A rapid increase in population size that occurs when resources are unlimited, resulting in a J-shaped growth curve.

Logistic growth

Population growth that starts exponentially but slows as the population reaches the carrying capacity, resulting in an S-shaped growth curve.

Demographic transition

The transition from high birth and death rates to lower birth and death rates as a country develops.

Age structure diagram

A graphical representation of the age distribution of a population, which can indicate potential growth trends.

Plate tectonics

The theory explaining the movement of the Earth's lithosphere, which is divided into tectonic plates that interact at their boundaries.

Convergent boundary

A tectonic plate boundary where two plates collide, often forming mountains or leading to subduction.

Divergent boundary

A tectonic plate boundary where two plates move apart, creating new crust as magma rises to the surface.

Weathering

The breakdown of rocks and minerals into smaller particles through physical, chemical, or biological processes.

Erosion

The movement of soil and rock from one location to another, often caused by water, wind, or ice.

Watershed

An area of land that drains into a specific water body, such as a river or lake.

Soil horizon

A distinct layer of soil that differs in texture, composition, and color from other layers.

Porosity

The measure of the void spaces (pores) in a material, indicating how much water it can hold.

Permeability

The ability of a material to allow fluids to pass through it, influenced by pore size and connectivity.

El Niño

A climate pattern characterized by the warming of sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean, affecting global weather patterns.

La Niña

A climate pattern characterized by cooler-than-average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean, often leading to opposite weather effects compared to El Niño.

Tragedy of the commons

A concept describing the overuse and depletion of shared resources due to individual self-interest.

Aquifer

A geological formation that can store and transmit groundwater, providing a source of freshwater.

Water table

The upper surface of the saturated zone of groundwater, below which all spaces in the soil and rock are filled with water.

Furrow irrigation

A method of irrigation where trenches (furrows) are dug between crop rows to direct water to plants.

Drip irrigation

A highly efficient irrigation method that delivers water directly to the roots of plants through a system of tubing and emitters.

Slash-and-burn agriculture

A farming technique that involves clearing land by cutting and burning vegetation, often leading to soil degradation.

Monoculture

The agricultural practice of growing a single crop species over a wide area for consecutive seasons.

Green Revolution

A period of agricultural transformation characterized by the introduction of high-yielding crop varieties, fertilizers, and irrigation technologies, aimed at increasing food production.

Desertification

The process by which fertile land becomes desert, often due to drought, deforestation, or poor agricultural practices.

Overfishing

The depletion of fish stocks due to excessive fishing, leading to a decline in fish populations and ecosystem imbalance.

Sustainable yield

The amount of resource that can be harvested without compromising the ability of the ecosystem to replenish that resource.

Nonrenewable resource

Natural resources that cannot be replenished on a human timescale, such as fossil fuels and minerals.

Renewable resource

A natural resource that can be replenished naturally over time, such as solar energy, wind energy, and biomass.

Energy efficiency

The ratio of useful energy output to the total energy input, indicating how effectively energy is converted from one form to another.

Cogeneration

The simultaneous production of electricity and useful heat from the same energy source, improving overall efficiency.

Peat

An accumulation of partially decayed organic matter found in wetlands, which can be used as a fuel source.

Bituminous coal

A type of coal that is used primarily for electricity generation and is characterized by high carbon content and energy content.

Passive solar

A design approach that uses the sun's energy for heating and cooling buildings without mechanical systems.

Active solar

Systems that use mechanical devices, such as pumps and fans, to collect, store, and distribute solar energy.

Photovoltaic cell

A device that converts light energy directly into electricity through the photovoltaic effect.

Biomass

Organic material that comes from plants and animals, which can be used as a renewable energy source.

Tidal energy

Energy generated from the movement of tides, which can be harnessed to produce electricity.

Primary pollutant

A pollutant that is directly emitted from a source into the atmosphere, such as carbon monoxide or sulfur dioxide.

Secondary pollutant

A pollutant that forms in the atmosphere through chemical reactions between primary pollutants and other substances, such as ozone.

Photochemical smog

A type of air pollution formed by the reaction of sunlight with pollutants like volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), resulting in a brownish haze.

Thermal inversion

A weather phenomenon where a layer of warm air traps cooler air near the ground, preventing pollutants from dispersing and leading to increased air pollution.

Particulate matter

Tiny solid or liquid particles suspended in the air, which can have harmful effects on health and the environment.

Carbon monoxide

A colorless, odorless gas produced by incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, which can be harmful to human health.

Nitrogen oxides (NOx)

Gases produced from burning fossil fuels, which contribute to air pollution and the formation of smog and acid rain.

Sulfur dioxide (SO₂)

A gas produced by burning fossil fuels that contains sulfur, contributing to air pollution and acid rain.

Clean Air Act

A U.S. federal law aimed at controlling air pollution on a national level by setting standards for air quality.

Catalytic converter

A device used in vehicles that converts harmful gases from engine exhaust into less harmful substances before they are released into the atmosphere.

Acid deposition

The process by which acidic substances, such as sulfuric and nitric acid, fall to the ground as precipitation, leading to environmental harm.

Point source pollution

Pollution that originates from a single identifiable source, such as a factory or sewage treatment plant.

Nonpoint source pollution

Pollution that comes from multiple diffuse sources, making it difficult to identify a specific origin, such as runoff from agricultural fields.

Eutrophication

The process by which water bodies become enriched with nutrients, leading to excessive growth of algae and depletion of oxygen, harming aquatic life.

Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)

A measure of the amount of oxygen that microorganisms will consume while decomposing organic matter in water, indicating the level of pollution.

Dead zone

An area in aquatic environments with low oxygen levels (hypoxia), where most marine life cannot survive due to pollution and nutrient over-enrichment.

Pathogen

A microorganism, such as bacteria, viruses, or parasites, that can cause disease in humans, animals, or plants.

Leachate

A liquid that has percolated through solid waste and extracted dissolved or suspended materials, which can contaminate soil and groundwater.

Sanitary landfill

A site for the disposal of waste materials in which waste is buried and managed to prevent environmental contamination.

Incineration

The process of burning waste materials at high temperatures to reduce their volume and potentially generate energy.

LD₅₀

The lethal dose of a substance that kills 50% of a test population, commonly used in toxicology studies.

Dose-response curve

A graph that illustrates the relationship between the dose of a substance and the magnitude of the response or effect observed.

Greenhouse effect

The warming of Earth's surface caused by the trapping of heat by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Greenhouse gas

Gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect by absorbing infrared radiation, such as carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O).

Carbon dioxide (CO₂)

A greenhouse gas produced by natural processes and human activities, such as burning fossil fuels, that contributes to climate change.

Methane (CH₄)

A potent greenhouse gas with a higher heat-trapping ability than CO₂, produced from natural sources and human activities, including agriculture and landfills.

Ocean acidification

The decrease in pH of ocean waters due to the absorption of excess atmospheric CO₂, which can harm marine life, especially organisms with calcium carbonate shells.

Coral bleaching

The loss of color in corals due to stress factors, such as increased water temperature or pollution, leading to the expulsion of symbiotic algae.

Stratospheric ozone

Ozone found in the stratosphere, which protects life on Earth by absorbing harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun.

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

Man-made compounds that deplete the ozone layer and are used in refrigeration, air conditioning, and aerosol propellants.

Montreal Protocol

An international treaty designed to phase out the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances, particularly CFCs.

Climate mitigation

Efforts to reduce or prevent the emission of greenhouse gases to combat climate change.

Climate adaptation

Adjusting practices, processes, and structures to minimize the damage caused by the impacts of climate change.