APES UNIT 1

Ecosystem

The interaction of living and non-living things in a specific portion of the world’s environment.

Environment

The entire natural world.

Habitat

The specific environmental condition a certain species needs to survive.

Symbiosis

Living in close proximity; not necessarily beneficial to both parties.

Mutualism

A type of symbiosis where both species benefit.

Biome

An area that shares an average annual temperature and average precipitation.

Aquatic Biomes

Biomes that are defined by aquatic factors including salinity, flow, and unique adaptations of species.

Law of Conservation of Matter

Matter is never created or destroyed; it only changes forms.

Reservoirs

Things that temporarily store matter.

Sources

Processes that move matter around between reservoirs.

Sinks

Reservoirs that store more matter than they give off.

Carbon Cycle

The movement of carbon between sources and sinks, critical for global climate.

Nitrogen Cycle

The movement of nitrogen between reservoirs, often biologically fixed by bacteria.

Nitrogen Fixation

The process of converting biologically unavailable nitrogen gas (N2) into a biologically available form.

Phosphorus Cycle

The movement of phosphorus through rocks, sediments, and ecosystems, critical as a limiting factor for plant growth.

Weathering

The breakdown of rocks into smaller pieces, releasing phosphates.

Infiltration

The process of water seeping through the soil and recharging groundwater reservoirs.

Transpiration

The evaporation of water from plant leaves into the atmosphere.

Primary Productivity

The rate at which plants convert sunlight into glucose or plant tissue (photosynthesis).

Gross Primary Production (GPP)

The total amount of energy that plants produce.

Net Primary Production (NPP)

The amount of energy that plants can store after using some for respiration; calculated as NPP = GPP - Respiration Loss.

Trophic Pyramid

A representation of energy flow through different levels in a food chain.

Second Law of Thermodynamics

Some energy is lost as heat with each energy transfer.

10% Rule

Only 10% of energy is transferred to the next level in a food chain.

Food webs

Models that illustrate how energy and matter move through organisms.