Unit 1.1 APES

These flashcards cover essential vocabulary related to the dynamics and components of ecosystems, their cycles, and the interactions between living and nonliving elements.

Ecosystem

The interaction of living organisms (biotic factors) and their nonliving environment (abiotic factors).

Biotic Factors

Living components of an ecosystem, such as plants, animals, and microorganisms.

Abiotic Factors

Nonliving components of an ecosystem, such as climate, water, and soil.

Symbiosis

A close long-term interaction between two different species, which can be mutualistic, commensalistic, or parasitic.

Mutualism

A type of symbiotic relationship where both species benefit.

Commensalism

A type of symbiotic relationship where one species benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed.

Parasitism

A type of symbiotic relationship where one species benefits at the expense of the other.

Hydraulic Cycle

The cycle through which water is circulated in the ecosystem involving evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.

Carbon Cycle

The process by which carbon is exchanged among the biosphere, pedosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere.

Nitrogen Cycle

The series of processes by which nitrogen is converted in the atmosphere and soil into forms that plants can use.

Phosphorus Cycle

The movement of phosphorus through the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere, essential for life.

Resource Partitioning

The division of resources by species to reduce competition and allow coexistence.

Food Web

A complex network of feeding connections in an ecosystem.

Trophic Cascade

An ecological phenomenon triggered by the addition or removal of top predators, resulting in changes to the ecosystem.

Primary Producers

Organisms that create organic material from inorganic substances, mainly through photosynthesis.

Consumers

Organisms that obtain energy by consuming other organisms.

Decomposers

Organisms that break down dead organic material, returning nutrients to the ecosystem.

Habitat

The natural environment where an organism lives, providing the necessities for survival.

Biodiversity

The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.