APES midterm vocab

Independent variable

The variable that is manipulated or changed by the experimenter to test its effects

Dependent variable

The outcome or factor being measured; changes in response to the independent variable

Control group

The group in an experiment that receives no treatment or standard treatment used for baseline comparison

Constant

Conditions or factors that are kept identical across all experimental groups

Reliability

The consistency or repeatability of experimental results over multiple trials

Experimental

Relating to or based on an experiment or trial

Dimensional analysis

A mathematical method using conversion factors to change units without changing value

Tragedy of the commons

The depletion or degradation of a shared, unowned resource due to individuals acting in self

Externality

A cost or benefit of a good or service that is not reflected in its market price

Overfishing

Catching fish from a body of water at a rate faster than stocks can replenish

Fishery

An industry devoted to catching, processing, or selling fish or aquatic organisms

Ghost fishing

Unattended, lost, or abandoned fishing gear that continues to catch and kill marine life

Sustainability

The practice of using natural resources in a way that meets current needs without compromising future generations

Maximum sustainable yield

The maximum amount of a renewable resource that can be harvested without reducing the population long

Renewable resource

A natural resource that replenishes naturally at a rate equal to or faster than consumption

Nonrenewable resource

A natural resource present in limited amounts that depletes far faster than it can form

Aquaculture

The farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and aquatic plants

Environmental Indicators

Key metrics or conditions that describe the state of an ecosystem or the environment

Ecological Footprint

A measure of the total biologically productive land and water area required to support a person or population

Carbon Footprint

The total amount of greenhouse gas emissions caused directly and indirectly by an individual, organization, or activity

Ecosystem service

The direct and indirect benefits that ecosystems provide to human life and well

Provisioning Service

Material products obtained directly from ecosystems (e.g., food, clean water, timber)

Regulating Service

Natural processes regulated by ecosystems that maintain environmental balance (e.g., climate control, water purification)

Supporting Service

Ecosystem services necessary for the production of all other services (e.g., nutrient cycling, soil formation)

Cultural Service

non-material and intangible benefits that humans obtain from ecosystems or society's cultural

Economic

Relating to the production, distribution, and consumption of goods, services, and financial resources

Ecological

Relating to the relationships and interactions between living organisms and their environment

Anthropogenic

Caused or produced by human activities

Replication

The repetition of an experiment or study to verify and ensure the reliability of results

Sample size

The total number of individual observations or samples included in a study or experiment

Natural experiment

An empirical study where individuals or groups are exposed to natural conditions outside the experimenter's control

Hypothesis

A testable prediction or proposed explanation for an observed phenomenon

Fishery collapse

The decline of a fish population by 90% or more, preventing its ability to recover without intervention

Variable

Any factor, trait, or condition that can exist in differing amounts or types in an experiment

Bycatch

Unintentional capture of non-target marine life

Environmental Justice

The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regarding environmental laws and policies

Valuation

Determining the current economic worth of a business, ownership interest, security, intangible asset, or liability

Market Failure

A situation where private market allocation of goods/services leads to net economic loss or environmental damage

Primary Productivity

The rate at which energy is converted by photosynthetic and chemosynthetic autotrophs to organic substances

Photosynthesis

The process where green plants synthesize nutrients from carbon dioxide and water using sunlight

Autotroph

An organism capable of synthesizing its own food from inorganic substances

NPP (Net Primary Productivity)

The rate at which energy is stored as biomass by plants after accounting for energy lost to respiration

GPP (Gross primary productivity)

The total rate at which primary producers capture solar energy and store chemical energy

Energy

The quantitative property that must be transferred to a body or physical system to perform work

Matter

Anything that occupies space and has mass; cycles continuously through ecosystems

2nd Law of Thermodynamics

Energy conversions are never 100% efficient; usable energy is lost as heat, increasing entropy

Food Chain

A linear sequence of organisms where energy and nutrients pass as one organism eats another

Food Web

A complex system of interlocking and interdependent food chains in a biological community

Trophic Cascade

An ecological event triggered by the addition or removal of top predators, altering food web dynamics

Producer

An autotrophic organism that produces complex organic compounds using simple molecules and energy

Consumer

A heterotrophic organism that obtains energy by consuming other organisms

Primary consumers

Organisms that feed directly on primary producers

Secondary consumers

Organisms that feed on primary consumers

Tertiary consumers

Organisms that feed on secondary consumers

Quaternary consumers

Apex predators that feed on tertiary consumers

Herbivore

An animal that feeds exclusively on plants and primary producers

Carnivore

An animal that feeds primarily or exclusively on the flesh of other animals

Omnivore

An animal that regularly consumes both plant and animal matter

Decomposer

Organisms (e.g., fungi, bacteria) that break down organic material and return nutrients to the soil

Detritivore

Organisms (e.g., earthworms) that consume detritus or dead plant and animal matter

Scavenger

An animal that feeds on dead or decaying animal flesh (carrion)

Carrion

The decaying flesh of dead animals

Detritus

Undissolved organic debris from dead organisms and waste material

Biogeochemical cycle

The movement and transformation of chemical elements through biotic and abiotic components of Earth

Cellular Respiration

The process by which cells break down glucose with oxygen to release ATP energy, carbon dioxide, and water

Combustion

a chemical process of burning where a fuel reacts rapidly with an oxidizer (usually oxygen) to release heat and light

Ocean Gas Exchange

The physical transfer of gases like oxygen and carbon dioxide between the atmosphere and ocean surfaces

Sedimentation

The process of settling or being deposited as sediment over time to form rock

Carbon Sink

A natural or artificial reservoir that accumulates and stores more carbon dioxide than it releases

Nitrogen fixation

The process converting atmospheric nitrogen gas into biologically usable ammonia or ammonium

Nitrification

The conversion of ammonia into nitrites and then nitrates by soil bacteria

Ammonification

The process where decomposers convert organic nitrogen from waste and dead matter into ammonia

Denitrification

The process converting nitrates back into nitrogen gas, returning it to the atmosphere

Assimilation

The process by which plants and animals incorporate nitrates and ammonium into proteins and nucleic acids

Runoff

Water from precipitation or snowmelt that flows over the land surface into bodies of water

Eutrophication

Excessive richness of nutrients in a body of water causing dense plant and algal growth, depleting oxygen

Algal Bloom

A rapid increase or accumulation in the population of algae in freshwater or marine systems

Infiltration

The process by which water on the ground surface enters the soil

Aquifer (Groundwater)

An underground layer of water

Dam (Water Impoundment)

A barrier constructed across a river or stream to hold back water and form a reservoir

Levee

An embankment built to prevent the overflow of a river

Aqueduct

An artificial channel constructed to convey water over long distances

Watershed

An area or ridge of land that separates waters flowing to different rivers, basins, or seas

Clear cutting

A forestry/logging practice in which most or all trees in an area are uniformly cut down

Urban runoff

Surface runoff of rainwater created by urbanization, impervious surfaces, and paved areas

Groundwater recharge

A hydrologic process where water moves downward from surface water to groundwater

Hypoxic

An environment or body of water with low oxygen concentration

Dead zone

An area in a body of water with extremely low oxygen levels where aquatic life cannot survive

Disturbance

A temporary change in environmental conditions that causes a pronounced change in an ecosystem

Positive Feedback Loop

A system loop where the output amplifies or accelerates the original stimulus

Negative Feedback Loop

A system loop where the output reduces or counteracts the original stimulus to maintain stability

Fertilizer

Any material of natural or synthetic origin added to soil to supply plant nutrients

Limiting nutrient

A single essential element or nutrient that limits population growth or primary productivity in an ecosystem

Evaporation

The process of turning liquid water into water vapor

Condensation

The process where water vapor converts into liquid water droplets

Precipitation

Any form of water falling from clouds to Earth's surface (rain, snow, sleet, hail)

Biome

A large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat

Latitude

Geographic distance north or south of the equator, measured in degrees

Climatogram

A single graph showing a region's average monthly temperature and precipitation over time

Atmosphere

The envelope of gases surrounding the Earth or another planet