APES UNIT 1

Environment

The sum of all the conditions surrounding us that influence life

Environmental science

The field of study that looks at interactions among human systems and those found in nature

Ecosystem

A particular location on Earth with interacting biotic and abiotic components

Biotic

living

Abiotic

Non-living

Environmentalism

a social movement that seeks to protect the environment through lobbying, activism, and education

Sustainability

Living on Earth in a way that allows humans to use its resources without depriving future generations of those resources

Biosphere

The region of our planet where life resides, the combination of all ecosystems on Earth.

Producer (autotroph)

an organism that uses the energy of the Sun to produce usable forms of energy

Photosynthesis

The process by which producers use solar energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose

Cellular respiration

The process by which cells unlock the energy of chemical compounds

Aerobic respiration

The process by which cells convert glucose and oxygen into energy, carbon dioxide, and water.

Anaerobic respiration

The process by which cells convert glucose into energy in the absence of oxygen

Consumer (heterotroph)

an organism that is incapable of photosynthesis and must obtain its energy by consuming other organisms

Herbivore (primary consumer)

A consumer that eats producers

Carnivore

A consumer that eats only animals(consumers).

Secondary consumer

A carnivore that eats primary consumers

Tertiary consumer

A carnivore that eats secondary consumers

Trophic levels

The successive levels of organisms consuming one another

Food chain

The sequence of consumption from producers through tertiary consumers

Food Web

A complex model of how energy and matter move between trophic levels

Scavenger

An organism that consumes dead animals

Detritivore

An organism that specializes in breaking down dead tissues and waste products into smaller particles

Decomposers

Fungi and bacteria that convert organic matter into small elements and molecules that can be recycled back into the ecosystem

Gross primary productivity (GPP)

The total amount of solar energy that producers in an ecosystem capture via photosynthesis over a given amount of time

Net primary productivity (NPP)

The energy captured by producers in an ecosystem minus the energy producers respire

Biomass

the total mass of all living matter in a specific area

Standing crop

the amount of biomass present in an ecosystem at a particular time

Ecological efficiency

the proportion of consumed energy that can be passed from one trophic level to another

Trophic pyramid

A representation of the distribution of biomass, numbers, or energy among trophic levels

The 10% Rule

When energy is passed in an ecosystem from one trophic level to the next, (only 10%)

Biochemical cycle

the movements of matter within and between ecosystems

Reservoirs

The water body created by damming a river or stream.

Steady state

A state in which inputs equal outputs, so that the system is not changing over time.

Greenhouse gases

Gases in Earth's atmosphere that trap heat near the surface.

Global warming

The warming of the oceans, land masses, and atmosphere of Earth.

Hydrological cycle

The warming of the oceans, land masses, and atmosphere of Earth.

Transpiration

The warming of the oceans, land masses, and atmosphere of Earth.

Evapotranspiration

The warming of the oceans, land masses, and atmosphere of Earth.

Runoff

The warming of the oceans, land masses, and atmosphere of Earth.

Carbon cycle

The movement of carbon around the biosphere.

Limiting nutrient

A nutrient required for the growth of an organism but available in a lower quantity than other nutrients.

Nitrogen cycle

The movement of nitrogen around the biosphere.

Nitrogen fixation

The process that converts nitrogen gas in the atmosphere into forms of nitrogen that producers can use.

Nitrification

The conversion of ammonia NH4+) into nitrite (NO2)−) (NH4+) into nitrite (NO2)−) and then into nitrate

Assimilation

The process by which producers incorporate elements into their tissues.

Mineralization (Ammonification)

The process by which fungal and bacterial decomposers break down the organic nitrogen found in dead bodies and waste products and convert it into inorganic ammonium(NH+4)

Denitrification

The conversion of nitrate (NO3−) in a series of steps into the gases nitrous oxide (N2O) and, eventually, nitrogen gas (N2), which is emitted into the atmosphere.

Anaerobic

Process that does not require oxygen

Aerobic

Process that requires oxygen

Leaching

The transportation of dissolved molecules through the soil via groundwater.

Phosphorus cycle

The movement of phosphorus around the biosphere.

Algal bloom

The movement of phosphorus around the biosphere.

Hypoxic

Low in oxygen

Dead zone

When oxygen concentration become so low that it kills fish and other aquatic animals.

Biome

a large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat, e.g. forest or tundra.

Terrestrial biome

A geographic region categorized by a particular combination of average annual temperature, annual precipitation, and distinctive plant growth forms on land.

Aquatic biome

An aquatic region characterized by a particular combination of salinity, depth, and water flow.

Habitat

An area where a particular species lives in nature.

Tundra (or arctic grassland)

A cold and treeless biome with low-growing vegetation.

Permafrost

An impermeable, permanently frozen layer of soil.

Taiga (or boreal forest)

A forest biome made up primarily of coniferous evergreen trees that can tolerate cold winters and short growing seasons.

Temperate rainforest

A coastal biome typified by moderate temperatures and high precipitation.

Temperate seasonal forest

A biome with warm summers and cold winters with over 1 m (39 inches) of precipitation annually.

Woodland/shrubland

A biome characterized by hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters.

Temperate grassland/cold desert

A biome characterized by cold, harsh winters, and hot, dry summers.

Tropical rainforest

A warm and wet biome found between 20 ∘ N and 20 ∘ S of the equator, with little seasonal temperature variation and high precipitation.

Tropical seasonal forest/savanna

A biome marked by warm temperatures and distinct wet and dry seasons.

Hot desert

Parts of the world that have high average temperatures and very low precipitation.

Freshwater biomes

lakes, ponds, rivers, streams and wetlands

Littoral zone

the shallow zone of soil and water in lakes and ponds where most algae and emergent plants grow

Limnetic zone

a zone of open water in lakes and ponds

Profundal zone

zone in a freshwater habitat that is below the limits of effective light penetration

Benthic zone

the muddy bottom of a lake, pond, or ocean

Phytoplankton

floating algae

Oligotrophic

Describes a lake with a low level of productivity.

Mesotrophic

Describes a lake with a moderate level of productivity.

Eutrophic

Describes a lake with a high level of productivity

Freshwater wetland

Lands transitional between terrestrial and freshwater aquatic systems where the water table is usually at or near the surface or the land is covered by shallow water

Salt marsh

A marsh containing nonwoody emergent vegetation, found along the coast in temperate climates.

Estuary

An area along the coast where the fresh water of rivers mixes with salt water from the ocean.

Mangrove swamp

A swamp that occurs along tropical and subtropical coasts, and contains salt-tolerant trees with roots submerged in water.

Intertidal zone

The narrow band of coastlines between the levels of high tide and low tide.

Coral reef

The most diverse marine biome on Earth, found in warm, shallow waters beyond the shoreline.

Coral bleaching

A phenomenon in which algae inside corals die, causing the corals to turn white.

Open ocean

Deep ocean water, located away from the shoreline where sunlight can no longer reach the ocean bottom.

Photic zone

The upper layer of ocean water in the ocean that receives enough sunlight for photosynthesis.

Aphotic zone

The deeper layer of ocean water that lacks sufficient sunlight for photosynthesis

Chemosynthesis

A process used by some bacteria in the ocean to generate energy with methane and hydrogen sulfide.

Community ecology

the study of interactions between species

Symbiotic relationship

The relationship between two species that live in close association with each other.

Competition

The struggle of individuals to obtain a shared limiting resource.

Competitive exclusion principle

The principle stating that two species competing for the same limiting resource cannot coexist.

Resource partitioning

When two species divide a resource based on differences in their behavior or morphology.

Predation

An interaction in which one animal typically kills and consumes another animal.

Parasitoid

A specialized type of predator that lays eggs inside other organisms—referred to as its host.

Parasitism

An interaction in which one organism lives on or in another organism.

Pathogen

A parasite that causes disease in its host.

Herbivory

An interaction in which an animal consumes a producer.

Mutualism

An interaction between two species that increases the chances of survival or reproduction for both species.