AP Environmental Science: Unit 1, AP Environmental Science Unit 2, AP Environmental Science Unit 3

Biogeochemical Cycles

The movement of abiotic factors between the living and nonliving components within ecosystems; also known as nutrient cycles (i.e., water cycle, carbon cycle, oxygen cycle, and nitrogen cycle).

The Water Cycle

Cycle of water through the earth- Evaporation, condensation, precipitation, run off, transpiration, infiltration.

Condensation

The change of state from a gas to a liquid

Run off

The draining away of water (or substances carried in it) from the surface of an area of land, a building or structure, etc.

Transpiration

Evaporation of water from the leaves of a plant

Infiltration

Flow of water from the land surface into the subsurface

The Carbon Cycle

The organic circulation of carbon from the atmosphere into organisms and back again. Humans impact this by burning fossil fuels and cutting down trees,

The Nitrogen Cycle

The transfer of nitrogen from the atmosphere to the soil, to living organisms, and back to the atmosphere. Humans impact this by altering the amount of nitrogen that is stored in the biosphere.

The Phosphorus Cycle

The movement of phosphorus atoms from rocks through the biosphere and hydrosphere and back to rocks.

Where are the four major areas of water storage on Earth?

Atmosphere, surface water, ground water, and living things

Ecology

Study of how organisms react with each other and the non-living environment

Abiotic Factors

Nonliving components of environment.

Biotic Factors

All the living organisms that inhabit an environment

Habitat

Where an organism lives and any aspect of the location

Niche

Full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which the organism uses those conditions

Organism

Any form of life. Belongs to any of the 6 kingdoms

Species

Group of organisms of same type that can reproduce to have fertile offspring

Population

A group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area

Community

All the different populations that live together in an area

Ecosystem

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment. All abiotic and biotic factors.

Producers/Autotrophs

Organisms that make their own food from compounds and energy obtained from the environment

Photosynthesis

Conversion of light energy from the sun into chemical energy

Salinity

A measure of the amount of dissolved salts in a given amount of liquid

Plankton

Small, weakly-swimming, free floating organisms

Decomposers

Organisms that break down the dead remains of other organisms

Phytoplankton

Photosynthetic algae found near the surface of the ocean

Layers of aquatic environments

Surface, Middle, Bottom.
Temperature, sunlight, oxygen content, and nutrients determine types and numbers or organisms in each layer

Euphotic Zone

Surface layer where photosynthesis is usually confined too

Where are nutrients found in abundance?

In shallow and cold waters

Coral Reef

The most diverse marine biome on Earth, found in warm, shallow waters beyond the shoreline. Only in waters 18-30 degrees celsius

Watershed

The area of land that is drained by a water system

Human Impact on Freshwater Ecosystems

1. Dams, diversions, and canals fragment about 40% of our world's largest rivers
2. Flood control levees destroy aquatic habitats
3. Cities and farmlands add pollutants and excess plant nutrients to streams and rivers causing eutrophication
4. Many inland wetlands have been drained or filled to grow crops or have been covered with concrete, asphalt, and buildings

Biome

A group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical organisms

Desert

An area where evaporation exceeds precipitation and usually has little vegitation. around 30 degrees or behind mountains

Grasslands

Usually occur in the interiors of continents in areas too moist for deserts and too dry for forests. Seasonal drought

Savanna

Grassland with sparse trees. Has warm temperatures year round with alternating wet and dry seasons. Plants have deep root systems

Tundra

Treeless arctic or alpine biome characterized by cold, harsh winters, a short growing season, and potential for frost any month of the year; vegetation includes low-growing perennial plants, mosses and lichens

Tropical Rainforest

Found around the equator and has a wet and warm climate year round allowing for the growth of a dense canopy of tall trees. Have shallow root systems. Soil is low in nutrients. 40% have been destroyed

Temperate Deciduous Forest

Forest in a temperate region, characterized by trees that drop their leaves annually

Taiga(Boreal Forest)

Subarctic climate with long, cold, dry winters, and short , mild summers. Dominated by coniferous evergreen trees. Plant diversity is low

Chemosynthesis

When organisms use geothermal energy to convert inorganic compounds into carbohydrates

Consumers

An organism that obtains energy and nutrients by feeding on other organisms or their remains

Parasitism

A relationship between two organisms of different species where one benefits and the other is harmed

Mutualism

A relationship between two species in which both species benefit

Commensalism

A relationship between two organisms in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected

Intraspecific competition

Competition among members of the same species

Interspecific Competition

Competition between members of different species

Resource Partitioning

When species competing for similar scarce resources evolve specialized traits that allow them to share resources by using parts of them, using them at different times, or using them in different ways

How does the phosphorus cycle differentiate from other biogeochemical cycles?

It does not include a gas phase

What two factors are most important in determining the type of biome that exists in an area?

Temperature and precipitation

Coral bleaching

A phenomenon in which algae inside corals die, causing the corals to turn white. When this happens, the habitat for the animals are destroyed

What is responsible for eutrophication?

Land runoff is accelerated and more nutrients such as phosphates and nitrate are supplied to lakes and rivers, and then to coastal estuaries and bays

Greenhouse effect

Natural situation in which heat is retained in Earth's atmosphere by carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and other gases. It helps maintain a manageable temperature on Earth.

Net Primary Productivity (NPP)

The energy captured by producers in an ecosystem minus the energy producers respire. NPP=GPP-R

Food Chain

A series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten

Food web

A community of organisms where there are several interrelated food chains

What limits the number of trophic levels in an ecological pyramid?

Decrease in energy at higher trophic levels limits this. When the number of links keep increasing, the amount of energy available decreases, as only 10% of energy gets transferred from one trophic level to the next

Ecological Efficiency

Percentage of energy transferred from one trophic level to another in a food chain or web

Biomass

A measure of the total dry mass of organisms within a particular region

Energy Pyramid

A pyramid that shows the total amount of energy available at each trophic level

Biomass Pyramid

Diagram representing the biomass in each trophic level of an 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

Human impact on the water cycle

Humans impact this by storing water in reservoirs, irrigation, deforestation, and putting chemicals in it

competitive exclusion principle

Ecological rule that states that no two species can occupy the same exact niche in the same habitat at the same time

uptake

rate of absorption of a chemical back into the cycle

source

the place where part of a cycle begins

sink

a storage place of an element in a cycle

reservoir

a large natural or artificial lake used as a source of water supply.

nitrogen fixation

Process of converting nitrogen gas into ammonia by bacteria

Nitrification

ammonia is converted to nitrate ions (NO3-).

Assmilation (of N2)

Nitrates are absorbed by plants and converted into proteins

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

Denitrification

process in which fixed nitrogen compounds are converted back into nitrogen gas and returned to the atmosphere

How do humans impact the nitrogen cycle?

Excessive use of fertilizers puts too much nitrogen in the soil.

how do humans impact the phosphorus cycle ?

Farming and the use of fertilizers and livestock. Also detergents add too much P

How do humans impact the carbon cycle?

Burning fossil fuels in combustion increases CO2 in the atmosphere. Deforestation removes trees as a CO2 sink. Natural gas adds methane

Climatogram

a graph used to show both annual precipitation and temperature in an area

benthic zone

the muddy bottom of a lake, pond, or ocean

littoral zone

a shallow zone in a freshwater habitat where light reaches the bottom and nurtures plants

limnetic zone

In a lake, the well-lit, open surface waters farther from shore.

photic zone

Portion of the marine biome that is shallow enough for sunlight to penetrate.

eutrophic

Water characterized by an abundant accumulation of nutrients that support a dense growth of algae and other organisms- high productivity, usually low O2

temperate rainforest

a coastal biome typified by moderate temperatures and high precipitation

Chapparal

A scrubland biome of dense, spiny shrubs found at midlatitudes along coasts where cold ocean currents circulate offshore; characterized by mild, rainy winters and long, hot, dry summers.

Legumes

beans, peas, lentils - plants with nodules that house nitrogen fixing bacteria

Aquifer

A body of rock or sediment that stores groundwater and allows the flow of groundwater.

water table

the level below which the ground is saturated with water.

Consumer (Heterotroph)

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

Trophic Levels

The successive levels of organisms consuming one another

Biosphere

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

Net Primary Productivity

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

Food Chain

The sequence of consumption from producers through tertiary consumers

Anaerobic Respiration

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

Producer (Autotroph)

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

Tertiary Consumer

A carnivore that eats secondary consumers

Detritivore

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

Biomass

The total mass of all living matter in a specific area

Trophic Pyramid

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

Ecological Efficiency

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

Gross Primary Productivity

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