AP Environmental Science Study Guide Units 1-9: The Living World, Populations, Earth Systems and Resources, Land and Water Use, Energy Resources and Consumption, Atmospheric, Terrestrial and Aquatic Pollution, Global Change

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from AP Environmental Science Units 1-9.

Abiotic Components

Nonliving components of Earth (e.g., Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, and Lithosphere).

Biotic Components

Living components of Earth (e.g., Animals, plants, fungi, protists, and bacteria which form the biosphere).

Population

A group of organisms of the same species.

Community

Populations of different species that occupy the same geographic area.

Habitat

The area or environment where an organism lives, or where an ecological community occurs.

Ecological Niche

The role and position a species has in its environment, including how a species uses biotic and abiotic resources.

Competition

Occurs when two individuals are competing for resources in the environment.

Resource Partitioning

Occurs when species can coexist and share resources without any conflict.

Predation

Occurs when one species feeds on another; drives changes in population size.

Symbiotic Relationships

Close, prolonged associations between two or more different organisms of different species.

Mutualism

Both organisms receive beneficial properties from their relationship.

Commensalism

One organism benefits in the relationship and the other is neither harmed nor benefited.

Parasitism

One organism benefits by harming the other organism.

Ecotones

A transitional area where two biomes meet.

Ecozones/Ecoregions

Small regions within ecosystems that have similar physical features.

Edge Effects

Ecotones have a great amount of species diversity and biological density.

Cell Respiration

Occurs when autotrophs make ATP (adenosine triphosphate) from carbohydrates and other biomolecules in a complex series of reactions.

Bioenergetics

The study of how energy flows through living organisms.

Photosynthesis

Plants and algae convert solar energy into chemical energy.

Autotrophs

Autotrophs produce complex organic compounds from simple substances in the environment and serve as primary producers in a food chain.

Heterotrophs

Heterotrophs consume other organisms in a food chain and depend either directly or indirectly on autotrophs for nutrients and food energy.

Food Chain

Shows how energy flows step by step from producer to consumers.

Energy Pyramid

Shows how much energy is available to each successive trophic level.

Food Webs

Show the complex interactions between many species.

Ecosystem Diversity

Describes how variable an ecosystem is within a geographical location.

Biodiversity

The number and variety of organisms found in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem; the variability among living organisms.

Evolution

The change in the population’s genetic composition over time.

Natural Selection

The natural selection of advantageous traits changes the makeup of a population.

Genetic Drift

Chance events change the makeup of a population with no regard to traits.

Phylogenetic Tree

A diagram that shows how organisms are related based on evolutionary relationships.

Species

A group of organisms that are capable of breeding with one another but incapable of breeding with other species.

Speciation

The formation of new species from preexisting species.

Extinction

Occurs when a species cannot adapt quickly enough to environmental change and all members of the species die.

Biological Extinction

Extermination of a species, where no individuals of this species are left on the planet.

Ecological Extinction

So few individuals of a species that this species can no longer perform its ecological function.

Commercial or Economic Extinction

A few individuals exist, but the effort needed to locate and harvest them is not worth the expense.

Ecosystem Services

Humans gain many benefits from the natural environment and from properly functioning ecosystems.

Provisioning Services

Physical items we obtain from our environment, such as food, raw materials, water, energy, and medicinal resources.

Cultural Services

Non-material benefits people obtain from the ecosystem, such as recreation, science & education, tourism, inspiration for culture & art, and spiritual experience.

Regulating Services

Benefits obtained from the regulating of ecosystems, such as pest & disease control, water & air purification, climate regulation, waste decomposition & detoxification, and pollination.

Support Services

Allow for other ecosystems services to be present, such as nutrient recycling and soil formation.

Keystone Species

Maintain the biotic balance in a community; their presence contributes to an ecosystem’s diversity.

Indicator Species

Used as a standard to evaluate the health of an ecosystem; more sensitive to biological changes within their ecosystems than others species.

Primary Succession

Begins in a virtually lifeless area, such as the area below a retreating glacier.

Secondary Succession

Takes place where an existing community has been cleared, but the soil has been left intact.

Pioneer Species

Organisms present in the first stages of either type of succession and have wide ranges of environmental tolerance.

Climax Community

Formed in the final stage of succession and have a dynamic balance between abiotic and biotic components of the community.

Habitat Fragmentation

When a natural habitat is reduced or fragmented, damaging a regular and balanced ecosystem.

Population Density

The number of individuals of a population that inhabit a certain unit of land or water area.

Population Dispersion

How individuals of a population are spaced within a region; can be clumped, uniform, or random.

Biotic Potential

How much a population would grow if there were unlimited resources in the environment.

Carrying Capacity

The maximum population size that can be supported by the available resources in the region.

R-selected Organisms

Reproduces early in life, usually has a high capacity for reproductive growth, and gives little to no care given to offspring.

K-selected Organisms

Reproduces later in life, produces fewer organisms, and devotes significant time and energy to nurturing of offspring.

Boom-and-Bust Cycle

Very common among r-strategists; rapid increase followed by an equally rapid drop-off.

Birth rate

The number of live births per 1,000 members of the population in a year.

Death rate

The number of deaths per 1,000 members.

Emigration

The movement of people out of a population.

Immigration

The movement of people into a population.

Total Fertility Rate

The number of children a woman in a given population will bear during her lifetime.

Replacement Birth Rate

The number of children a couple must have in order to replace themselves in a population.

Ecological Footprint

Used to describe the environmental impact of a population.

Green Revolution

The technological innovation and an increased use of pesticides and fertilizers, which allowed farmer to increase crop production throughout the world.

Extensive Pastoralism

The shifting of animal herds between grazing pastures has remained popular in several arid parts of the world.

Population Pressure

Too many people and too many animals on too little lands.

Desertification

Any human process that turns a vegetated environment into a desert-like landscape.

Soil Salinization

The salt content in soil increasing due to non-anthropogenic and/or anthropogenic influences.

Irrigation

The application of controlled amounts of water to plants at needed intervals.

Aquifers

Underground water tables.

Deforestation

The act of clearing a forested area of trees and other vegetation without the intention of replanting.

Vulnerable Species

The species is likely to become endangered if no action is taken.

Endangered Species

The species is likely to become extinct.

Critically Endangered

The species is at a very high risk of extinction.

Fragmentation

Habitats are broken into smaller pieces by, for example, building of roads and cities.

Degradation

Pollutants are added to the environment.

Overexploitation

Contribution to extinction that occurs when wildlife populations are harvested at a rate that exceeds their ability to replenish their numbers.

Biodiversity Hotspot

HIPPCO - an acronym to memorize the cause of extinction (Habitat Destruction/Fragmentation, Invasives, Population, Pollution, Climate Change, Overharvesting/Overexploitation)

Tectonic Plates

Parts of the lithosphere that float on the asthenosphere.

Plate Boundaries

The edges of tectonic plates.

Convergent Boundary

Two plates are pushed toward and into each other.

Divergent Boundary

Two plates move away from each other.

Transform Fault Boundary

Two plates slide against each other in opposite directions.

Subduction

An older and denser plate sinks beneath the younger and lighter plate.

Earthquakes

Geological events resulting from vibrations deep in the Earth that release energy.

Epicenter

Initial surface location of the earthquake.

Seismograph

An instrument that measures size or magnitude of an earthquake.

Richter Scale

Measures amplitude of the highest S-wave of an earthquake.

Volcanoes

Geological events resulting from plate movement.

Shield Volcanoes

Tall, broad base, and gentle slope volcanoes.

Composite Volcanoes

Tall, broad base, and steep slope volcanoes.

Cinder Cones

Small, short, steep slope, symmetrical cone, bowl-like crater volcanoes.

Lava Domes

Small, short, steep slope, and dome volcanoes.

Exosphere

The layer of the atmosphere where gases are thinnest.

Thermosphere

The layer of the atmosphere where gases are very thin and auroras occur.

Ionosphere

The layer of the atmosphere that absorbs X-rays and ultraviolet radiation from the Sun.

Mesosphere

The layer of the atmosphere where air pressure is extremely low and temperature decreases with altitude; where meteors usually burn up before striking Earth.

Stratosphere

The layer of the atmosphere that includes the ozone layer, gases are not well mixed, and it's gradually warmer with altitude.

Troposphere

The layer of the atmosphere where weather takes place, is usually well-mixed, gradually colder with altitude, and contains 99% of water vapor and clouds.

Weather

Day-to-Day properties (wind speed + directions, temperature, amount of sunlight, pressure, and humidity).

Climate

Patterns that are constant over many years (average temperature and average precipitation amounts).