AP ENVIRONMENTAL UNIT 2

biodivesity

the variety of all living organisms (includes genetic species and habitat diversity)

-the more genetically diverse a population is the better it can respond to environmental stressors

bottleneck effect

significant reduction in population size caused by environmental disasters (leads to a loss of genetic diversity)

loss of habitat lead to what?

a loss of specialist species, then generalist species, and reduced number of species that have large territorial requirements

species richness

the number of different species found in an ecosystem

species eveness

the uniformity of individuals distributed among a species in a habitat

provisioning service

the tangible resources, goods, or materials obtained from ecosystems (food, water, and timber)

regulating service

benefits ecosystems provide by moderating natural processes (carbon sequestration(capturing and storing carbon), water purification, pollination, flood control, erosion prevention, air quality maintenance)

supporting service

fundamental, underlying ecological processes necessary for the production and maintenance of all other ecosystem services (water cycle, nutrient cycling, decomposition, weathering, photosynthesis)

cultural service

the intangible, non-material benefits humans gain from ecosystems (recreation, aesthetic appreciation, spiritual attachment, education/research)

anthropogenic

environmental changes/impacts as a result of human activity; not caused by natural processes (disrupts ecosystem services, resulting in economic and ecological consequences)

island biogeography

the study of ecological relationships and distribution of organisms on islands and their community structure (islands have be colonized in the past by new species arriving from elsewhere)

specialist species

generalist species

why have many species evolved to become specialist instead of generalists?

ecological tolerance

periodic processes

episodic processes

random processes

why has sea level changed?

why might wildlife engage in short-term migration?

why might wildlife engage in long-term migration?

at what level do organisms adapt?

why might organism short-term adapt?

why might an organism long-term adapt?

primary succession

secondary succession

keystone species

indicator species

pioneer species (explain)

what can happen if succession in an environment is disturbed?