Unit 1 APES notes

Individual

one organism (elk)

Population

group of individuals of same species (elk herd)

Community

all living organisms in an area

Ecosystem

all living & nonliving things in an area (plants, animals, rocks, soil, water, air)

Biome

The plants and animals found in a given region (determined by climate) Ex: tropical rainforest

Biosphere

The region on, above, and below the Earth's surface where life exists.

Competition

Organisms fighting over a resource like food or shelter; limits pop. size

Predation

one organism using another for energy source (hunters, parasites)

Mutualism

relationship that benefits both organisms (coral reef)

Commensalism

relationship that benefits one organism & doesn’t impact the other (birds nest in trees)

Herbivores

(plant eaters) eat plants for energy (giraffe & tree)

True predators

(carnivores) kill and eat prey for energy (leopard & giraffe)

Parasites

Use a host organism for energy, often without killing the host & often living inside host

Parasitoids

Lay eggs inside a host organism; eggs hatch & larvae eat host for energy

Symbiosis

Any close and long-term interaction between two organisms of different species.

Mutualism

Organisms of diff. species living close together in a way that benefits both

Resource partitioning

Diff. species using the same resource in diff. ways to reduce competition

Temporal partitioning

Using resource @ diff. times, such as wolves & coyotes hunting @ diff times (night vs. day)

Spatial partitioning

using diff. area of a shared habitat (diff length roots)

Morphological partitioning

Using diff. resources based on diff. evolved body features

Biome

The plants & animals found in a region based on yearly temp. + precipitation (climate)

Biomes are defined by average…

annual temperature and precipitation

Tropical RF

nutrient-poor soil (high temp. & rainfall → rapid decomposition of org. matter; acidic soil + high rainfall → nutrient leaching)

Boreal forest

Temp. forest

nutrient-rich soil (lots of dead organic matter - leaves & warm temp/moisture for decomposition)

Biomes shift in location on earth due to…

climate changes

Tropical Rainforests

Close to equator/ warm and humid all year/ lots of precipitation / wet soil, making nutrients hard to lock in/ diverse plant growth/ wide verity of animal life

Savannas/ tropical grassland

Closer to equator than temperate grasslands/ dry season = low rainfall, wet season = high rainfall / soil is porous (soil drains away quickly, not fertile) / one of the most diverse biomes in terms of animals.

Subtropical deserts

Located right above equator/ climate is hot and dry, low precipitation/ warm soil with low fertility, either sandy or rocky / home to diverse selection of plants and animals able to survive in the biome

Chaparral

On Pacific coast of North America / hilly terrain, allows for water to drain quickly / has a mild climate - warm all year, dry summers, rainfall in winter / dry, coarse, rocky soil / home to plants and animals able to withstand biome

Temperate Grasslands

Open and continuous, fairly flat / located between temperate forests and deserts at subtropical latitudes / have cold winters and warm summers, with some rain / soil is rich in nutrients, deep and dark colored / grasses dominate / home to many large herbivores and carnivores

Temperate Forest

In US, Europe, and Asia / temperatures vary due to climate / animals handle cold and lack of food in winter / abundant rainfall, thick fertile soil / support large variety of plant life and vegetation

Boreal Forest

Circles North Hemisphere (so real cold) / very cold winters, warm rainy summers / soil is thin, poor in nutrients, but can support vegetation adapted to conditions / cone-bearing, needle-leaves trees are dominant / wood bison, elk, moose and more live there

Artic Tundra

Extremely cold and dry / usually receives NO more precipitation than a desert biome / soil is frozen year long / patchy, low to ground vegetation / animals are mosquitos, artic hares, artic wolf, snowy owls, and polar bears

Salinity

how much salt there is in a body of water, determines which species can survive & usability for drinking

(Fresh water vs. estuary vs. ocean)

Flow

Determines which plants & organisms can survive, how much O₂ can dissolve into water

Depth

Influences how much sunlight can penetrate and reach plants below the surface for photosynthesis

Temperature

Warmer water holds less dissolved O₂ so it can support fewer aq. organisms 

Rivers

have high O₂ due to flow mixing water & air, also carry nutrient-rich sediments (deltas & flood plains = fertile soil)

Lakes

standing bodies of fresh H2O (key drinking water source)

Littoral

shallow water w/emergent plants

Limnetic

where light can reach (photosynthesis)

• No rooted plants, only phytoplankton

Profundal

Too deep for sunlight (no photosynthesis)

Benthic

Murkey bottom where inverts (bugs) live, nutrient-rich sediments

Wetland

area with soil submerged/saturated in water for at least part of the year, but shallow enough for emergent plants

Benefits of wetlands

stores excess water during storms, lessening flood damage/ recharges groundwater by absorbing rainfall into soil / roots of plants filter pollutants from water draining through / high plant growth = lots of water & nutrients in sediments

Estuaries

areas where rivers empty into the ocean

Salt Marsh

Estuary habitat along coast in temperate climates / breeding ground for many fish & shellfish species

Mangroves Swamps

Estuary habitat along coast of tropical climates/ Mangrove trees with long, stilt roots stabilize shoreline & provide habitat for many species of fish & shellfish

Coral Reef

Warm shallow waters beyond shoreline/ most diverse marine biome on earth / mutualistic relationship between coral (animals) & algae (plants)

Intertidal Zones

Narrow band of coastline between high and low tide/ organisms must be adapted to survive crashing waves & direct sunlight/ heat during low tide

Open Ocean

So large that algae & phytoplankton of ocean produce a lot of earth’s O2/ absorb a lot of atmospheric CO2

Photic zone

area where sunlight can reach (photosynthesis)

Aphotic zone (abyssal)

area too deep for sunlight

Atmosphere is key Carbon Reservoir…

increasing levels of C is atm, leads to global warming

Carbon sink

reservoir that take in more carbon than it releases (ocean - algae & sediments, plants, soil)

Carbon source

reservoir that releases more carbon than it takes in (fossil fuel, animal aq, deforestation)

Photosynthesis

Plants, algae, phytoplankton / Removes CO2 / creates glucose / CO2 sink

Cellular respiration

Done by plants and animals / uses O2 to break down glucose / Releases CO2 / CO2 source

Direct exchange

 CO₂ moves directly between atmosphere & the ocean by dissolving into & out of ocean water at the surface

Algae and phytoplankton

take CO₂ out of the ocean & atmosphere through photosynthesis

Sedimentation

Calcium carbonate precipitates out as sediment & settles on ocean floor

Burial

over, long, periods of time, pressure of water compresses C-containing sediments on ocean floor into sedimentary rock

Fossil Fuels (FF)

formed from fossilized remains of organic matter into coal (ex. plants) or oil (ex. plankton). Their decomposition produces natural gas (CH4)

Extraction & Combustion

digging up or mining FFs & burning them as energy source; releases CO₂ into atmosphere

Nitrogen reservoirs hold N for relatively…

short periods of time

Main Nitrogen sink/reservoir

Atmosphere

Nitrogen is…

critical plant & animal nutrient

Nitrogen fixation

Process of N₂ gas being converted into biologically available (useable by plants) NH₃ (ammonia) or NO₃^- (nitrate)

Assimilation

Plants & animals taking N in (incorporating it into their biomass)

Ammonification

waste & dead biomass is converted by soil bacteria / NH3 is returned to soil

Nitrification

NH4 into nitrate (NO2-), then nitrate (NO3) by soil bacteria

Dentification

soil N (NO3) into nitrous oxide (N2O) gas which returns to atmosphere

N2O (nitrous oxide) = greenhouse gas..

which warms earth’s climate

Leaching and Eutrophication

Synthetic fertilizer use leads to nitrates (NO3) being carried out of soil by water

Phosphorus reserviors are..

rocks and sediments containing ___ minerals

Phosphorus has no...

gas phase, meaning it does not enter the atmosphere

Major natural source of phosphorus is..

weathering of rocks

Synthetic (human sources of phosphorus)

mining phosphate minerals/ synthetic fertilizers containing phosphorus/ phosphates in detergents and cleaners

Phosphate doesn’t dissolve well in water so it forms into..

solid bits that fall to the bottom as sediment

Geological uplift

tectonic plate collision forcing up rock layers that form mountains

Extra input of Nitrogen and Phosphorus lead to

eutrophication (excess nutrients) which fuels algae growth - algae blooms and blocks sunlight, killing plants below / algae eventually die off and use up O2 / lower O2 levels in water kill aquatic animals like fish

Energy from ___ drives the H2O (hydrologic/water)cycle

the sun

The largest water reservoir is..

the ocean

Ice caps and groundwater are..

smaller reservoirs which contain fresh, useable water for humans

Transpiration

Stomata (leaf openings) open, allowing water to evap. into atm. from leaf

Evapotranspiration

amount of H₂O that enters atm. from transpiration & evaporation combined

Runoff

water to flow over earth’s surface into a body of water

infiltration/percolation

water to trickle through soil down into groundwater aquifers

Groundwater (aquifers) & surface waters (lakes/rivers) are important…

freshwater reservoirs for humans & animals

permeable

able to let water pass through

The units for Primary Productivity are..

kcal (energy) /m² (area) / yr. (time)

Ecosystems with high PP are..

usually more biodiverse than ecosystems with low PP

Primary Productivity

rate that solar energy is converted into organic compounds via photosynthesis over a unit of time

The equation to calculate PP is…

NPP = GPP - RL

Net Primary Productivity

The amount of energy (biomass) leftover for consumers after plants have used some for respiration

Respiration loss (RL)

plants use up some of the energy they generate

Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)

The total amount of sun energy (light) that plants capture and convert to energy (glucose) through photosynthesis

Generally, only ___ of all incoming sunlight is captured & converted into GPP via photosynthesis

1% (on average .4 of total incoming solar energy is converted into biomass/plant growth (NPP))

The more productive a biome is, the wider…

the diversity of animal life it can support (high. biodiv.)