AP Environmental Science Unit 1

 __________ compare resource demands and waste production required for an individual or a society.

Ecological footprints

___________ refers to humans living on Earth and their use of resources without depletion of the resources for future generations.

Sustainability

List the 6 environmental indicators that can guide humans to sustainability

biological diversity, food production, average global surface temperatures and CO2 concentrations, human population, and resource depletion.

Sustainable _____ is the amount of a renewable resource that can be taken without reducing the available supply.

Yield

___________ is a close and long-term interaction between two species in an ecosystem. 

Symbiosis

Describe the Types of symbiosis. 

Mutualism:

Commensalism:

Parasitism: 

Both organisms benefit

One organism benefits & the other is neither harmed nor helped

One organism benefits & the other is harmed

__________ can occur within or between species in an ecosystem where there are limited resources.

Competition

Describe Resource partitioning and its effect on competition.

Resource partitioning— using the resources in different ways, places, or at different times—can reduce the negative impact of competition on survival.

Carbon cycles between ________ and _______ in living things.

Photosynthesis and cellular respiration

Plant and animal ________ have led to the storage of carbon over millions of years. The ________ of fossil fuels quickly moves that stored carbon into atmospheric carbon, in the form of carbon dioxide.

Decomposition/burning and combustion

Ecological footprint

Compares resource demands and waste production required for an individual or a society.

Per capita ecological footprint

Calculated by dividing the total ecological footprint by the population; for India, it is approximately 0.6 hectares (840 million hectares / 1.4 billion people).

Sustainability

Refers to humans living on Earth and their use of resources without depletion of the resources for future generations.

Environmental indicators for sustainability

Biological diversity, food production, average global surface temperatures and CO2 concentrations, human population, and resource depletion.

Sustainable yield

The amount of a renewable resource that can be taken without reducing the available supply.

Predator

An organism that eats another organism (the prey) in a predator-prey relationship.

Prey

The organism that is eaten by another organism (the predator) in a predator-prey relationship.

Symbiosis

A close and long-term interaction between two species in an ecosystem.

Mutualism

A type of symbiosis where both organisms benefit.

Commensalism

A type of symbiosis where one organism benefits and the other is neither harmed nor helped.

Parasitism

A type of symbiosis where one organism benefits and the other is harmed.

Competition

Occurs within or between species in an ecosystem where there are limited resources.

Resource partitioning

Using the resources in different ways, places, or at different times to reduce the negative impact of competition on survival.

Reservoirs of carbon compounds (long-term)

Limestone, fossil fuels, permafrost.

Reservoirs of carbon compounds (short-term)

Atmosphere.

Carbon cycle

The process where carbon cycles between photosynthesis and cellular respiration in living things.

Nitrogen fixation

The process in which atmospheric nitrogen is converted into a form of nitrogen (primarily ammonia) that is available for uptake by plants.

Major reservoir of nitrogen

The atmosphere.

Major reservoirs of phosphorus

Rock and sediments that contain phosphorus-bearing minerals.

Phosphorus cycle

The biogeochemical cycle that does not have an atmospheric component.

Limiting factor in biological systems

In undisturbed ecosystems, phosphorus is the limiting factor.

Biogeochemical cycles

Essential for life and demonstrate the conservation of matter.

Energy flow in ecosystems

Energy flows from the sun to producers in the lowest trophic levels and then upward to higher trophic levels (primary consumers, secondary consumers, & tertiary consumers).

10% rule

In the transfer of energy from one trophic level to the next, only about 10% of the energy is passed on.

Energy at tertiary consumer level

If the producer level contains 10,000 kilocalories of energy, the tertiary consumer level contains 1 kcal.

Energy in Tertiary Consumer Level

If the producer level contains 10,000 kilocalories of energy, the tertiary consumer level contains 1,000 kcal.

Second Law of Thermodynamics

The loss of energy that occurs when energy moves from lower to higher trophic levels can be explained through the second law of thermodynamics.

Food Web

A food web is a model of an interlocking pattern of food chains that depicts the flow of energy and nutrients in two or more food chains.

Specialist Species

Specialist species tend to be advantaged in habitats that remain constant.

Generalist Species

Generalist species tend to be advantaged in habitats that are changing.

K-selected Species Characteristics

K-selected species tend to be large, have few offspring per reproduction event, live in stable environments, expend significant energy for each offspring, mature after many years of extended youth and parental care, have long life spans/life expectancy, and reproduce more than once in their lifetime.

r-selected Species Characteristics

r-selected species tend to be small, have many offspring, expend or invest minimal energy for each offspring, mature early, have short life spans, and may reproduce only once in their lifetime.

Competition in K-selected Species

Competition for resources in K-selected species' habitats is usually relatively high.

Competition in r-selected Species

Competition for resources in r-selected species' habitats is typically relatively low.

Biotic Potential

Biotic potential refers to the maximum reproductive rate of a population in ideal conditions.

Reproductive Strategies

Many species have reproductive strategies that are not uniquely r-selected or K-selected, or they change in different conditions at different times.

Invasive Species Impact

K-selected species are typically more adversely affected by invasive species than r-selected species, which are minimally affected by invasive species.

Survivorship Curve

A survivorship curve is a line that displays the relative survival rates of a cohort—a group of individuals of the same age—in a population, from birth to the maximum age reached by any one cohort member.

Types of Survivorship Curves

There are Type I, Type II, and Type III curves. K-selected species typically follow a Type I or Type II curve and r-selected species follow a Type III curve.

Carrying Capacity

When a population exceeds its carrying capacity (carrying capacity can be denoted as K), overshoot occurs.

Environmental Impacts of Overshoot

There are environmental impacts of population overshoot, including resource depletion.

Dieback of Population

A major ecological effect of population overshoot is dieback of the population (often severe to catastrophic) because the lack of available resources leads to famine, disease, and/or conflict.

Limiting Factors of Population Growth

Population growth is limited by environmental factors, especially by the available resources and space.

Resource Abundance and Population Growth

When the resources needed by a population for growth are abundant, population growth usually accelerates.

Resource Scarcity and Population Decline

When the resource base of a population shrinks, the increased potential for unequal distribution of resources will ultimately result in increased mortality, decreased fecundity, or both, resulting in population growth declining to, or below, carrying capacity.

World Grain Production Change

Use Figure 2.3 to calculate the approximate percentage change in world grain production per person between 1950 and 2000.

Population Growth

When the resources needed by a population for growth are abundant, population growth usually accelerates.

Renewable Resources

Resources that can be replenished naturally, such as wind, solar power, and trees.

Nonrenewable Resources

Resources that cannot be replenished within a human timescale, such as fossil fuels (coal, oil, & natural gas) and many mineral resources.

Environmental Equity Issue

The idea that all people regardless of ethnic or socioeconomic status deserve equal environmental conditions.

Environmental Justice

A central principle that advocates for equal environmental conditions for all people.

Photosynthesis

The process by which carbon is converted from carbon dioxide into sugar.

Criteria Air Pollutants

Pollutants that are regulated by the EPA and have health-based standards.

Minorities

Groups that are smaller in number compared to the majority population.

Low-Income Families

Families that fall below a certain income threshold, often facing economic hardships.

High-Income Families

Families that have a higher income compared to the average, often with more resources.

Families Below Poverty Threshold

Families whose income is below the level considered necessary to maintain a basic standard of living.

Families Above Poverty Threshold

Families whose income is above the level considered necessary to maintain a basic standard of living.

Non-High School Graduates

Individuals who have not completed high school education.

High School Graduates

Individuals who have completed high school education.

Animal Assimilation

The process by which animals incorporate nutrients from their food into their bodies.

Decay

The process of decomposition of organic matter.

Detritus Feeders

Organisms that consume decomposing organic matter.

Nitrification

The process by which ammonia is converted to nitrites and then to nitrates in the soil.

Denitrification

The process by which nitrates are reduced to nitrogen gas, returning it to the atmosphere.

Ammonification

The process of converting organic nitrogen into ammonia.

Respiration

A biological process that breaks down food/glucose/sugar/complex carbohydrates and releases CO2 into the atmosphere.

Methane production

Gases such as methane produced by animals during digestion, emitted through belching or flatulence.

Decomposition

The process by which bacteria or fungi convert organic carbon into gases such as methane.

Oceanic sinks

Areas in the ocean where atmospheric carbon is incorporated, such as through diffusion into ocean water or uptake by organisms for shells.

Biological pump

The process where organisms in the upper ocean sink to the bottom of the ocean, contributing to carbon storage.

Old growth forests

Terrestrial carbon sinks that store carbon for thousands of years.

Ice caps/glaciers

Natural formations that trap and incorporate carbon for long periods.