Review Sheet: Barron's AP Environmental Science 2023

Ecosystem

Community of living organisms interacting with non-living components

Organisms

A living thing that can function on its own

Species

Organisms that resemble each other

Population

Same species occupying a specific area.

Community

Population of different species.

Symbiosis

Any type of close and long-term biological interaction between two different biological organisms of the same or different species

Amensalism

One species suffers, other is not affeced

Commensalism

One species benefits, and the other isn’t.

Competition

Rivalry of species over same resources

Mutualism

Both species benefit

Parasitism

One species benefits and the other is harmed

Predation

Predator kills and eat their prey

Saprottrophism

Organism that feeds on nonliving organic matter.

Morphological partitioning

Two species shares same resources; evolved slightly different structures

Spatial partitioning

Species use same resource occupying different areas.

Temporal partitioning

Two species eliminate direct competition; utilizing same resource at diffrent times

Deserts

An area that receives no more than 25 centimeters of rainfall a year

Forests

Area with large number of trees

Tropical Rainforests

Occurs in tropical areas of heavy rainfalls.

Temperate Deciduous Forests

Occurs in association of seasonally wet and dry or monsoon climates

Temperate Coniferous Forests

Occurs in low levels of precipitation

Grasslands

Lands dominated by grasses.

Southern Taiga

Also known as boreal forest

Northern Taiga

Approaches tree line and tundra biome

Grasslands

Lands dominated by grasses

Savannas

A grassy plain with scattered individual trees

Arctic tundra

Circles North Pole extending South to the Taiga; cold, dry, desert-like.

Alpine tundra

Located in mountains where trees cannot grow

Antarctic

Cold, remote area in the Southern Hemisphere

Photic Zone

Uppermost layer of water.

Neretic Zone (Sublittoral)

Extends to the edge of continental shelf.

Littoral Zone (Intertidal)

Closest to the shore.

Corals

Marine invertebrates that typically live in compact colonies

Fringing Reefs

Grow near the coastline.

Barrier Reefs

Similar to the coastline but separated by deeper lagoons

Attols

Rings of coral that create protected lagoons; found in the middle of the sea

Lakes

Formed where precipitation or runoffs fills depressions in Earths surface

Benthic Zone

Bottom of the Lake

Limnetic Zone

Well lit, open surface water

Littoral Zone

Close to the shore that extends to depth penetrated by sunlight.

Profundal Zone

No light regions

Oligotrophic

Young Lake; deep cold; nutrient poor

Mesotrophic

Middle-Aged Lake; moderate nutrient content.

Eutrophic

Old lake; shallow, warm, large surface area

Source Zones

Headwater streams; often begins as springs or snowmelt

Transition Zone

Slower, warmer, wider, and lower-elevation moving streams

Floodplain Zone

Result of large amounts of sediment and nutrients

Riparian Areas

Lands adjacent to creeks, lakes, rivers, and streams that support vegetation

Law of Tolerance

It states that the existence, abundance, and distribution of species depend on the tolerance level of each species to both physical and chemical factors

Limiting Factor

Any abiotic factor that limits or prevents the growth of a population

Carbon Cycle

The process in which carbon atoms continually travel from the atmosphere to the Earth and then back into the atmosphere

Carbon Cycle

Nitrogen Cycle

A process through which nitrogen is converted into many forms, consecutively passing from the atmosphere to the soil to organism and back into the atmosphere

Nitrogen Cycle

Phosphorous Cycle

A cycle that describes the movement of phosphorus through the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere

Phosphorous Cycle

Hydrologic Cycle

It involves the continuous circulation of water in the Earth-Atmosphere.

Hydrologic Cycle

Aquifer

Contains water in quantities sufficient to support a well or spring

Recharge zone

The surface area above an aquifer that supplies water to the aquifer

Unsaturated zone

The zone immediately below the land surface

Water table

The level below which the ground is saturated with water

Biomass pyramid

It shows how much organic mass is within each trophic level

Energy Pyramids

These show the proportion of energy passed from one trophic level to the next-level consumers in an ecosystem

Photosynthesis

Cellular respiration

Gross primary production (GPP)

The rate at which plants capture and fix a given amount of chemical energy as biomass in a given length of time.

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Net primary production Formula

Net primary production (NPP)

The remaining fixed energy is the rate at which all the plants in an ecosystem produce net useful chemical energy

Biodiversity

Variability among species, between species, and of ecosystems

Genetic diversity

Range of all genetic traits

Species diversity

Number of different species in a specific area

Ecosystem diversity

Range of habitats in specific area

Generalists

Live in different types of environments and have varied diets.

Specialists

Require unique resources and have limited diets

Pioneer

Earlier successional plants; generalists.

Keystone

Their presence contributes to the diversity of life; their extinction could lead to the extinction of other life forms

Indicator

Their presence, absence, or abundance reflects a specific environmental condition

Supporting Benefits

Provides more aid to the ecosystem.

Regulating Benefits

Provided that help moderate natural phenomena

Provisioning Benefits

Provides diversity of products.

Cultural Benefits

Supports recreational services.

Island Biogeography

It examines the factors that affect the richness and diversity of species living in these isolated natural communities

Island

A suitable habitat for a specific ecosystem that is surrounded by a large area of unsuitable habitat

Theory of Island Biogeography

It proposes that the number of species found on an "island" is determined by immigration and extinction of isolated populations

Physiological Adaptation

Methods of temperature control or how food are digested.

Behavioral Adaptation

Instincts, mating behavior, vocalizations.

Structural Adaptation

Physical features.

Short Term Adaptations

Develops from environments temporary changes

Long-term Adaptations

Develops over long periods of time in response to natural selection

Facilitation

Species modifies the environment, meeting the needs of others

Inhibition

Species modifies the environment, not suitable for the environment

Tolerance

Species are not affected by the presence of others

Primary Succession

Species first colonize a lifeless habitat.

Secondary Succession

Species recolonize a destroyed habitat

Episodic Process

Occurring occasionally and at irregular intervals

Periodic Process

Occurring at repeated intervals

Random Process

Lacking a regular pattern.

Generalists

Able to use a variety of environmental resources

Specialists

Use specific set of resources