AP Environmental Science Unit 3 Review

These flashcards cover key concepts from Unit 3 of AP Environmental Science, focusing on species characteristics, population dynamics, and ecological principles.

Specialist Species

Species with a smaller range of tolerance and narrower ecological niche, making them more prone to extinction.

Generalist Species

Species that have a larger range of tolerance and broader niche, making them less prone to extinction and more likely to be invasive.

Ecological Niche

The role or function of a species within an ecosystem, including its habitat, resource use, and interactions with other organisms.

K-selected Species

Species that are large, have few offspring, invest considerable energy in parental care, and mature slowly; tend to live in stable environments.

r-selected Species

Species that are small, have many offspring, invest minimal energy in parental care, and mature quickly; tend to live in unstable environments.

Biotic Potential

The maximum reproductive rate of a population under ideal environmental conditions.

Survivorship Curve

A graph that depicts the number of individuals surviving at each age in the population.

Carrying Capacity (K)

The maximum number of individuals that an ecosystem can support based on available resources.

Overshoot

When a population temporarily exceeds its carrying capacity.

Die-off

A sharp decrease in population size that occurs when resource depletion leads to high mortality.

Density-dependent Factors

Factors that influence population growth based on population size, such as food and disease.

Density-independent Factors

Factors that affect population growth regardless of population size, such as natural disasters.

Total Fertility Rate (TFR)

The average number of children a woman will have during her lifetime.

Infant Mortality Rate (IMR)

The number of deaths of infants under one year old per 1,000 live births.

Replacement Level Fertility

The total fertility rate required to balance birth and death rates, usually about 2.1 in developed countries.

Demographic Transition Model (DTM)

A model that describes the transition from high birth and death rates to lower rates as a country industrializes.

Stage 1 of DTM

Pre-industrial society with high birth and death rates, resulting in a stable population.

Stage 2 of DTM

Industrializing society with declining death rates and high birth rates, leading to rapid population growth.

Stage 3 of DTM

Developed society with declining birth rates, stabilizing population growth.

Stage 4 of DTM

Post-industrialized society with very low birth and death rates, resulting in population decline.

Environmental Resistance

Factors that limit population growth, such as limited resources and competition.

Logistic Growth

Population growth that follows an S-shaped curve as it approaches carrying capacity.

Exponential Growth

Population growth that occurs in an ideal environment without limiting factors.

Age Structure Diagram

A graphical representation of the distribution of various age groups in a population.

Pre-reproductive Age Group

Individuals aged 0-14; crucial for predicting future population growth.

Reproductive Age Group

Individuals aged 15-44; the group that contributes to population growth.

Post-reproductive Age Group

Individuals aged 45 and older; not contributing to population growth.

Urbanization

The process of making an area more urban; affects demographic transitions.

Malthusian Theory

The theory that population growth will outpace food production, leading to famine and conflict.

Population Density

The number of individuals per unit area.

Cohort

A group of individuals of the same age within a population.

Fecundity

The reproductive capacity of an individual or population.

Natural Increase Rate

The difference between births and deaths in a population.

Crude Birth Rate (CBR)

The number of live births per 1,000 people in a population.

Crude Death Rate (CDR)

The number of deaths per 1,000 people in a population.

Resource Limitation

When the availability of resources restricts population growth.

Climate Change Effects

How shifts in climate can impact populations and ecosystems.

Invasive Species

Non-native species that spread rapidly and can outcompete native species.

Population Bottleneck

A sharp reduction in the size of a population due to environmental events.

Minimum Viable Population (MVP)

The smallest population size at which a species is able to sustain itself.

Conservation Biology

The study and management of biodiversity and ecosystems.

Habitat Fragmentation

The process of dividing ecosystems into smaller, isolated patches.

Ecological Succession

The process by which ecosystems change and develop over time.

Secondary Succession

The recovery of an ecosystem after a disturbance that does not remove the soil.

Primary Succession

The establishment of a biological community on a previously uninhabited area.

Biodiversity

The variety of life in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

Ecosystem Services

Benefits provided by ecosystems to humans, such as clean air and water.

Niche Partitioning

The process by which competing species use the environment differently to coexist.

Trophic Levels

The hierarchical levels in an ecosystem, determined by how energy and nutrients flow.

Food Web

A complex network of feeding relationships among organisms in an ecosystem.

Producers

Organisms that produce their own food, usually through photosynthesis.

Consumers

Organisms that consume other living things for energy.

Decomposers

Organisms that break down dead organic matter.

Ecological Imbalance

A disruption to the natural environmental balance.

Anthropogenic Effects

Human-induced changes on the natural environment.

Renewable Resources

Resources that can be replenished naturally over time.

Non-renewable Resources

Resources that exist in finite amounts and are depleted faster than they can be replenished.

Sustainability

The ability to meet present needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet theirs.

Ecological Footprint

A measure of human demand on the Earth's ecosystems.

Carbon Footprint

The total amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and indirectly support human activities.

Famine

Severe shortage of food resulting in widespread hunger.

Ecosystem Resilience

The capacity of an ecosystem to recover from disturbances.

Population Regulation

The mechanisms that control population size.

Community Ecology

The study of interactions between species in a community.

Natural Selection

The process by which individuals with favorable traits are more likely to reproduce.