AP Environmental Personal Notes

Abiotic VS Biotic

Abiotic

  • Nonliving, Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, Rocks,

Biotic

Living, animals, plants, fungi, protists, bacteria,

  • form the biosphere


Population vs Community

Population - group of organisms of the same species

Community - populations of different species that live in the same area


Habitat - The natural environment in which a particular species lives and obtains the resources it needs for survival.


Ecotones - Traditional areas between ecosystems

Entropy - Uncertainty or randomness

Genetic Bottleneck - Extreme reduction in genetic variation in pop due to breeding of closely related individuals

Genetic Drift - Change in allele frequency in pop due to chance event


Symbiotic Relationships

Mutualism

  • both organisms benefit

  • ex. pollinators


Commensalism

  • One organism benefits and one is neither harmed nor benefited

  • ex. barnacles


Parasitism

  • one organism benefits and the other is harmed


Population Curves

  • S Curve - SLOWS down as carrying capacity is reached

  • J Curve - Increases steadily at a constant rate


Detritivore - organisms that consume dead organic matter and break it down into smaller pieces - ex. earthworms

Decomposer - breaks down dead organic material AND recycles nutrients back into the ecosystem ex. - fungi, bacteria


Electrostatic Precipitator - an electrostatic precipitator uses electrically charged plates to remove particulate matter from smokestack emissions, achieving very high efficiency in capturing dust and smoke particles.


O Horizon - Soil - the topmost layer of soil, characterized by organic material such as decomposed leaves and other plant matter, which enriches the soil and supports biological activity.

A Horizon - Soil - rich in organic material and nutrients, which is crucial for plant growth and biological activity. INCLUDES HUMUS

B Horizon - Soil - the horizon beneath the A horizon, often referred to as the zone of accumulation, where minerals and nutrients leach down from the upper layers, leading to a buildup of clay and other materials. LEACHING OCCURS HERE


Seismograph - tool that measures magnitude of earthquakes

Tectonic Plate Boundaries

  • Transform - Tectonic plate boundary type where tectonic plates slide horizontally past one another

  • Convergent - Tectonic plate boundary type where plates move towards each other, often resulting in mountain building or subduction zones.

  • Divergent - Tectonic plate boundary type where plates move apart from each other, leading to the formation of new crust as magma rises to the surface.