AP Environmental Science: Unit 1

1.1

Ecosystem: The interaction of living and nonliving things in a specific region

Environment: The entire natural world

Habitat: The given environmental conditions that a specific species need to survive

Symbiosis: Any organism that live in close proximity to each other

Mutualism: Symbiotic relationship where both species benefit (e.g Coral and Algae, Flowrs and pollinators)

Commensalism/Parasitism


1.2

Biome: area that has consistent climate and precipitation values annually

(Biomes)

Biomes can shift, locations will move with climate and precipitation changes

Aquatic Biomes:

    -Salinity: Important so animals can be adapted to salt

        Some adapt: e.g Mangrove Trees

    -Flow

    -Depth

Estuaries: Where a mouth of a river enters into an ocean. Species like mangrove or salt grasses need to be adapted. With estuaries, pick up sediments from rivers, makes a high plant biodiversity-high biome diversity


1.4

Reservoirs: Things that temporarily store matter

Sources: Processes that move matter between reservoirs

Sink: Reservoirs that store more than they give off


Carbon Cycle:

  1. Carbon sources return carbon to the atmosphere while sinks remove carbon from the atmosphere

  2. The amount of time carbon spends in its reservoirs varies


Photosynthesis: Plants taking carbon out of the atmosphere and stores it in plant life. (Glucose, starch, plant tissues)

Long lived-plants can become sinks. (e.g Sequoia)

Respiration: Returns carbon dioxide to atmosphere as plants break down material for energy


1.5

Nitgoren Cyce:

  1. Nitrogen cycles pretty quickly through is resovoirs