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APES Unit 1 Vocab
AP Environmental Science Key Vocabulary
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| 10% rule | Only 10% of the total energy produced at each trophic level is available to the next level. The amount of energy passed up to the levels of the food pyramid reduces as you go up. |
| Abiotic | Non-living things |
| Algae | a very simple plant without stems or leaves that grows in or near water. |
| Altitude | distance above sea level |
| Ammonification | the formation of ammonia compounds in the soil by the action of bacteria on decaying matter |
| Aquatic Biome | an aquatic region characterized by a particular combination of salinity, depth, and water flow |
| Aquifer | A body of rock or sediment that stores groundwater and allows the flow of groundwater. |
| Biogeochemical Cycle | process in which elements, chemical compounds, and other forms of matter are passed from one organism to another and from one part of the biosphere to another |
| Biome | A group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical organisms |
| Biosphere | part of Earth in which life exists including land, water, and air or atmosphere |
| Biotic | living things |
| Blue Light | shortest wavelength |
| Boreal Forest | A forest biome made up primarily of coniferous evergreen trees that can tolerate cold winters and short growing seasons |
| Carbon Dioxide | a colorless, odorless gas produced by burning carbon and organic compounds and by respiration. It is naturally present in air (about 0.03 percent) and is absorbed by plants in photosynthesis. |
| Carbon-Oxygen Cycle | the process by which carbon and oxygen cycle among plants, people and animals, and the environment |
| Cellular Respiration | Process that releases energy by breaking down glucose and other food molecules in the presence of oxygen |
| Chemosynthesis | Process by which some organisms, such as certain bacteria, use chemical energy to produce carbohydrates |
| Climate | The average weather conditions in an area over a long period of time |
| Commensalism | A relationship between two organisms in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected |
| Competition | the struggle between organisms to survive in a habitat with limited resources |
| Conservation of Matter | the principle stating that matter is not created or destroyed during a chemical reaction |
| Coral Reef | The most diverse marine biome on Earth, found in warm, shallow waters beyond the shoreline. |
| Deciduous | Trees and shrubs that shed their leaves at the end of the growing season |
| Decomposition | A chemical reaction that breaks down compounds into simpler products. |
| Desert | An extremely dry area with little water and few plants |
| ecological succession | the process by which the mix of species and habitat in an area changes over time |
| Ecosystem | a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment |
| energy flow | the flow of energy through living things within an ecosystem |
| estuary | the tidal mouth of a large river, where the tide meets the stream |
| first law of thermodynamics | energy can neither be created nor destroyed, only altered in form |
| food chain | A series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten |
| food web | A community of organisms where there are several interrelated food chains |
| fossil fuels | Coal, oil, natural gas, and other fuels that are ancient remains of plants and animals. |
| freshwater | Does not contain any saltwater and can be rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, and wetlands |
| geography | the study of the earth's physical and cultural features |
| gross primary productivity | The total amount of solar energy that producers in an ecosystem capture via photosynthesis over a given amount of time |
| groundwater | water that fills the cracks and spaces in underground soil and rock layers |
| hydrologic cycle | the movement of water through the biosphere; evaporation, condensation, and precipitation |
| ice caps | areas covered with thick ice year round |
| lake | a body of water completely surrounded by land |
| latitude | Distance north or south of the equator |
| Law of Thermodynamics | #1: Energy cannot be created nor destroyed. It can only be changed in form. #2: When energy changes, it is converted from a more useful more concentrated form to a less useful, less concentrated form |
| limiting factor | Any biotic or abiotic factor that restricts the existence, numbers, reproduction, or distribution of organisms. |
| marine biomes | typically have a salt concentration around 3% and include oceans, intertidal zones, coral reefs, and estuaries. |
| marshlands | Consisting of low lying wetlands ; areas that typically stay flooded/waterlogged. Swamp or bog. |
| mutualism | A relationship between two species in which both species benefit |
| negative feedback loop | A feedback loop that causes a system to change in the opposite direction from which it is moving |
| net primary productivity | the rate at which biomass accumulates in an ecosystem |
| nitrogen | N; Most abundant gas in the atmosphere; must go through the nitrogen cycle in order to be consumed by plants or animals |
| nitrogen cycle | The transfer of nitrogen from the atmosphere to the soil, to living organisms, and back to the atmosphere |
| Rivers | a large natural stream of water flowing in a channel to the sea, a lake, or another such stream |
| Rock | the solid mineral material forming part of the surface of the earth |
| Salinity | A measure of the amount of dissolved salts in a given amount of liquid |
| Savanna | a grassy plain in tropical and subtropical regions, with few trees. |
| Second Law of Thermodynamics | when energy is changed from one form to another, some useful energy is always degraded into lower quality energy (usually heat) |
| Sediment | a residue that settles in the bottom of something |
| Shrubland | plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes |
| Sink | place where a substance can be stored naturally |
| Soil | mixture of mineral particles and organic material that covers the land, and in which terrestrial plants grow |
| Solar Energy | energy from the sun that can be converted into thermal or electrical energy |
| Species Interactions | relationships among organisms of different species living in the same location (mutualism, commensalism, exploitation, and competition) |
| Stream | a channel through which water is continually flowing downhill (small river) |
| Symbiosis | relationship in which two different organisms live in close association with each other (beneficial, harmful, or neutral) |
| Taiga | a region of evergreen, coniferous forest below the arctic and subarctic tundra regions |
| Temperate Grassland | a community (or biome) that is dominated by grasses, has few trees, and is characterized by cold winters and rainfall that is intermediate between that of a forest and a desert |
| Temperate Rainforest | The cool, dense, rainy forests of the northern Pacific coast; enshrouded in fog much of the time; dominated by large conifers |
| Temperate Seasonal Forest | A biome with warmer summers and colder winters than temperate rainforests and dominated by deciduous trees. |
| Terrestrial | Relating to the Earth or to land |
| Terrestrial Biome | A geographic region categorized by a particular combination of average annual temperature, annual precipitation, and distinctive plant growth forms on land |
| Trophic Levels | The hierarchical levels of the food chain through which energy flows from primary producers to primary consumers, secondary consumers and so on. |
| Tropical Rainforest | biome near the equator with warm climate wet weather and lush plant growth |
| Tundra | a vast treeless plain in the arctic regions between the ice cap and the tree line |
| Turbidity | A measure of how clear water is. Low turbidity- High clarity High turbidity- low clarity |
| Visible Light | electromagnetic waves that are visible to the human eye |
| nonmineral marine natural resources | EX. fish |
| nonmineral terrestrial resources | EX. water and trees |
| nutrient | a substance that provides nourishment essential for growth and the maintenance of life. |
| nutrient availability | the available source of nutrients for plant growth |
| ocean | a very large expanse of sea, in particular each of the main areas into which the sea is divided geographically. |
| oxygen | a colorless, odorless reactive gas, the chemical element of atomic number 8 and the life-supporting component of the air. |
| parasitism | the practice of living as a parasite in or on another organism. |
| phosphorus cycle | The movement of phosphorus atoms from rocks through the biosphere and hydrosphere and back to rocks. |
| phosphorus | the chemical element of atomic number 15, a poisonous, combustible nonmetal |
| photosynthesis | Conversion of light energy from the sun into chemical energy. |
| pond | a small body of still water formed naturally or by hollowing or embanking. |
| positive feedback loop | when the product of a reaction leads to an increase in that reaction |
| predator | an organism that primarily obtains food by the killing and consuming of other organisms |
| prey | an animal that is hunted and killed by another for food. |
| primary consumer | a plant-eating organism : herbivore. |
| primary producer | any green plant or any of various microorganisms that can convert light energy or chemical energy into organic matter. |
| primary productivity | the rate at which energy is converted to organic substances by photosynthetic producers (photoautotrophs) |
| primary succession | succession that occurs on land where no soil exists |
| producer/autotroph | An organism that can make its own food. |
| productivity | The value of a particular product compared to the amount of labor needed to make it. |
| reservoir | a large natural or artificial lake used as a source of water supply. |
| resource partioning | a process of natural selection that will force competitors to use resources differently |
| resources | a stock or supply of money, materials, staff, and other assets that can be drawn on by a person or organization in order to function effectively. |
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HollandSci
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