Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

AP Environmental Science > Unit 1 > Flashcards

Unit 1 Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

PCBs

A

Polychlorinated Biphenyls used in electronics. Chemical products banned in 1979. Polluted groundwater.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Quantitative data

A

data that uses numbers

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Qualitative data

A

data that uses qualities and characteristics

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Experimental design

A

set up of an experiment

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Control

A

constant variable and unchanged throughout the course of the investigation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Easter Island

A

an island owned by Chile where people died because of lack of natural resources

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Ecology

A

study of living organisms in their nonliving habitat

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Biotic factor

A

living item

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Abiotic factor

A

not living item

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Ecological Hierarchy

A

species -> population -> community -> ecosystem -> biome -> biosphere

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Population

A

a group of individuals of the same species

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Community

A

a group of populations interacting together

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Ecosystem

A

a group of communities interacting together

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Biosphere

A

another name for earth

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Natural Selection

A

survival of the fittest

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Chesapeake Bay Watershed

A

where Potomac River dumps into Atlantic Ocean. Extremely polluted with sediments and nutrients.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Salinity

A

level of salt in the water

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Brackish

A

medium levels of salinity. Often occurs in wetlands where salt and fresh water mix.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Potential Energy

A

The energy stored. PE = mgh

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Kinetic Energy

A

The energy in movement. KE = 1/2 mv^2

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

1st Law of Thermodynamics

A

Energy is neither created nor destroyed

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

2nd Law of Thermodynamics

A

No reaction is 100% efficient. Entropy is created after every energy transformation and will increase over time.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Entropy

A

Disorder and chaos in a system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Gaia hypothesis

A

organisms interact with their inorganic surroundings on Earth to form a synergistic self-regulating, complex system that helps to maintain and perpetuate the conditions for life on the planet

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

Ecological footprint

A

a measure of human impact on Earth’s ecosystems. It’s typically measured in area of wilderness or amount of natural capital consumed each year.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

Carrion

A

the decaying flesh of dead animals

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

Phototrophs

A

organisms that use light to perform photosynthesis. Often plants and phytoplankton.

28
Q

Chemotrophs

A

organisms that use chemicals to perform chemosynthesis. Often bacteria in deep sea vents.

29
Q

Heterotrophs

A

organisms that consume to obtain energy. Often herbivores and carnivores.

30
Q

Primary Consumer

A

first level heterotroph, eat primary producers

31
Q

Secondary Consumer

A

organism that eats primary consumer

32
Q

Tertiary Consumer

A

organism that eats secondary consumer

33
Q

Saprotrophs

A

organism that eats dead organic materials (fungi and bacteria)

34
Q

Food Chain

A

a series of who eats whom with one pp, one pc, one sc, one tc

35
Q

Food Web

A

a diagram of who eats whom for all organisms

36
Q

Gross Primary Productivity

A

the rate of photosynthesis taking place in an area

37
Q

Net Primary Productivity

A

The biomass left over in a phototroph after photosynthesis and respiration takes place.

38
Q

Nitrogen Fixation

A

Taking nitrogen in air (N2) and changing to nitrite (NO2) or ammonia (NH3)

39
Q

Nitrification

A

Take nitrite and turning it into nitrate NO

40
Q

Assimilation

A

Organisms use nitrate and ammonium to make DNA and amino acids

41
Q

Ammonification

A

Taking NH3 and turning it into NH4.

42
Q

Denitrification

A

Taking nitrate and ammonium and turning it back into nitrogen (N2) in the air.

43
Q

Sink

A

a storage place of an element

44
Q

Source

A

a process that releases an element

45
Q

Primary Succession

A

community change that occurs with new land formation: lichen -> moss -> small shrubs -> small trees -> large trees -> climax community

46
Q

Secondary Succession

A

community change that occurs with land already formed

47
Q

Bottleneck Effect

A

cut down of genetic diversity due to loss of individuals in a population.

48
Q

Non-native species

A

a species that is not known historically in an area. Ex: cane toads in Australia

49
Q

Species diversity

A

a count of how many species are in an area

50
Q

Ecotone

A

a transitional zone between two communities. Ex: intertidal zone.

51
Q

Niche

A

an organism’s job in a community

52
Q

Hybrid

A

the offspring of two different species

53
Q

Lichen

A

a symbiotic relationship of a fungus and an algae

54
Q

Germination

A

sprouting of a seed

55
Q

Mutualism

A

a symbiosis where two species benefit from the relationship. Ex: oxpecker and rhino

56
Q

Commensalism

A

a symbiosis where one species benefits and the other is neutral in the relationship. Ex: cattle egret and cow

57
Q

Competitive Exclusion Principle

A

species with the same niche in the same area cannot coexist

58
Q

Keystone Species

A

often a dominant predator whose removal allows a prey population to explode and often decreases overall diversity. Ex: sea otter

59
Q

Predation

A

the preying of one animal on others

60
Q

Mimicry

A

the close external resemblance of an animal or plant (or part of one) to another animal, plant, or inanimate object

61
Q

Interspecific Competition

A

competition between two different species

62
Q

Intraspecific Competition

A

Competition between the same species

63
Q

Aerobic

A

Using oxygen

64
Q

Anaerobic

A

Using no oxygen

65
Q

Parasitism

A

a symbiosis where one species benefits and the other is harmed in the relationship. Ex: tapeworm and human

AP Environmental Science (9 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions