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AP Environmental Science > Unit 1 Key Terms > Flashcards

Unit 1 Key Terms Flashcards

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Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

Ecosystem

A

all living and non-living things in an area

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2
Q

ecology

A

Scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment

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3
Q

predation

A

one organism using another for energy source (hunters, parasites, herbivores)

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4
Q

symbiosis

A

any close and long term interaction between two organisms of different species

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5
Q

symbiosis

A

Two organisms that live together. Temporarily or for a longer time. At least one of the organisms benefits from the relationship.

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6
Q

mutualism

A

relationship that benefits both organisms

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7
Q

parisitism

A

when a species lives on or in another and causes it harm

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8
Q

commensalism

A

relationship that benefits one organism and doesn’t impact the other

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9
Q

Resource Partitioning

A

different species using the same resource in diff. ways to reduce competition

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10
Q

biome

A

a geographic region that is characterized by a certain type of climate, plant growth, or any other distinguishing characteristic (precipitation)

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11
Q

climate

A

average weather that occurs in a region over a long period of time

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12
Q

weather

A

the state of the atmosphere at a place and time

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13
Q

climatogram

A

a simple graphic representation of monthly temperature and precipitation for a specific weather station

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14
Q

latitude

A

imaginary horizontal line on the earth

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15
Q

longitude

A

imaginary vertical line on earth

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16
Q

types of desert

A

tropical, temperate, cold

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17
Q

types of grassland

A

savanna (tropical), prairie (temperate), arctic tundra (cold)

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18
Q

types of forest

A

tropical rainforest, temperate deciduous, taiga/boreal/northern coniferous

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19
Q

permafrost

A

A permanent layer of solid ice just under the soil, which is present even during the summer, and found in the Tundra biome

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20
Q

lotic

A

Lotic- Freshwater systems such as streams and rivers

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20
Q

lotic

A

Freshwater systems such as streams and rivers

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20
Q

lotic

A

Freshwater systems such as streams and rivers

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21
Q

source zone

A

steep elevation, fast flowing, does not have a lot of life, and low in nutrients (ex: mountains with snow, lakes, rapids, and/or waterfalls)

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22
Q

Transition Zone

A

warmer, less oxygen, slower, plants on riverbanks, higher NPP

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23
Q

floodplain

A

area next to a river that floods when water levels rise (warmest, less oxygen, highest NPP, fertile soil, high turbidity)

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24
Q

lentic

A

refers to standing waters such as lakes and ponds , or swamps and marshes

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25
Q

littoral

A

a shallow, shore area zone in a freshwater habitat where light reaches the bottom and nurtures plants and algae
shallow water with emergent plants (high NPP)

26
Q

limnetic

A

where light can reach (photosynthesis) (high in oxygen) no rooted plants, only phytoplankton

27
Q

produndal zone

A

too deep for sunlight (no photosynthesis, no plants)

28
Q

benthic

A

murky bottom where invertebrates (bugs) live, nutrient- rich sediments (decomposers live here b/c dead matter floats to the bottom)

29
Q

Oligotrophic

A

deep, steep sided banks, fed by an ice snow melt (low nutrients, low NPP)

30
Q

Eutropic

A

shallow body of water (lake) with a large supply of nutrients needed by producers (high NPP, high in nutrients)

31
Q

eutrophication

A

the natural nutrient enrichment of a shallow lake, estuary or slow moving stream, mostly from runoff of plant nutrients from the surrounding land

32
Q

Delta

A

an area of low, flat land, sometimes shaped approximately like a triangle, where a river divides into several smaller rivers before flowing into the sea

33
Q

estuary

A

a coastal body of water partly surrounded by land with access to open ocean and a large supply of fresh water from a river/stream

34
Q

Hypoxia

A

low concentrations of dissolved oxygen in waters of a region

35
Q

Apoxia

A

no concentrations of dissolved oxygen in waters of a region

36
Q

intertidal zone

A

area of shoreline between low and high tides

37
Q

Oligotrophic lake

A

deep lakes that have a small supply of plant nutrients (b/c it is so deep, there is not a lot of sunlight in majority of the water)

38
Q

Pelagic zone

A

the region of the ocean outside the coastal areas (open ocean)

39
Q

plankton

A

small, drifting plants, mostly algae and bacteria, found in aquatic ecosystems

40
Q

runoff

A

the movement of freshwater from precipitation and snowmelt to rivers, lakes, wetlands, and ultimately the ocean

41
Q

turbidity

A

Muddiness created by stirring up sediment or having foreign particles suspended in the water

42
Q

watershed

A

a land area from which water, sediment, and dissolved materials drain to a common point along a wetland, stream, lake, or river

43
Q

aquifer

A

An underground formation that contains groundwater

44
Q

biogeochemical cycle

A

cycle of matter between biotic and abiotic things in the environment involving biological, geologic and chemical interactions

45
Q

biomass

A

the mass or weight of living tissue

46
Q

biosphere

A

all life on Earth and all parts of the Earth in which life exists, including land, water, and the atmosphere

47
Q

carbon cycle

A

Movement of molecules that contain Carbon (CO2, glucose, CH4) between sources and sinks

48
Q

Consumer (heterotroph)

A

animals that eat

49
Q

decomposers

A

Organisms whose feeding habits result in decay (bacteria, fungi)

50
Q

detritivore

A

An organism that specializes in breaking down dead tissues and waste products into smaller particles

51
Q

Gross Primary Productivity

A

The total amount of sun energy (light) that plants capture and convert to energy (glucose) through photosynthesis

52
Q

Hydrologic cycle (water cycle)

A

The process in which water passes from vapor in the atmosphere through precipitation and ultimately back into the atmosphere as a result of evaporation and transpiration

53
Q

First Law of Thermodynamics

A

energy is never created or destroyed

54
Q

Second Law of Thermodynamics

A

each time energy is transferred, some of it is lost as heat

55
Q

Net Primary Productivity

A

The amount of energy (biomass) leftover for consumers after plants have used some for respiration

56
Q

Nitrogen Cycle

A

a continuous series of natural processes by which nitrogen passes successively from air to soil to organisms and back to air or soil involving principally nitrogen fixation, nitrification, decay, and denitrification

57
Q

Phosphorus cycle

A

the biogeochemical cycle that describes the transformation and translocation of phosphorus in soil, water, and living and dead organic material

58
Q

Primary consumer

A

(herbivore)- animals that eat plants

59
Q

Producer

A

(autotroph)- really convert sun’s light energy into chemical energy (glucose)

60
Q

Secondary consumer

A

(carnivore)- animals that eat primary consumers or herbivores

61
Q

Tertiary consumer

A

animals that eat secondary consumers or carnivores & omnivores (apex predator)

62
Q

Trophic level

A

different levels of animals eating one another

63
Q

Pyramid of energy flow

A

Pyramid of energy flow (trophic pyramid)- a graphical representation between various organisms in an ecosystem

AP Environmental Science (5 decks)

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