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AP Environmental Science Chapter 3

Terms in this set (58)

Ernst Haeckel
a 19th century scientist who developed the concept of ecology
ecology
"eco" is Greek for "house"
the study of the interactions among organisms and between organisms and their abiotic environment
biotic
living
abiotic
nonliving
population
a group of organisms of the same species that live together in the same area at the same time
species
group of similar organisms whose members freely interbreed with one another in the wild to produce fertile offspring
community
a natural association that consists of all the populations of different species that live and interact together within an area at the same time
ecosystem
a community and its physical environment
levels of biological organization
biosphere
landscape
community and ecosystem
population
individual
organism
body system
organ
tissue
cells
molecule
atom
landscape ecology
a subdiscipline of ecology that studies ecological processes that operate over large areas
landscape
a spatially heterogenous region that includes several interacting ecosystems
biosphere
the layer of earth containing all living organisms
Earth's four realms
atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, biosphere
atmosphere
the gaseous envelope surrounding Earth
hydrosphere
Earth's supply of water - liquid and frozen, fresh and salty
lithosphere
the soil and rock of Earth's crust
energy
the capacity or ability to do work
chemical energy
stored in bonds of molecules (i.e. food)
radiant energy
radio waves, visible light, X rays. (transmitted as electromagnetic waves)
solar energy
radiant energy from the sun - ultraviolet radiation, visible light, infrared radiation
thermal energy
heat energy that flows from an object with a higher temperature (the heat source) to an object with a lower temperature (the heat sink)
mechanical energy
energy in the movement of matter
nuclear energy
energy found in atomic nuclei
electrical energy
energy that flows as charged particles
kilocalorie
the energy required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of water by 1*C
potential energy
stored energy
kinetic energy
the energy of motion
thermodynamics
the branch of physical science that deals with the relations between heat and other forms of energy (such as mechanical, electrical, or chemical energy), and, by extension, of the relationships between all forms of energy.
system
refer to an object being studied, surroundings
closed system
self contained and isolated system
open system
exhibits an exchange of energy with its surroundings
first law of thermodynamics
energy cannot be created or destroyed, although it can change from one form to another
second law of thermodynamics
when energy is converted from one form to another, some of it is degraded into heat, a less usable form that disperses into the environment
entropy
a thermodynamic quantity representing the unavailability of a system's thermal energy for conversion into mechanical work, often interpreted as the degree of disorder or randomness in the system.
photosynthesis
the biological process in which light energy from the sun is captured and transformed into the chemical energy of carbohydrate (sugar) molecules
photosynthesis equation
6 CO2 + 12 H2O + radiant energy -> C6H12O6 + 6 CO2
cellular respiration
C6H12O6 + 6 O2 + 6 H2O -> 6 CO2 + 12 H2O + energy
hydrothermal vents
an opening in the sea floor out of which heated mineral-rich water flows.
chemosynthesis
The synthesis of organic compounds by certain bacteria, especially in deep-sea hydrothermal vents, using energy obtained from the chemical oxidation of simple inorganic compounds.
energy flow
the passage of energy in a one-way direction through an ecosystem
autotroph
an organism that is able to form nutritional organic substances from simple inorganic substances such as carbon dioxide.
hetertroph
consumer. an organism deriving its nutritional requirements from complex organic substances.
primary consumers
herbivores
secondary consumers
eat primary consumers
tertiary consumers
eat secondary consumers
detritus feeders
are heterotrophs that obtain nutrients by consuming detritus (decomposing plant and animal parts as well as feces).
saprotrophs
an organism that feeds on or derives nourishment from decaying organic matter.
trophic level
an organism's position in a food chain, which is determined by its feeding relationships
food web
a representation of the interlocking food chains that connect all organisms in an ecosystem
ecological pyramids
graphically represent the relative energy values of each trophic level
gross primary productivity (GPP)
the total amount of photosynthetic energy that plants capture and assimilate in a given period
net primary productivity (NPP)
productivity after respitration losses are subtracted. That is, NPP is the amount of biomass found in excess of that broken down by a plant's cellular respiration. NPP represents the rate at which this organic matter is actually incorporated into plant tissues for growth
atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere
What realms are part of the abiosphere?
pyramid of numbers
shows the number of organisms at each trophic level in a given ecosystem, with the greater numbers illustrated by a larger area for that section of the pyramid
pyramid of biomass
illustrates the total biomass at each successive trophic level
pyramid of energy
illustrates the energy content, often expressed as kilocalories per square meter per year, of the biomass at each trophic level.
swamps and marshes, rainforests
What ecosystems have the highest npp (net primary productivity)?
What is the equation for net primary productivity?
npp = gpp - plant cellular respiration
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