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AP Environmental Science: Ecology Flashcards

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9670411020EcologyThe branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings. (The study of connections in nature)0
9670411021EcosystemA community where populations of different species interact with one another and with their nonliving environment of matter and energy.1
9670411022PopulationA group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area.2
9670411023SpeciesA group of organisms that resemble one another in appearance, behavior, chemistry, and genetic makeup.3
9670411024HabitatAn environment that provides an organism or species with the means to live, grow, and reproduce. (Can be as large as the ocean or as small as animal's intestine)4
9670411025Abiotic factorsNon-living chemical and physical parts of the environment that affect living organisms and the functioning of ecosystems.5
9670411026Biotic factorsThe living factors in the environment such as producers, consumers, and decomposers.6
9670411027nicheThe place or function of a given organism within its ecosystem7
9670411030Limiting factorsenvironmental conditions that limit the growth, abundance, or distribution of an organism or a population of organisms in an ecosystem. ... also competition between individuals of a species8
9670411031Carrying Capacitythe number of people, other living organisms, or crops that a region can support without environmental degradation.9
9670411033S & J population curvesS-shaped growth curve, A pattern of growth in a new environment, the population density of an organism increases slowly initially, in a positive acceleration phase; then increases rapidly, approaching an exponential growth rate as in the J-shaped curve; but then declines10
9670411034Communitythe study of the interactions between species in communities on many different scales11
9670411035Respirationa process in living organisms involving the production of energy, typically with the intake of oxygen and the release of carbon dioxide from the oxidation of complex organic substances.12
9670411036PhotosynthesisA process used by plants and other autotrophs to capture light and energy and use it to power chemical reactions that convert carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and energy-rich carbohydrates, such as sugars and starches. 6CO2 + 6H2O + light --> C6H12O6 + 6O213
9670411037Trophic leveleach of several hierarchical levels in an ecosystem, comprising organisms that SHARE the same function in the food chain and the same nutritional relationship to the primary sources of energy14
9670411038Ecological Pyramidsgraphical representation designed to show the biomass or bio productivity at each trophic level in a given ecosystem.15
9670411039Productivityhe rate of production of new biomass by an individual, population, or community; the fertility or capacity of a given habitat or area.16
9670411040Gross primary productivitythe total amount of biomass produced via photosynthesis over a given amount of time17
9670411041Net primary ProductivityThe energy captured by producers in an ecosystem minus the energy producers respire18
9670411042BiomesBroad, regional types of ecosystems characterized by distinctive climates and soil conditions and distinctive kinds of biological communities adapted to those conditions.19
9670411043BiosphereAll of the Earth's ecosystems, or the global ecosystem where all life in interconnected.20
9670411044Salinitythe concentration of dissolved salts in water21
9670411045Species diversitynumber of different species that are represented in a given community22

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