AP Environmental Science Chapter Four and Five

205797104	biodiversity	variety of species, genes, ecosystems, processes on Earth
205797105	species diversity	variety of the number of types of species
205797106	genetic diversity	variety of genes (section of DNA for making specific protein)
205797107	ecosystem diversity	variety of types of biomes, aquatic ecosystems
205797108	functional diversity	variety of processes
205797109	biological evolution	changes in species over time, caused by changes in genes/DNA
205797110	natural selection	proposed by Darwin, it is the mechanism for change
205797111	fossils	preserved remains of organisms, impressions-found in rocks
205797112	fossil record	collection of fossils found thus far
205797113	human evolution	constantly being revised, they have oppsoable thumbs, bipedalism, complex cerebrum (brain)
205797114	speciation	process by which new species is formed
205797115	geographic isolation	type of speciation; when populations of species become physically separated into different groups, can be caused by migration, transplantation
205797116	reproduction isolation	type of speciation, once geographically isolated, natural selection goes to work on the separate populations and eventually become so different that they could not produce viable, fertile offspring if rejoined
205797117	extinction	species cease to exist, caused by natural factors, human activities
205797118	endemic species	species found in one specific area
205797119	background extinctions	natural extinctions that occur slowly, most occur this way
205797120	mass extinctions	many species go extinct in short period of time
205797121	ecological niche	specific role species plays in its ecosystem, not a habitat
205797122	generalist species	have a very broad niche, can survive in many habitats, conditions, use various food sources, more tolerant of environment changes ex. coyotes
205797123	specialist species	have narrow niches, may require one type of habitat, have very specific food source, not as tolerant to changes ex. giant panda
205797124	native species	organisms that normally live in a particular area/ecosystem ex. indigenous species
205797125	nonnative species	species that live in a particular area that are not native, often can be harmful to native species in ecosystems ex. asian honeysuckle
205797126	indicator species	species that can indicate threats to ecosystem, insects, birds, amphibians
205797127	amphibians	first terrestrial vertebrates, life cycle in water and on land, skin makes them vulnerable
205797128	keystone species	species that has a large effect on other species in ecosystem, they help sustain the balance/maintain of ecosystem, usually exist in smaller numbers than other spcies ex. predators, mutualists, foundation species
205797129	predators	keep population of other species in check ex. gray wolf, alligator
205797130	mutualists	pollinating flowers
205797131	foundation species	engineers, shape ecosystems ex. grizzly bears, elephants
207740765	interspecific competition	type of species interactions; competition between different species..most species are in competition for resources (food)
207740766	competitive exclusion principle	no two species can occupy exactly the same niche.
207740767	predation	type of species interaction; one species (predator) feeds on a part or all of another living species (prey)
207740768	pursuit	variety of method used to catch prey, or avoid predation-chase down the prey
207740769	ambush	variety of method used to catch prey, or avoid predation-hide and attack
207740770	camouflage	variety of method used to catch prey, or avoid predation-blend in with surroundings
207740771	chemical warfare	variety of method used to catch prey, or avoid predation-venom
207740772	aposmatic coloring	warning coloration to predators
207740773	mimicry	look similar to dangerous species or species that use chemical warefare
207740774	coevolution	two species interacting over a long period of time, cause changes in one another (one species drives evolution of other)
207740775	parasitism	when a species lives on or in another and causes it harm, feeds on, uses energy of another organism
207740776	mutualism	two species interact in ways that benefit both
207740777	gut inhabitant mutalism	microorganisms (usually bacteria) living in digestive tact or other organisms
207740778	commensalism	two species interact, one is benefited and has little impact on other
207740779	population dynamics	how these characteristics change with environmental conditions ex. temperature, disease, pollution, other species.
207740780	population distribution	how populations are dispersed over a particular area/volume
207740781	clumping	type of population distribution, most common, the gathering in patches, groups
207740782	uniform dispersion	type of population distribution, evenly spread out
207740783	random dispersion	type of population distribution, scattered indiscriminately
207740784	population numbers	number of individuals in population can increase, decrease, remain stable
207740785	age structure of population	distribution of individuals according to their ages
208636516	ecological succession	changes in species composition of ecosystem
208636517	primary succession	the establishment of communities where there was no life before (rare today) "start from scratch" ecosystem, occurs in area with no soil
208636518	secondary succession	ecosystem develops where soil or bottom sediment already exists, when nature "reclaims" an area, this happens when ecosystems have been burned or previously cut out.
208636519	inertia	(persistence) The ability of an ecosystem to resist disturbances
208636520	resilience	the ability of an ecosystem to restore itself through secondary succession after a disturbance
208636521	tipping point	when an ecosystem changes in a quick and often irreversible manner
209056358	biotic potential	capacity for growth in a population if resources are not limited
209056359	intrinsic rate of increase	rate at which population would grow if resources were unlimited
209056360	environmental resistance	sum of all the limiting factors that restrict population growth
209056361	carrying capacity	(K) the maximum population of a species that an area can maintain indefinitely
209056362	founder effect	when few individuals, begin a new isolated population
209056363	demographic bottleneck	when few individuals survive population collapse
209056364	genetic drift	random change in gene frequency - certain genes dominate population
209056365	inbreeding	when members of small population (often related) breed with one another, it increases the number of "bad" genes
209056366	minimum viable population size	number of individual population needs to exist for long-term
209056367	r selected species	high potential of population increase, usually have many, small offspring, little or no parental care. ex. rats
209056368	k selected species	reproduce later in life, few offspring, long life span, larger gestation period, mature slowly, cared for by parents ex. whales, humans, elephants
209056369	exponential growth	when the population has few limits, starts out slow but then accelerates forms a J-shaped curve on the graph
209056370	legistic growth	exponential growth followed by decrease in growth and then leveling off of population- fluctuates above and below K-caused by environment resistance
209056371	population density	number of individuals in an area/volume
209056372	density-dependent population controls	limited population growth and vary according to density of population
209056373	stable	general pattern for population change; stays relatively constant
209056374	irruptive	when the population grows to a high then crashes, often linked to seasonal changes of region
209056375	cyclic	a "boom and bust", regular changes in population over long time periods
209056376	irregular	changes in population that follow no pattern