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APES Test 2
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Hypoxia | Low concentrations of dissolved oxygen in water |
| System | Network of relationships among parts, elements, or components Interact/influence one another, exchange energy/matter/info., process inputs/outputs |
| Feedback Loop | Circular process in which a system's output serves as input to that same system |
| Negative Feedback Loop | Output from a system moving in one direction acts as input |
| Positive Feedback Loop | Drives a system further toward one extreme or another, rare in nature, common in natural systems altered by humans |
| Dynamic Equilibrium | System processes move in opposing directions, balancing their effects |
| Homeostasis | A system maintains constant internal conditions |
| Emergent Properties | System characteristics are not evident in the components alone, whole is more than sum of parts |
| Eutrophication | Process of nutrient over enrichment which leads to: blooms of algae, increased production of organic matter, decomposition and hypoxia |
| Lithosphere | Rock and sediment |
| Atmosphere | Air surrounding our planet |
| Hydrosphere | Liquid, solid or vapor water |
| Biosphere | The planet's living organisms and the abiotic portions of the environment |
| Ecosystem | All (non)living entities that occur/interact in an area at the same time |
| Primary Production | Conversion of solar energy to chemical energy in sugars by autotrophs |
| Gross Primary Production (GPP) | Assimilation of energy by autotrophs |
| Autotrophs | Organisms that are able to make their own food |
| Net Primary Production (NPP) | Energy remaining after respiration which is used to generate biomass |
| Secondary Production | Biomass generated by heterotrophs from consuming autotrophs |
| Productivity | Rate at which ecosystems generate biomass |
| High Net Primary Productivity | Ecosystems whose plants rapidly convert solar energy to biomass |
| Nutrients | Elements and compounds required for survival that are consumed by organisms |
| Macronutrients | Required in larger amounts (nitrogen, carbon, phosphorus) |
| Micronutrients | Nutrients needed in smaller amounts (nutrients stimulate plant production) |
| Ecotones | Transitional zones between two ecosystems (elements of each ecosystem mix) |
| Landscape Ecology | Studies how landscape structure affects the abundance, distribution, and interaction of organisms (helpful for sustainable regional development) |
| Patches | Form landscape, spread in complex patterns |
| Metapopulation | Network of subpopulations |
| Conservation Biologists | Study the loss, protection, and restoration of biodiversity |
| Geographic Information System (GIS) | Computer software used in landscape ecology research, analyzes how elements of a landscape are arranged, helps in planning/land use decisions |
| Model | Simplified representation of a complex natural process, helps to understand the process and make predictions |
| Ecological Modeling | Constructs and tests models, used to explain and predict how ecological systems work |
| Ecosystem Services | Provided by planet's ecosystems, soil formation, water/air purification, pollination, breakdown of pollutants/waste, quality of life issues, nutrient cycling |
| Nutrient Cycles | Movement of nutrients through ecosystems (atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, biosphere) |
| Pools (Reservoirs) | Where nutrients reside for varying amounts of time (residence time) |
| Flux | Rate at which materials move between pools, change over time, influenced by human activities |
| Source | Pool that releases more nutrients than it accepts |
| Sink | Pool that accepts more nutrients than it creates |
| Hydrologic | Summarizes how liquids, solids, and gasses move throughout an environment, oceans are main reservoir |
| Evaporation | Water moves from aquatic and land systems into atmosphere |
| Transpiration | Release of water vapor by plants |
| Precipitation/Runoff/Surface Water | Water returns to Earth via rain/snow which then goes to streams, lakes, oceans, etc. |
| Aquifers | Underground reservoirs of sponge-like regions of rock and soil |
| Groundwater | Water found underground beneath soil |
| Water Table | Upper limit of groundwater in an aquifer (may be ancient water) |
| Carbon Cycle | How carbon atoms move in environment, plants are a major reservoir for carbon |
| Respiration | Returns carbon to air and oceans |
| Decomposition | Returns carbon to sediment, largest reservoir for carbon, aquatic organisms are decomposed deep underground and create fossil fuels |
| Driving Force in Climate Change | Increased carbon dioxide amount in the atmosphere, 1-2 billion metric tons of carbon unaccounted for |
| Nitrogen Fixation |
Created by:
archergirl
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