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APES Chapter 4
AP Environmental Science Chapter 4 Vocab
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Competition -- The relationship between organisms that seek the same resources | The relationship between organisms that seek the same resources |
Intraspecific Competition | Between members of the same species |
Interspecific Competition | Between members of a different species |
Competition becomes more intense when populations are more dense | |
**Fundamental Niche** | Full potential niche of a species |
Realized Niche | Indv. that plays only part of its role due to competition or other interactions |
Competetive Exclusion -- Stronger competor keeps resources from others | Stronger competor keeps resources from others |
**Species Coexistence** | Species live side by side, don’t necessarily exclude each other |
**Resource Partitioning** | indv. use resources in different ways |
**Character Displacement** | Competing species diverge and develop different characteristics |
**Predation** | process where indv. of one species (predators) capture, kill, and consume, individuals of another (prey) |
Better at capturing = better chance at survival = favored by natural selection | |
Prey adapts defensives | |
**Parasitism** | Relationship where one organism depends on the other for nourishments |
Ex. leeches, ticks, lice, etc. | |
Not deadly unless a parasite introduces a bacteria | |
**Pathogens** | Parasites that cause disease |
**Coevolution** | Parasites & hosts adapt and counter- adapt to each other |
**Herbivory** | Animals feed on the tissues of plants ; plants evolved defenses (ie. toxins, thorns, spikes, irritating hairs) |
**Mutualism** | Relationship where two or more species benefit each other |
**Symbiosis** | A close physical association between species |
**Pollination** | Only one free- living organism is required |
**Community** | assemblage of populations living in the same area at the same time |
**Trophic Level** | Level that shows a feeding hierarchy in a community |
**Producers** | Use photosynthesis or chemosynthesis to make their own sugars |
**Primary Consumers** | Consume producers |
**Secondary Consumers** | |
**Tertiary Consumers** | |
**Detritivores** | SCAVENGE waste & dead bodies |
**Decomposers** | Break down non-living matter into smaller molecules |
Energy decreases as you move up levels | |
**Biomass** | The collective mass of living matter in a given place at a given time |
**Food Chain** | The depiction of the flow of energy between Trophic Levels (lower to higher) |
**Food Webs** | Like a food chain but incorporate interlinking food chains; shows the energy flow of a community |
**Keystone Species** | Have a great impact & are incredibly important |
**Ex.** top predators, decomposers, “ecosystem engineers” (prairie dogs physically alter the area) | |
**Trophic Cascade** | Occur when the top predator is removed and primary consumers OVERCONSUME producers |
**Disturbance** | Any event that has a rapid & drastic effect on an ecosystem |
**Resistance** | Communities that resist change & remain stable when faced with a disturbance |
**Resilience** | Communities that are affected but then return to their normal state |
**Succession** | A series of changes that is started when a species is eliminated or lacking |
**Pioneer Species** | Spread over long distances easily and quickly adapt to growing ; Ex. Grass |
**Climax Community** | Longer living species that take over from Pioneer Species ; Ex. Hardwood trees |
**Primary Succession** | A disturbance removes all ****plants or soil life |
**Secondary Succession** | A disturbance alters the community but soil is left intact ; Ex. farming, fires, storms, invasive species |
**Regime Shift** | The entire community undergoes change from a disturbance ; Ex. climate change, loss of keystone species |
**No-Analog Communities** | Mixtures of species that have not occurred on Earth before; due to human disturbance |
**Introduced Species** | A non- native species brought by people |
**Invasive Species** | Limiting factors that normally limit their population growth are absent Ex. a lack of comp. predators & parasit |
**Restoration Ecology** | wants to help restore communities to how they were before industrialized civilization |
**2 Aims of Ecological Restoration** | > 1) Restore the functionality of an ecosystem (2) Return a community to “pre-settlement” conditions |
**Biome** | A regional complex of similar communities; typically characterized by dominant plant type |
Temp. & Precipitation | greatest influence over climate factors ; climate helps determine biomes |
**Rainshadow Effect** | Moist air rises a steep slope, cools & condenses |
**Climate Diagrams/ Climatographs** | Show seasonal change in temp. & precip. ; Can help tell the story of a biome |
**Temperate Deciduous Forests** | Found in the mid-latitudes & have relatively even precip. throughout the year |
**Temperate Grasslands** (or prairies/ steppe) | Dif. between winter & summer = more extreme, rainfall changes |
**Temperate Rainforests** | rich in rainfall, still found in mid-latitudes ; soils are fertile but susceptible to erosion if trees are cleared |
**Tropical Rainforests** | dark, damp interiors, lush vegetation, highly diverse ; acidic soil, low in organic matter |
**Tropical Dry Forests** | Year is split 50/50 with wet & dry season, temp. = consistently warm, leaves shed in dry season |
**Savannas** | tropical grassland with acacias or other trees ; found in dry tropical areas (Africa, Australia, India) ; Wet & Dry season |
**Deserts** | DRY - > Less than **25cm** of rain per year ; soils = high mineral content and low organic matter content |