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AP Environmental Science > Unit 1 > Flashcards

Unit 1 Flashcards

1
Q

PCBs

A

Polychlorinated Biphenyls used in electronics. Chemical products banned in 1979. Polluted groundwater.

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2
Q

Quantitative data

A

data that uses numbers

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3
Q

Qualitative data

A

data that uses qualities and characteristics

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4
Q

Experimental design

A

set up of an experiment

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5
Q

Control

A

constant variable and unchanged throughout the course of the investigation

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6
Q

Easter Island

A

an island owned by Chile where people died because of lack of natural resources

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7
Q

Ecology

A

study of living organisms in their nonliving habitat

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8
Q

Biotic factor

A

living item

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9
Q

Abiotic factor

A

not living item

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10
Q

Ecological Hierarchy

A

species -> population -> community -> ecosystem -> biome -> biosphere

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11
Q

Population

A

a group of individuals of the same species

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12
Q

Community

A

a group of populations interacting together

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13
Q

Ecosystem

A

a group of communities interacting together

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14
Q

Biosphere

A

another name for earth

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15
Q

Natural Selection

A

survival of the fittest

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16
Q

Chesapeake Bay Watershed

A

where Potomac River dumps into Atlantic Ocean. Extremely polluted with sediments and nutrients.

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17
Q

Salinity

A

level of salt in the water

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18
Q

Brackish

A

medium levels of salinity. Often occurs in wetlands where salt and fresh water mix.

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19
Q

Potential Energy

A

The energy stored. PE = mgh

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20
Q

Kinetic Energy

A

The energy in movement. KE = 1/2 mv^2

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21
Q

1st Law of Thermodynamics

A

Energy is neither created nor destroyed

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22
Q

2nd Law of Thermodynamics

A

No reaction is 100% efficient. Entropy is created after every energy transformation and will increase over time.

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23
Q

Entropy

A

Disorder and chaos in a system

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24
Q

Gaia hypothesis

A

organisms interact with their inorganic surroundings on Earth to form a synergistic self-regulating, complex system that helps to maintain and perpetuate the conditions for life on the planet

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25
Ecological footprint
a measure of human impact on Earth's ecosystems. It's typically measured in area of wilderness or amount of natural capital consumed each year.
26
Carrion
the decaying flesh of dead animals
27
Phototrophs
organisms that use light to perform photosynthesis. Often plants and phytoplankton.
28
Chemotrophs
organisms that use chemicals to perform chemosynthesis. Often bacteria in deep sea vents.
29
Heterotrophs
organisms that consume to obtain energy. Often herbivores and carnivores.
30
Primary Consumer
first level heterotroph, eat primary producers
31
Secondary Consumer
organism that eats primary consumer
32
Tertiary Consumer
organism that eats secondary consumer
33
Saprotrophs
organism that eats dead organic materials (fungi and bacteria)
34
Food Chain
a series of who eats whom with one pp, one pc, one sc, one tc
35
Food Web
a diagram of who eats whom for all organisms
36
Gross Primary Productivity
the rate of photosynthesis taking place in an area
37
Net Primary Productivity
The biomass left over in a phototroph after photosynthesis and respiration takes place.
38
Nitrogen Fixation
Taking nitrogen in air (N2) and changing to nitrite (NO2) or ammonia (NH3)
39
Nitrification
Take nitrite and turning it into nitrate NO
40
Assimilation
Organisms use nitrate and ammonium to make DNA and amino acids
41
Ammonification
Taking NH3 and turning it into NH4.
42
Denitrification
Taking nitrate and ammonium and turning it back into nitrogen (N2) in the air.
43
Sink
a storage place of an element
44
Source
a process that releases an element
45
Primary Succession
community change that occurs with new land formation: lichen -> moss -> small shrubs -> small trees -> large trees -> climax community
46
Secondary Succession
community change that occurs with land already formed
47
Bottleneck Effect
cut down of genetic diversity due to loss of individuals in a population.
48
Non-native species
a species that is not known historically in an area. Ex: cane toads in Australia
49
Species diversity
a count of how many species are in an area
50
Ecotone
a transitional zone between two communities. Ex: intertidal zone.
51
Niche
an organism’s job in a community
52
Hybrid
the offspring of two different species
53
Lichen
a symbiotic relationship of a fungus and an algae
54
Germination
sprouting of a seed
55
Mutualism
a symbiosis where two species benefit from the relationship. Ex: oxpecker and rhino
56
Commensalism
a symbiosis where one species benefits and the other is neutral in the relationship. Ex: cattle egret and cow
57
Competitive Exclusion Principle
species with the same niche in the same area cannot coexist
58
Keystone Species
often a dominant predator whose removal allows a prey population to explode and often decreases overall diversity. Ex: sea otter
59
Predation
the preying of one animal on others
60
Mimicry
the close external resemblance of an animal or plant (or part of one) to another animal, plant, or inanimate object
61
Interspecific Competition
competition between two different species
62
Intraspecific Competition
Competition between the same species
63
Aerobic
Using oxygen
64
Anaerobic
Using no oxygen
65
Parasitism
a symbiosis where one species benefits and the other is harmed in the relationship. Ex: tapeworm and human

AP Environmental Science (9 decks)

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