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AP Environmental Science > Vocab > Flashcards

Vocab Flashcards

(60 cards)

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1
Q

Tragedy of the Commons

A

People with access to public resource (commons) act in their own interest & end up depleting the resource
Ex: deforestation for agricultural expansion

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2
Q

Ecological Footprint

A

Measures how much resources from the environment are needed to support a specific way of life / business. Indicates the amount of pressure humans put on the natural resources available to them

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3
Q

Sustainability

A

Ways in which we use resources from our environment while also conserving them for future generations

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4
Q

Primary Succession

A

Happens when a new patch of land is created or exposed for the first time
Ex: when lava cools & creates new rocks

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5
Q

Secondary Succession

A

The reestablishment of an ecosystem following disturbances
Ex: development after floods

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6
Q

Pioneer Species

A

The first species to colonize newly created environments
Ex: bacteria, phytoplankton, algae

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7
Q

Climax Community

A

The last stage in succession where an ecosystem reaches a stable state
Ex: a mature forest

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8
Q

Biodiversity

A

The range of all livings things in a specific ecosystem

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9
Q

Species Evenness

A

Describes the abundance of species within a community

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10
Q

Species Richness

A

The number of species present within a community or area

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11
Q

Island Biodiversity

A

The variety of species on an island

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12
Q

Edge Effect

A

Changes in population / community structures that occur at the boundary of two or more habitats

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13
Q

Ecotourism

A

Tourism that centers around awareness of the environment
Ex: hiking, camping, birdwatching

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14
Q

Types of Ecosystem Services

A

Provisioning: Things directly provided to us from nature (ex: wood that can be sold)

Regulating: Benefits obtained from the regulation of ecosystem processes (ex: pollination, pest control)

Supporting: Processes done by ecosystems that support a valuable human action (ex: bees pollinate a farmer’s crops, increasing the amount of produce they can sell)

Cultural: Recreational / intellectual benefits we get from nature

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15
Q

Tectonic Plate

A

Gigantic pieces of the Earth’s crust & uppermost mantle

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16
Q

Convergent Plate Boundary

A

Where two tectonic plates moving toward each other

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17
Q

Divergent Plate Boundary

A

Where two tectonic plates move away from each other
Earthquakes are common & magma rises from Earth’s mantle to the surface

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18
Q

Transform Fault

A

When two tectonic plates scrape past each other horizontally

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19
Q

Subduction

A

Occurs when two tectonic plates collide & one plate is driven beneath the other, back into the Earth’s interior

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20
Q

Lithosphere

A

The solid outer part of Earth
Consists of the crust and upper mantle

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21
Q

Inner Core

A

Innermost layer of Earth

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22
Q

Outer Core

A

The third layer of Earth
Above the Earth’s inner core and below its Mantle

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23
Q

Trench

A

Long narrow depressions on the seafloor

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24
Q

Rift Valley

A

A lowland region that forms where Earth’s tectonic plates move apart

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25
Mantle
The mostly solid bulk of Earth’s interior *Between Earth’s core & its crust*
26
Asthenosphere
Upper layer of the Earth’s mantle *Below the lithosphere*
27
Oceanic Plate
Plates located beneath the ocean
28
Continental Plate
Tectonic plate made of continental crust
29
Crust
The outermost shell of a terrestrial planet
30
Convection Cell
An area within a fluid where warm material is rising in the center & cold material is sinking at the edges *Ex: found in boiling water, in clouds, & on the surface of the sun*
31
Permeability
The ability of a substance to allow another substance to pass through it *Ex: a sponge is permeable to water*
32
Porosity
Full of tiny holes. Liquids go right through things that have porosity *Ex: a sponge*
33
Soil Profile
The layers of soil on top of the Earth *Called O, A, B, C & R Horizons*
34
Horizon O (Humus)
Surface litter like leaves & other decaying matter
35
Horizon A (Topsoil)
Organic material, most root growth found here, majority of soil nutrients
36
Horizon E (Eluviated)
Porous layer where minerals filter down to the next horizon
37
Horizon B (Subsoil)
Zone of accumulation where minerals such as iron & other nutrients accumulate
38
Horizon C (Parent Material)
Weathered parent material, determines soil characteristics
39
Horizon R (Bedrock)
Bedrock layer *Below Horizon C*
40
CEC (Cation Exchange Capacity)
The total capacity of a soil to hold exchangeable cations. Useful indicator of soil fertility because it shows the soil’s ability to supply three important plant nutrients: calcium, magnesium & potassium
41
pH
Measure of how acidic / basic water is
42
Troposphere
Lowest layer of Earth’s atmosphere. Most of the mass of the atmosphere is here *(Most clouds are found here & almost all weather occurs here)*
43
Tropopause
Thin layer of air that’s the boundary between the Troposphere and the Stratosphere
44
Stratosphere
Second layer of Earth’s atmosphere as you go upward *Above the Troposphere, below the Mesosphere*
45
Stratopause
Boundary which separates the mesospheres & the stratosphere
46
Mesosphere
Third layer of the atmosphere. Characterized by falling temperature with height *Above the stratosphere, below the thermosphere*
47
Mesopause
The boundary between the mesosphere and the thermosphere
48
Thermosphere
Fourth layer of Earth’s atmosphere. Characterized by steadily increasing temperature with height. *Above the mesosphere, below the exosphere*
49
Exosphere
Outermost layer of Earth’s atmosphere. Has extremely thin air.
50
ENSO (El Niño-Southern Oscillation)
Periodic fluctuation in sea surface temperature & the air pressure of the overlying atmosphere across the equatorial Pacific Ocean. Affects the climate of much of the tropics and subtropics. *Warming phase of the sea is called El Niño and the cooling phase is La Niña*
51
Upwelling
A process in which deep cold water rises toward the surface *Positive, provides food for marine life*
52
Pycnocline
When water becomes much denser with depth
53
Independent variable
A variable that stands alone and isn’t changed by the other variables you are trying to measure *Ex: someone’s age. Other factors like what they eat or how much tv they watch wont change their age*
54
Dependent variable
A variable that changes as a result of the independent variable manipulation *Ex: a test score because it could change depending on various factors like how much you studies of how much sleep you got*
55
Constant
The part that doesn’t change during an experiment
56
Control group
A group separated from the rest of the experiment, does not receive experimental treatment *Ex: in a study about drugs, the group that is not given the drug is the control group*
57
Experimental group
The group that is given experimental treatment *Ex: the group that’s given drugs when the other isn’t*
58
Ecosystem Services
Things natural ecosystems do that have financial value to humans
59
El Niño & its impacts
An unusual warming of the surface of the Pacific Ocean caused by weakening trade winds **Impacts**: Ocean temperatures, floods, no food for fish because the thick warm water doesn’t allow for upwelling, crop failure
60
La Niña & its impacts
An unusual cooling of the surface of the Pacific Ocean caused by stronger trade winds **Impacts**: Drought, floods & hurricanes, temperature changes

AP Environmental Science (13 decks)

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