ap envi sci: unit 1

collecting data on a system/population under different conditions

photosynthesis produced glucose, which is stored as biomass in the plant material?

there is a decrease in the biomass of the plant

plant respiration releases CO2 and H2O from its stored glucose

quantifying various parts of a natural ecosystem to see how they work

variable is changed while others are kept constant to determine a relationship

anaerobic bacteria turns nitrate ions into nitrogen molecules that return to the atmosphere

nitrate

1. rocks weather → phosphorus inside enters the ground water

2. plant assimilation/ absorbed by animals biological system

3. plants and animals die or excrete waste by which phosphorus enters water

4. this phosphorus becomes a part of ocean sediments

5. tectonic forces push ocean sediments up to new mountains

6. journey begins again from the sea

decreases nitrogen- fixing bacteria in the soil

a process in which nitrogen that is present in animal/dead tissue is returned to soil and water

the point when the sun reaches either its highest or lowest point in the sky for the year

dec 21

• north pole: tipped 23.5 degrees away from the sun, longer nights

• equator: 12 hours of day and night

• south pole: tipped 23.5 degrees towards the sun, longer days

june 21

• north pole: tipped 23.5 degrees towards the sun, long days

• equator is 12 hours of day and night

• south pole: tipped 23.5 away, long nights

poles are neither tipped towards or away from the sun

March 21, September 21

12:12

the role a species actually plays as a result of limits set by competitors for resources

the process by which atmospheric N2 is converted into other nitrogen compounds and ions which remain in soil/water

1. lightning

2. bacteria

3. humans

an ecological phenomenon in which removing a high order consumer in an ecosystem causes change in population/abundance of other species

1. forests

2. coal

3. oil

4. natural gase

5. seawater

6. limestone

1. photosynthesis

2. diffusion into ocean

1. respiration

2. diffusion out of ocean

3. burning wood/fossil fuel

4. volcanic activity

competition (-/-)

predation (+/-)

herbivory (+/-)

mutualism (+/+)

parasitism (+/-)

commensalism (+/0)

smoother surfaces → less infiltration → more runoff → less transpiration → less precipitation

1. equator has stronger concentration of light energy

2. more energy available for photosynthesis leading to more biodiversity

no 2 species can occupy the same niche in an ecosystem

• one will always out compete the other

  • the other will move away or die out

plant based material that are often used as a source of energy (ex: wood)

they increase levels of phosphorus in aquatic ecosystems

eutrophication: increased growth of algae and large aquatic plants (= decreased levels of dissolved oxygen).

Algae blooms produce algal toxins which can be harmful to human and animal health.

joules (J)

birds are natural pollinators and spread seeds across the ecosystems

an organism’s role when there is no competition for resources

a medium-size star that converts nuclear energy into heat by turning hydrogen into helium in a process called thermonuclear fusion

the rate at which solar energy is converted into sugars through photosynthesis

units of energy (J, kg)/ (m^2) (unit of time)

• earth’s axis of rotation is tilted 23.5 degrees

• different places around the globe receive different amount and concentrations of sunlight within certain periods

warm air rises, cools, and sinks back down to the ground where it warms again

part of adiabatic cooling process

(this is why areas near the equator have more rain that the poles)

an ecological interaction between 2 species in which at least one depends on the other for survival

1. primary producers (plants)

2. herbivores (eats plants)

3. carnivores (eats herbivores)

4. carnivores (eats carnivores that ate herbivores)

5. apex predators

   + decomposers

• near the equator

• areas with high rainfall

• areas of upwelling

• availability of sunlights

• concentration of dissolved oxygen

• availability of nutrients

1. evaporation

2. transpiration

3. condensation

4. precipitation

5. runoff

6. infiltration

7. ground water

nitrogen dioxide

the rate at which energy is transferred/transformed

measured in watts (w): 1 watt = 1 J

1. freshwater rives and lakes

2. nearshore ocean

3. photic zone

4. aphotic zone

5. wetlands

6. estuaries

7. coral reefs

a strategy that allows for coexistence by forcing competitors to use resources differently

first law: energy can never be created/destroyed only transformed/transferred

second law: when energy is changed/transferred some is always lost to heat

the removal of CO2 from the atmosphere by plants and micro-organisms that store it in biomass and soil

1. tundra

2. taiga

3. temperate seasonal forest

4. temperate rain forest

5. temperate grassland and shrubland

6. the savanna

7. desert

8. tropical rainforest

the total primary productivity in an ecosystem subtracting energy/biomass lost to respiration in primary producers

NPP = GPP - respiration

the rate at which light energy from the sun is converted into chemical potential energy by green plants

ammonia

ammonium

1kg

amount of oxygen added to a system through photosynthesis

amount of carbon dioxide removed from a system through photosynthesis

amount of carbon compounds accumulated (biomass) the leftover carbon compounds that were not used in respiration

sun

the medium sized star converts nuclear energy into heat by turning hydrogen into helium, a process known as thermonuclear fusion

converting nuclear energy into heat by turning hydrogen into helium

1 billionth of its energy, because light energy leaves the sun in all directions and because earth is so far away from the sun (151 million km)

visible lightw

wind, weather, and ocean currents

1%