APES Review Sheet
Chapter 1
Neuse River, Pfiesteria
Environment
Environmental science vs environmental studies
System, ecosystem
Biotic, abiotic factors
Examples of human impact on natural systems (good and bad)
Ecosystem services
Environmental indicators
Sustainability
Genetic, species, ecosystem biodiversity
Species
Extinction rate: background vs human caused
Conversion factors in calculations
Food production:
overall vs per capita
long term vs recent trends
greenhouse gases: recent trend
natural vs anthropogenic
human population trends
stabilization
development, sustainable development
biophilia
ecological footprint
world wide, if lifestyle of americans for all
scientific method
steps
hypothesis
null hypothesis
replication, sample size
accuracy vs precision
uncertainty
inductive vs deductive reasoning
theory
control group vs experimental group
chloropyrifos study
natural experiment
ethics
environmental justice
San Francisco sustainability plan of 1997
Chapter 2
Mono Lake
Terminal lake,
Diversions
Principle of unexpected effects
Matter, mass, weight
Atomic theory
Radioactivity
Half-life
Carbon-14 dating
Chemical bonds
Hydrogen bonds
Polar molecule
Water
Surface tension
Capillary action
H-bonding and mp,fp
Density and temperature
Acids and bases
pH scale
Law of conservation of matter
Organic, inorganic compounds
Cell structure
Energy
Electromagnetic radiation
Photons
4.18 Joules = 1 calorie
Calorie vs calorie
Btu, kWh
Do the Math, p38
Potential vs kinetic
1st law, 2nd law of Thermodynamics (entropy)
energy efficiency
high vs low energy quality
food chain
Open , closed system
Steady state
Feedback loop
positive, negative (examples)
Managing the Everglades
Halting the Growth of the Ozone Hole
Chapter 3
Haiti, before and after earthquake of 2010
Ecosystem
Ecosystem boundaries in Yellowstone Park
Photosynthesis
Producers (autotrophs)
Cellular respiration
Consumers (heterotrophs)
Food chain
Primary, secondary, tertiary consumers
Trophic levels
Food web
Scavengers
Detritivores (detritus feeders)
Decomposers
Ecosystem productivity
Gross primary productivity
Net primary productivity
Biomass
Standing crop
Ecological efficiency
Trophic pyramid (10 percent rule)
Biosphere
Biogeochemical cycles
Hydrologic cycle
Runoff
Transpiration
Evapotranspiration
Carbon cycle
Carbon sink
Fossil fuels
Nitrogen cycle
Macronutrients
Limiting nutrient
Nitrogen fixiation
Leaching
Phosphorus cycle
Eutrophication
Algae blooms
Sulfur
Calcium, magnesium, potassium
Disturbance
Watershed
Hubbard Brook study
Resistance
Resilience
Restoration ecology
Intermediate disturbance hypothesis
Vs rare and frequent disturbances
Instrumental value
Intrinsic value
Chapter 4
Climate vs weather
Processes that affect distribution of heat and precipitation
Layers of the atmosphere and temperature gradient
Troposphere
Stratosphere
Ozone, UV-B, UV-C
Mesosphere
Thermosphere
Ionosphere (aurora borealis)
Exosphere
Tilt of axis (23.5o)
Angle of sun’s rays
Albedo
Convection currents
Saturation point
Adiabatic cooling, heating
Latent heat release
Formation of Hadley cell
Intertropical convergence zone
Coriolis effect
Northeast trade wind
Westerlies
Seasons
Tropic of cancer, Capricorn
Longest, shortest day
Gyres
Upwelling
Thermohaline circulation
Heat transport
El Nino
Rainshadow effect
Leeward, windward sides of a mountain
Climate and biomes,
Climate diagrams
Leaf adaptations
Tundra, permafrost
Boreal forest,
Temperate rainforest
Temperate seasonal forest (temperate deciduous forests)
Woodland/shrubland (chaparral)
Temperate grassland/cold desert
Tallgrass, shortgrass prairies
Tropical rainforest
Stratified
Canopy, understory, floor (light conditions)
Epiphytes
Mycorrhizae fungus, mutualistic relationship
Buttressed roots
Subtropical (hot) deserts
Adaptations
Streams and rivers
Lakes
Zones
Freshwater wetlands
Salt marshes
Mangrove forests
Adaptations
Ecological importance
Shrimp farms
Intertidal zone
Coral reefs
Mutualistic relationship: coral and algae
bleaching
open ocean
zones
chemosynthesis
Chapter 5
Biodiversity
Species vs organisms
Ecosystem diversity
Species diversity
Genetic diversity
Number of species on earth
Species richness,
species evenness
Phylogenetic tree
Evolution
Microevolution (adaptation)
Macroevolution (speciation)
Genes
Genotype
Mutation
Phenotype
Artificial selection
Natural selection
Key ideas of darwin’s theory of evolution
Fitness
Adaptaions
Evolution by random processes
Genetic drift (affect on large vs small populations)
Bottleneck effect
Founder effect
Allopatric speciation
Geographic isolation
Reproductive isolation
Sympatric speciation
Polyploidy
Rate of evolution and:
Rate of environmental change
Genetic variation
Population size
Generation time
Genetic engineering
GMOs
Range of tolerance
Fundamental niche
Realized niche
Generalists vs specialists
Species distribution and environmental change
Evidence in sediment
99% of species that ever live are now extinct
fossils
5 mass extinctions
6th mass extinction
Nature Conservancy’s methodology
Chapter 6
New England forests
Population
Community
Population ecology
Population density
Population distribution
Random. Clumped, uniform
Age structure
Density dependent population controls
Density independent population controls
Gause’s paramecium experiment
Limiting resource
Carrying capacity
Growth rate
Intrinsic growth rate
Exponential growth model (J curve)
Logistic growth model (S curve)
Overshoot, die off (crash)
Reindeer on St Paul Island
Predator-prey population relationship
Lynx and hares in Canada
Wolves and moose on Isle Royale
Reproductive strategies
K-selected species
r-selected species
characteristics of each
Metapopulations
Corridors
Community ecology
Competition, predation
Symbiosis
Mutualism, commensalism, parasitism
Competition
Competitive exclusion principle
Resource partitioning (temporal, spatial, morphological)
Predation
True predators, herbivores, parasites,
Prey defense
Speed, camouflage, chemical, spines, mimicry
Mutualism examples
Keystone species
Ecological succession
Primary succession (steps)
Secondary succession
Aquatic succession
Theory of island biogeography
Chapter 7
Controversy concerning human carrying capacity
Cultural carrying capacity
Malthusean vs cornucopia viewpoint
Technology
Demography
Doubling time
TFR, Replacement-level fertility
And developing vs developed countries
Life expectancy, infant mortality, child mortality
Age structure diagram
Developed vs developing countries
Theory of demographic transition
Pre-industrial, transition, industrial, post industrial
Family planning
IPAT equation
Urban area (definition)
GDP
Chapter 8
Formation of Earth and the solar system
Layers of the Earth
Asthenosphere
Lithosphere
Plate tectonics
Mantle plumes
Hot spots, Hawaii
Pangaea
Oceanic vs continental plate
3 Plate boundaries
Subduction
Volcano
Himalayas
Seafloor spreading
Earthquake
Epicenter
Richter scale
Rock cycle
Minerals
3 types of rocks
Weathering
Physical, chemical
Erosion, deposition
Formation of soil
Soil profile
Soil horizons (O, A, B, C,), parent material
Soil texture
Properties of sand, silt, clay
Mineral resources
Ores, metals, reserves
Surface, subsurface mining
Pros and cons
Strip mining
Open pit mining
Mountain top removal
Placer mining
Chapter 9
Aquifers
Confined, unconfined
Water table
Recharge zone
Springs
Artesian wells
Ogallala aquifer
Zone of depression
Saltwater intrusion
Floodplain
Droughts and soil
The Dust Bowl
Flooding
Impermeable surfaces
Levee
Katrina
Dikes
The Netherlands
Dams
Reservoir
Three Gorges Dam
Fish ladders
Aqueducts
Aral Sea disaster
Desalinization
Distillation, reverse osmosis
3 main uses of water
4 types of irrigation
Hydroponics
Water ownership
India and Bangladesh
Water conservation
Gray water
California water project