AP Environmental Science Exam Review Correct 100%

Anthropocentric - Answer regarding humans as most significant species; human-centered Tragedy of the Commons - Answer the depletion of shared resources by people acting in individual interest Triple Bottom Line - Answer approach to sustainability that meets environmental, economic, and social goals (business) Inorganic Compounds - Answer compounds that lack carbon and hydrogen atoms Organic Compounds - Answer compounds that contain carbon-based molecules Positive Feedback Loop - Answer when the response to a stimulus increases the original stimulus Negative Feedback Loop - Answer when the response to a stimulus decreases the effect of the original stimulus Overshoot - Answer when a population exceeds the long term carrying capacity for an environment Open System - Answer a system in which matter can enter from or escape to the surroundings Closed System - Answer a system that allows the exchange of energy (not matter)between the system and its surroundings Holistic - Answer emphasizing the functional relationship between parts and the whole Hectare - Answer a unit of surface area equal to 100 ares Ecological Footprint - Answer a way of measuring how much of an impact a person or community has on the earth Sustainable Development - Answer development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations Environmental Justice - Answer recognition that access to a clean, healthy environment is a fundamental right Biodiversity - Answer the variety of species living within an ecosystem In situ - Answer in the original or natural place or site Ex situ - Answer off-site conservation; outside location Inbreeding Depression - Answer the negative consequences in a population when genetically similar parents reproduce weak offspring Intrinsic Value - Answer worth independent of any human benefit; inherent worth Invasive Species - Answer species that enter new ecosystems and harm native species and their habitats Endangered Species Act - Answer identifies/protects threatened and endangered species Lacey Act - Answer prohibits interstate transport of wild animals without federal permit Species Diversity - Answer the number and relative amount of species in a biological community Island Biogeography - Answer the study of rates of colonization and extinction of species on islands (size, shape, and distance) Genetic Diversity - Answer the amount of variation in the genetic material within all members of a population Biological Wealth - Answer combination of commercial, scientific, and aesthetic values by a regions biota Ecotourism - Answer a form of tourism that supports the conservation and sustainable development of ecological areas Instrumental Value - Answer value based on its usefulness to humans Remediation - Answer containment, treatment or removal of contaminated groundwater Nitrification - Answer the process by which nitrites and nitrates are produced by bacteria in the soil Denitrification - Answer conversion of nitrates into nitrogen gas Ammonification - Answer decomposers convert organic waste into ammonia Niche - Answer the status of an organism within its environment and community Ecotone - Answer the transition from one type of habitat or ecosystem to another Autotroph - Answer organism that makes its own food Heterotroph - Answer an organism that depends on complex organic substances for nutrition; cannot make food Interspecific Competition - Answer competition between members of different species Intraspecific Competition - Answer competition between members of the same species Net Primary Productivity - Answer the rate at which biomass accumulates in an ecosystem Gross Primary Productivity - Answer the rate at which energy is produced in an ecosystem Indicator Species - Answer species that serve as early warnings that an ecosystem is being damaged Keystone Species - Answer a species that influences the survival of many other species in an ecosystem Resource Partitioning - Answer difference of niches that enables similar species to coexist in a community Umbrella Species - Answer a species that impacts the survival of many species Euphotic Zone - Answer layer of water where sunlight is sufficient for photosynthesis to occur Thermal Stratification - Answer vertical temperature layering Salinization - Answer the buildup of salts in surface soil layers Oligotrophic - Answer system in which productivity and nutrient content are low Eutrophication - Answer process of a body of water becoming too rich in nutrients, leading to plant growth that depletes oxygen Trawler Fishing - Answer dragging a net held open at the neck along the ocean bottom to get bottom-dwelling fish Purse-seine Fishing - Answer a large net is encircled around the targeted catch,then the bottom of the net is drawn tight like the strings of a purse Drift Net Fishing - Answer catching fish in huge nets that drift in the water