#separator:tab #html:false #tags column:4 Ecosystem Living things and their nonliving surroundings interacting tp-ap-environmental-science Biome A large region defined by climate and typical plants and animals tp-ap-environmental-science Producer An organism that makes its own food, usually by photosynthesis tp-ap-environmental-science Consumer An organism that eats other organisms tp-ap-environmental-science Decomposer An organism that breaks down dead matter tp-ap-environmental-science Trophic level A feeding position in a food chain tp-ap-environmental-science Ten percent rule About 10 percent of energy passes to the next trophic level tp-ap-environmental-science Net primary productivity Energy stored by producers after their own use tp-ap-environmental-science Food web Interconnected food chains tp-ap-environmental-science Biodiversity The variety of life at genetic, species and ecosystem levels tp-ap-environmental-science Keystone species A species with an outsized role in its ecosystem tp-ap-environmental-science Indicator species A species whose health signals environmental condition tp-ap-environmental-science Invasive species A non-native species that spreads and harms the ecosystem tp-ap-environmental-science Ecological succession Gradual replacement of communities over time tp-ap-environmental-science Primary succession Colonization of bare rock with no soil tp-ap-environmental-science Secondary succession Regrowth after disturbance where soil remains tp-ap-environmental-science Carbon cycle Movement of carbon among air, living things, oceans and rocks tp-ap-environmental-science Nitrogen fixation Converting nitrogen gas into usable forms by bacteria tp-ap-environmental-science Nitrogen cycle Movement of nitrogen through air, soil and organisms tp-ap-environmental-science Phosphorus cycle Movement of phosphorus through rock, soil and water, with no gas phase tp-ap-environmental-science Hydrologic cycle Circulation of water through evaporation, condensation and precipitation tp-ap-environmental-science Photosynthesis Making sugars from carbon dioxide, water and light tp-ap-environmental-science Cellular respiration Releasing energy from sugar using oxygen tp-ap-environmental-science Carrying capacity Largest population an environment can sustain tp-ap-environmental-science r-selected species Many offspring, little care, small body, short life tp-ap-environmental-science K-selected species Few offspring, much care, large body, long life tp-ap-environmental-science Limiting factor A resource that restricts population growth tp-ap-environmental-science Population density Individuals per unit area tp-ap-environmental-science Age structure diagram Graph of the population in each age group tp-ap-environmental-science Total fertility rate Average children per woman over her lifetime tp-ap-environmental-science Replacement level fertility About 2.1 children per woman tp-ap-environmental-science Demographic transition Shift from high to low birth and death rates tp-ap-environmental-science Plate tectonics Earth's crust moves in large plates tp-ap-environmental-science Subduction One plate sliding beneath another tp-ap-environmental-science Soil horizon A layer of soil, such as topsoil tp-ap-environmental-science Soil erosion Removal of soil by wind or water tp-ap-environmental-science Loam Balanced soil of sand, silt and clay tp-ap-environmental-science Cation exchange capacity Soil's ability to hold nutrients tp-ap-environmental-science Weather Short-term atmospheric conditions tp-ap-environmental-science Climate Long-term pattern of weather tp-ap-environmental-science Troposphere Lowest atmospheric layer where weather occurs tp-ap-environmental-science Stratosphere Atmospheric layer containing the ozone layer tp-ap-environmental-science Coriolis effect Earth's rotation bends wind and ocean currents tp-ap-environmental-science El Nino Periodic warming of the eastern Pacific altering weather worldwide tp-ap-environmental-science Thermohaline circulation Global ocean circulation driven by temperature and salt differences tp-ap-environmental-science Rain shadow A dry region on the leeward side of a mountain tp-ap-environmental-science Upwelling Rise of cold, nutrient-rich water to the surface tp-ap-environmental-science Renewable resource A resource that replenishes naturally in human time tp-ap-environmental-science Nonrenewable resource A resource that is used up faster than it forms tp-ap-environmental-science Fossil fuels Coal, oil and natural gas from ancient organisms tp-ap-environmental-science Peak oil The point of maximum oil production before decline tp-ap-environmental-science Hydroelectric power Electricity from flowing water tp-ap-environmental-science Solar photovoltaic Panels that convert sunlight directly into electricity tp-ap-environmental-science Wind turbine Machine converting wind energy to electricity tp-ap-environmental-science Geothermal energy Heat from Earth's interior used for power or heating tp-ap-environmental-science Biomass Organic matter burned or converted for energy tp-ap-environmental-science Nuclear fission Splitting atoms to release energy tp-ap-environmental-science Energy efficiency Doing the same work with less energy tp-ap-environmental-science Cogeneration Using waste heat from electricity production tp-ap-environmental-science Overgrazing Livestock eating plants faster than they regrow tp-ap-environmental-science Monoculture Planting one crop over a large area tp-ap-environmental-science Crop rotation Alternating crops to maintain soil tp-ap-environmental-science No-till farming Planting without plowing to protect soil tp-ap-environmental-science Contour plowing Plowing along slopes to reduce runoff tp-ap-environmental-science Integrated pest management Combining methods to control pests with minimal chemicals tp-ap-environmental-science Aquaculture Raising fish or other aquatic organisms tp-ap-environmental-science Clear-cutting Removing all trees from an area tp-ap-environmental-science Deforestation Large-scale removal of forest tp-ap-environmental-science Urban heat island City warmer than surroundings due to pavement and buildings tp-ap-environmental-science Sprawl Low-density development spreading from a city tp-ap-environmental-science Ecological footprint Land and water area needed to support a person or population tp-ap-environmental-science Point source pollution Pollution from a single identifiable source tp-ap-environmental-science Nonpoint source pollution Pollution from many diffuse sources, like runoff tp-ap-environmental-science Eutrophication Nutrient overload causing algae blooms and oxygen loss tp-ap-environmental-science Dissolved oxygen Oxygen in water, essential for aquatic life tp-ap-environmental-science Biochemical oxygen demand Oxygen used by microbes to break down organic waste tp-ap-environmental-science Bioaccumulation Buildup of a substance within an organism over time tp-ap-environmental-science Biomagnification Increasing concentration of a substance up the food chain tp-ap-environmental-science Smog Haze from air pollution, often ozone-rich tp-ap-environmental-science Acid rain Precipitation made acidic by sulfur and nitrogen oxides tp-ap-environmental-science Particulate matter Tiny solid or liquid particles in the air tp-ap-environmental-science Tropospheric ozone Ozone near the ground, a harmful pollutant tp-ap-environmental-science Stratospheric ozone depletion Thinning of the ozone layer by CFCs tp-ap-environmental-science Montreal Protocol Treaty phasing out ozone-depleting chemicals tp-ap-environmental-science Greenhouse effect Atmospheric gases trapping heat tp-ap-environmental-science Greenhouse gases Carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and water vapor tp-ap-environmental-science Global warming potential A gas's heat trapping relative to carbon dioxide tp-ap-environmental-science Ocean acidification Falling ocean pH as seawater absorbs carbon dioxide tp-ap-environmental-science Albedo Reflectivity of a surface tp-ap-environmental-science Carbon footprint Greenhouse gases produced by an activity or person tp-ap-environmental-science Carbon sequestration Capturing and storing carbon tp-ap-environmental-science Municipal solid waste Everyday trash from homes and businesses tp-ap-environmental-science Sanitary landfill Engineered site where waste is buried and covered tp-ap-environmental-science Leachate Liquid that drains from waste tp-ap-environmental-science Hazardous waste Waste that is toxic, reactive, corrosive or flammable tp-ap-environmental-science Reduce, reuse, recycle Waste management priorities in order tp-ap-environmental-science Endangered species A species in danger of going extinct tp-ap-environmental-science Endangered Species Act US law protecting species at risk tp-ap-environmental-science CITES Treaty regulating trade in endangered species tp-ap-environmental-science Clean Air Act US law setting air quality standards tp-ap-environmental-science Clean Water Act US law regulating water pollution tp-ap-environmental-science Tragedy of the commons Shared resources are overused when everyone acts alone tp-ap-environmental-science Environmental impact statement A report assessing a project's environmental effects tp-ap-environmental-science