AP Environmental Science · Unit 1 · Atmosphere & Biosphere

Earth Systems: every key term you need (+ practice quiz)

34 flashcard terms for AP Environmental Science Unit 1, written to match the course framework. Read them here, drill them as flashcards, or take the 13-question quiz. Free, no account needed.

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Biosphere: All living organisms and ecosystems on Earth; extends from atmosphere to deep oceans.
Ecosystem: Community of organisms and physical environment interacting together.
Population: Group of same species living in same geographic area at same time.
Community: Different populations of species living and interacting in same area.
Biome: Large geographic area with similar climate, vegetation, and wildlife.
Habitat: Specific place where organism lives; has resources and conditions for survival.
Niche: Organism's role and position in environment; how it survives and reproduces.
Producer: Organism using sunlight to make food; forms base of food chain.
Consumer: Organism eating other organisms for food; herbivore, carnivore, or omnivore.
Decomposer: Organism breaking down dead matter returning nutrients to soil.
Food Chain: Linear feeding relationship: producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer.
Food Web: Complex interconnected food chains showing all feeding relationships.
Energy Flow: Movement of energy from sun through organisms; decreases at each level.
Nutrient Cycling: Movement of elements like carbon and nitrogen through organisms and environment.
Succession: Gradual change in ecosystem composition over time.
Primary Succession: Ecological change on previously barren area; slow initial process.
Secondary Succession: Faster ecological recovery after disturbance; soil already present.
Carrying Capacity: Maximum population size environment can sustain indefinitely.

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Convergent plate boundary: Two plates collide; oceanic-continental convergence produces subduction, volcanic arcs, and deep earthquakes (e.g., Andes, Cascades).
Divergent plate boundary: Plates move apart and new crust forms from upwelling magma; creates mid-ocean ridges and rift valleys such as the East African Rift.
Transform boundary: Plates slide past each other horizontally; produces shallow, often powerful earthquakes (San Andreas Fault) but little volcanism.
Soil horizons (O, A, E, B, C, R): Layers in a soil profile: O organic litter, A topsoil rich in humus, E leached zone, B accumulation of clay and minerals, C weathered parent material, R bedrock.
Soil texture triangle: Classifies soil by percent sand, silt, and clay; loam (roughly 40-40-20) balances drainage, water retention, and nutrient holding.
Cation exchange capacity: Ability of soil to hold positively charged nutrients (Ca2+, K+, Mg2+); higher in clay and humus, so those soils are more fertile.
Water-holding capacity: Amount of water a soil retains against gravity; clay holds most, sand least, but clay releases it slowly to roots.
Hadley cell: Atmospheric convection cell from 0° to 30° latitude: warm moist air rises at the equator (rain forests) and dry air sinks near 30° (deserts).
Coriolis effect: Deflection of moving air and water caused by Earth's rotation: right in the Northern Hemisphere, left in the Southern; drives trade winds and gyres.
Rain shadow effect: Moist air forced up a windward mountain slope cools and precipitates; leeward side receives dry, descending air (Sierra Nevada / Great Basin).
El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO): Periodic weakening of Pacific trade winds that lets warm water pool off South America, suppressing upwelling and shifting global rainfall patterns.
La Nina: Strengthened trade winds intensify eastern Pacific upwelling, cool surface waters, and increase Atlantic hurricane activity.
Thermohaline circulation: Global density-driven ocean conveyor powered by cold, salty water sinking in the North Atlantic; redistributes heat between hemispheres.
Insolation and seasons: Earth's 23.5° axial tilt changes the angle and duration of sunlight through the year; the tilt, not distance from the Sun, causes seasons.
Watershed: Land area that drains to a common outlet; its size, slope, soil type, vegetation, and divides determine runoff and water quality.
Troposphere vs. stratosphere: Troposphere (0-~12 km) holds weather and most air mass; stratosphere (~12-50 km) contains the ozone layer and warms with altitude.

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