AP Environmental Science Review for AP Exam
Packet #1
Populations
1. Describe the characteristics of a population.
2. Sketch the three types of population dispersion.
3. Write the basic population equation.
4. What two terms are left out if you only want to know about a natural population change.
5. Sketch the age structure diagram for a rapidly growing, slow growing, negative, and zero growth population.
6. Sketch the following population growth curves - exponential & logistic.
7. Which of the above curves shows a carrying capacity concept?
8. What is an overshoot and give a real world environmental example of this?
9. Distinguish between r vs. k strategists.
10. Describe the idea of conservation biology.
11. What is the concern over habitat fragmentation & corridors?
12. What is the first law of human ecology?
13. What is zpg?
14. Given a population of 100,000 with 20,000 death, 10,000 births, 50,000 immigrants and 10,000 emigrants, calculate the population growth rate (in percent).
15. Is the above population a rapidly, slowly, negatively, or zero population growth population?
16. What is the doubling time for the above population?
17. Calculate the annual rate of natural population change for the above population.
18. What factors affect birth rates?
19. What factors affect death rates?
20. Describe the demographic transition & the concern over it.
Food Resources & Pesticides
1. Explain why we are able to produce more food now than in the past.
2. What is the green revolution?
3. Describe each of the interplanting strategies.
4. What are the pros and cons of using polyculture? Monoculture?
5. Define & differentiate between undernutrition, malnutrition & overnutrition.
6. Define the following terms - pests, pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, nematocides, & rodenticides.
7. Why are pesticides good to use?
8. Why is there concern over using pesticides?
9. What are alternatives to pesticides?
10. Describe the idea of Integrated Pest Management.
Aquatic Ecosystems & Water Quality
1. Define plankton, benthos, nekton.
2. Describe the saltwater life zones.
3. Why are coral reefs so important?
4. Describe the layers in the ocean.
5. Differentiate between oligotrophic & eutrophic lakes.
6. What are seasonable turnovers & thermoclines.
7. Percent of freshwater vs. saltwater in the world.
8. Sketch groundwater systems & identify the parts
9. Describe the cause of freshwater shortages.
10. What are the pros & cons of dams.
11. Describe flood plains & their effect on humans.
12. Describe water quality indicators & their effect on the organisms including pH, nitrates, phosphates, chloride, chlorine, hardness, alkalinity, macroinvertebrates, clarity, turbidity, DO, BOD, coliform, etc.
13. What are the limiting nutrients for lakes & oceans?
14. What will happen if too much of a limiting nutrient reaches a lake?
15. Describe the layers in lakes.
16. Differentiate between a point & non-point source pollution.
17. What is overfishing & commercial extinction.
18. Describe aquaculture, fish farming, fish ranching and fisheries management.
19. How do nitrates & phosphates affect water supplies?
20. Describe the concerns over oil spills.
21. What are problems with coastal water contamination?
22. Describe the basic steps in wastewater treatment?
23. Why do we treat wastewater?
24. Describe the basic steps in potable water treatment?
25. Why do we treat potable water?
26. How could wetlands be used to clean water?
27. What are the basic methods used to catch fish?