APES First Semester Review 2013
These are the core targets for the first semester of APES 2013. These targets should guide your studying.
Chapter one:
1. Compare the terms environmental science, environmentalist, and environmental studies.
2. Compare the relationship between technology and environmental impacts.
3. Name environmental indicators and how these indicators are important to how humans impact the environment.
4. Describe what is meant by sustainability, and describe what is meant by sustainable development.
5. Describe what is meant by ecological footprint and how it is measured.
6. Identify parts of an experiment and recognize parts of an experiment from examples.
7. What are the three major components of biological diversity? What is the importance of biodiversity?
8. What is the tragedy of the commons?
9. Compare the total and per capita ecological footprint s of the United States and China.
10. Explain why scientific theories are not to be taken lightly and why people often use the term “theory” incorrectly.
11. Explain the difference between inductive and deductive reasoning. Give a non-textbook example for each.
12. Describe the Easter Island issue by cause and effect and the resolution to the problem
Chapter two
1. Describe the relationship between energy and power and the units used to measure each.
2. Calculate efficiency from energy transfers.
3. Compare negative and positive feedback systems and be able to identify example of each.
4. What is matter? Distinguish between high- quality matter and low- quality matter and give an example of each.
5. What is energy? Distinguish between kinetic energy and potential energy and give an example of each.
6. What is energy quality? Distinguish between high- quality energy and low- quality energy and give an example of
each.
7. What is the first law of thermodynamics (law of conservation of energy) and why is it important?
8. What is the second law of thermodynamics and why is it important? Explain why the second law means that we can
never recycle or reuse high- quality energy.
9. What is a feedback loop? Distinguish between a positive feedback loop and a negative (corrective) feedback loop in
a system, and give an example of each.
Chapter three
1. Name and give examples of factors that make up an ecosystem.
2. Describe the relationship between trophic levels, food and energy pyramids.
3. Describe how much solar energy is absorbed by photosynthesis and how much of that energy is lost to cellular
respiration.
4. Describe how much energy is lost and transferred to the next trophic level.
5. Identify the state of energy when it is lost between trophic levels.
6. Describe ways humans have affected the hydrological cycle.
7. Describe the consequences of surplus carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
8. Define the term biogeochemical cycle and name examples of such cycles.
9. What type of organisms are responsible for changing nitrogen compounds in the soil and atmosphere and name and
describe the steps of changing nitrogen compounds.
10. Compare environmental resistance and environmental resilience.
11. Describe the flow of energy to and from the earth.
12. Distinguish between a food chain and a food web.
13. Explain what happens to energy as it flows through the food chains and food webs.
14. What happens to matter in an ecosystem?
15. Explain biomagnification and give an example
16. Review of why trophic level biomass and energy drastically decrease up the pyramid (10% rule)
17. Identify and describe one distinguishing characteristic and the primary reservoir of the following cycles: carbon,
nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur and water.
18. Identify and discuss the consequences of human activities that have resulted in major changes to the nitrogen,
carbon, sulfur and phosphorus cycle. For each activity identified, suggest one strategy got lessening the impact of
the human activity.
Chapter four
1. Describe how the following factors influence climate on the earth (convection currents, earth’s rotation, earth’s tilt,
Coriolis effect)
2. Name and describe the atmospheric layers and name the layer which contains ozone.
3. Describe the role of ozone.
4. Describe what factor which cause unequal heating on earth.
5. Describe the term Albedo and describe how this influences heating of the earth.
6. Draw the direction of air circulation due to the Coriolis Effect.
7. Describe what causes seasonal changes in certain parts of the earth.
8. Explain the role of Gyres in ocean circulation and global climate.
9. Describe how upwelling occurs and why they it is important.
10. Describe abiotic and biotic factors unique to north American biomes
11. Identify zones in an aquatic environment.
Chapter five
1. Describe the term niche and compare a fundamental niche from a realized niche.
2. What is species diversity? Distinguish between species richness and species evenness and give an example of each.
3. Summarize and explain the theory of island biogeography.
4. What is an ecological niche? Distinguish between specialist species and generalist species and give an example of
each.
5. Biological diversity is one of the most important indicators of the health of an ecosystem. List and describe several
environmental factors that affect diversity, and state whether each factor tends to increase or decrease biological
diversity.
6. Distinguish among native, nonnative and indicator species and give an example of each type.
7. Distinguish between keystone and foundation species. Describe the role of some sharks as keystone species.
8. Use the Cane Toad Case Study to describe invasive species, biodiversity decreases, human impact on ecosystems
Chapter 6
1. List and describe density dependent and independent factors of populations relative to a population growth reaching
carrying capacity.
2. Describe succession and compare primary to secondary succession.
3. Describe how similar organisms use resource partitioning to avoid competition.
4. Describe the importance of keystone species.
5. Explain growth models, reproduction strategies, survivorship curves and meta-populations. Differentiate between
exponential growth and logistic growth of populations.
6. Distinguish between r-selected (opportunists) and k-selected (competitor) species. How are their reproductive rates
different? r-selected:
7. Distinguish between a predator and a prey species and give an example of each. What is a predator– prey
relationship?
8. Define interspecific competition, predation, parasitism, mutualism, and commensalism and give an example of
each. Explain how each of these species interactions can affect the population sizes of species in ecosystems.
9. Define and give an example of coevolution
Chapter 7
1. Describe total fertility rate of human populations.
2. Describe what “r” means and describe how it is calculated.
3. Describe what is happening in a country which has a triangular population pyramid.
4. Describe what is happening in a country which has a rectangular population pyramid.
5. Describe what is happening in a country which has a upside down population pyramid.
6. What does IPAT mean and be specific what each letter represents.
7. Describe the term GDP and be specific what factor are included in GDP
8. Describe the phases in Demographic Transition Theory.
Vocabulary:
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10% Rule
Abiotic
Accuracy
Adaptations
Adiabatic Cooling
Adiabatic Heating
Adiabatic Heating
Aerobic Respiration
Affluence
Age Structure
Diagrams
Albedo
Anaerobic
Respiration
Anthropogenic
Atmosphere
Atom
Atomic Number
Autotrophs
Biodegradable
Pollutants
Biodiversity
Biogeochemical
Cycles
Biomagnificationbi
omass
Biomass
Biomes
Biophilia
Biosphere
Biotic
Boreal Forests
Bottleneck Effect
Carbon Cycle
Carrying Capacity
Cellular Respiration
Chemical Energy
Chemosynthesis
Child Mortality
Climate
Closed System
Commensalism
Community
Community
Ecology
Competition
Competitive
Exclusion Principle
Compounds
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Consumers
Control Group
Coral Bleaching
Coral Reefs
Coriolis Effect
Corridors
Covalent Bond
Critical Thinking
Crude Birth Rate
Crude Death Rate
Dead Zones
Decomposers
Deductive
Reasoning
Demographers
Demography
Density-Dependent
Factors
DensityIndependent
Factors
Detritivores
Developed
Countries
Developing
Countries
Development
Die-Off
Distribution
Disturbance
Doubling
Time/Rule Of 70
Ecological
Efficiency
Ecological
Footprint
Ecological
Succession
Ecological Tipping
Point
Ecology
Ecosystem
Ecosystem
Diversity
Ecosystem
Engineers
Ecosystem Services
El Nino-Southern
Oscillation (Enso)
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El Nino-Southern
Oscillation (Enso)
Electromagnetic
Radiation
Element
Emigration
Energy
Energy Efficiency
Energy Quality
Entropy
Environment
Environmental
Environmental
Degradation
Environmental
Science
Environmental
Studies
Environmentalist
Environmentally
Sustainable Society
Eutrophication
Evapotranspiration
Evolution
Evolution By
Natural Selection
Exponential
Growth Model
Family Planning
Feedback
First Law Of
Thermodynamics
Fitness
Food Chain
Food Web
Fossils
Founder Effect
Fundamental Niche
Genes
Genetic Diversity
Genetic Diversity
Genetic Drift
Genetic Drift
Genetically
Modified
Organisms
Genetically
Modified
Organisms
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Genotype
Genotype
Geographic
Isolation
Geographic
Isolation
Greenhouse Gases
Greenhouse Gases
Gross Domestic
Product (Gdp)
Gross Primary
Productivity(Gpp)
Growth Rate
Gyres
Hadley Cells
Half-Life
Herbivores
Heterotrophs
Hydrogen Bond
Hydrologic Cycle
Hydrosphere
Hypothesis
Hypoxia
Immigration
Indicators ,
Inductive
Reasoning
Infant Mortality
Inputs
Instrumental Value
Intertidal Zone
Intertropical
Convergence Zone
Intrinsic Growth
Rate
Intrinsic Value
Ionic Bond
Ipat Equation
Isotopes
Joule
J-Shaped
Keystone Species
Kinetic Energy
K-Selected Species
Latent Heat Release
Leaching
Life Expectancy
Limiting Nutrient
Limiting Resource
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Logistic Growth
Model
Macroevolution
Macronutrients
Mangrove Swamps
Mass
Mass Extinction
Mass Number
Matter
Metapopulation
Microevolution
Molecules
Mutation
Mutualism
Natural Capital
Natural Experiment
Natural Resources
Negative Feedback
Loop
Net Primary
Productivity (Npp)
Niche Generalists
Niche Generalists
Nitrogen Cycle
Nitrogen Fixation
Null Hypothesis
Nutrient
(Biogeochemical)
Cycles
Ocean Acidification
Omnivores
Open System
Organisms
Outputs
Overshoot
Pathogens
Per Capita
Periodic Table
Permafrost
Phenotype
Phosphorus Cycle
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Photic Zone
Photons
Photosynthesis
Phytoplankton
Pioneer Species
Polar Cells
Polar Molecule
Population
Population Density
Population
Distribution
Population Ecology
Population
Momentum
Population Pyramid
Population Size
Positive Feedback
Loops
Potential Energy
Precision
Predation
Predator-Mediated
Competition
Primary Consumers
Primary Succession
Producers
Provisions
Pyramid Of Energy
Flow
Radioactive Decay
Rain Shadow
Range Of Tolerance
Realized Niche
Recombination
Replacement-Level
Fertility
Replication
Reproductive
Isolation
Resilience
Resistance
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Resource
Resource
Partitioning
Restoration
Ecology
R-Selected Species
Runoff
Salt Marshes
Sample Size
Saturation Point
Savannas
Scavengers
Scientific Method
Second Law Of
Thermodynamics
Secondary
Consumers
Secondary
Succession
Sex Ratio
Speciation
Species
Species Diversity
Species Evenness
Species Evenness
Species Richness
Species Richness
S-Shaped
Standing Crop
Standing Crop
Steady State
Stratosphere
Stratosphere
Subtropical Deserts
Sulfur Cycle
Survivorship
Curves
Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainable
Development
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Symbiotic
Speciation
System
System Analysis
Temperate
Grassland/Cold
Desert
Temperate
Rainforests
Temperate Seasonal
Forests
Temperature
Tertiary Consumers
Theory
Theory Of
Demographic
Transition
Theory Of Island
Biogeography
Thermohaline
Circulation
Total Fertility Rate
(Tfr)
Transpiration
Trophic Levels
Trophic Pyramid
Tropical
Rainforests
Tropical Seasonal
Forests
Troposphere
Tundra
Uncertainty
Upwelling
Urban Area
Watershed
Woodland/Shrublan
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