APES Midterm Study Guide
How to Prepare:
Attached are the review sheets for each unit. Go over all terms and concepts. Be sure that not only can you
explain the meaning of a vocabulary term, but also be able to explain how it relates to other terms. Be sure that you
understand the concepts (big ideas) behind each vocabulary term. Be sure that you can perform what each objective
statement states.
Review old homework sheets, tests, and laboratory handouts. Review your notebook!! Review the study guides
from previous units. Think of the questions that I have asked in the past semester on tests. The midterm will be 100
multiple choice questions.
Chapter 1 – Studying the State of Our Earth & Intro Powerpoints
Page #
Terms
Concepts
4-5
Ecosystem services, environmental indicators,
sustainability
Sustainable development, natural capital, natural
resources
economic growth, gross domestic product (GDP),
per capita, developed country, developing country,
doubling time, rule of 70
Be able to explain why and how environmental scientists investigate earth’s
degradation by human changes.
Be able to identify and analyze the effect of a particular practice on the
natural resources and natural services of a particular system
Be able to calculate facts and figures, per capita (i.e. dividing a given
numerical value by the population to which it pertains).
Be able to compare and contrast developed and developing countries using
the I-PAT equation or other factors discussed in the course.
Calculate a population’s doubling time using the rule of 70.
Explain the tragedy of the commons and be able to identify such situations.
Compare and contrast renewable, non-renewable, and perpetual resources.
12-13
--
--
13-14
resource, perpetual resource, renewable resource,
non-renewable resource, environmental
degradation, free-access resources, tragedy of the
commons
Ecological footprint
Be able to identify the difference in ecological footprints between developed
and developing countries.
Chapter 2 – Environmental Systems
Page #
Terms
Concepts
28-35
Matter, mass, atom, element, compound, molecule,
isotope, radioactivity, half-life, covalent bond, ionic
bond, hydrogen bond, surface tension, capillary
action, acid, base, pH, organic compound, inorganic
compound, carbohydrates, proteins, nucleic acids,
lipids
Law of conservation of matter
Familiarize yourself with the general biology, chemistry and physics terms in
this section.
34
36-41
Energy, power, joule, potential energy, kinetic
energy, first/second laws of thermodynamics,
energy efficiency, energy quality
43-47
Open system, closed system, input, output, positive
feedback loop, negative feedback loop
Understand the implications of the law of conservation of matter on
environmental systems.
Define energy and know the different forms of energy on the planet.
Understand the implications of the first and second laws of
thermodynamics on environmental systems.
Be able to identify different examples of potential and kinetic energy.
Be able to perform energy calculations between units.
Be able to perform energy calculations to determine output.
Be able to perform energy calculations using efficiency/total efficiency.
Explain how systems analysis shows us how matter and energy flow and
cycle in the environment.
Be able to identify different examples of positive and negative feedback
loops
Fig 2.21
Chapter 3 – Ecosystem Ecology
Page #
Terms
Concepts
65-73
Nutrient, biogeochemical cycle, nutrient cycle,
hydrologic cycle, carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle,
nitrogen fixation, nitrification, denitrification,
ammonification, acid deposition, phosphorus
cycle, sulfur cycle, hydrologic cycle
Explain how carbon, nitrogen, water, phosphorus, and sulfur cycle through
the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere.
Understand the role of the various processes involved in biogeochemical
cycles.
58-60
Ecosystem, abiotic factors, biotic factors
Understand how living and non-living things fit into the organizational
hierarchy of life (ecologically-speaking)
Know the difference between a biotic and abiotic factor.
60-61
Photosynthesis, cellular respiration
61-65
Producer, autotroph, consumer, heterotroph,
primary consumer, herbivore, secondary
consumer, carnivore, omnivore, decomposer,
detritivore, scavenger, food chain, food web,
trophic level, biomass, ecological efficiency,
pyramid of energy, pyramid of biomass, pyramid
of numbers, rule of 10
gross primary productivity (GPP), net primary
productivity (NPP)
Understand the role of photosynthesis and cellular respiration in cycling
matter and energy through living systems.
Identify the trophic levels in a food chain/food web.
Determine how an organism obtains its energy given its position in a food
chain/food web
Explain how matter and energy are transferred through ecosystems.
Characterize ecosystems by the amount of matter and energy flows through
them or by how many organisms exist within them at any given time.
63
Explain the difference between GPP and NPP and the factors that influence
each.
Determine the GPP, NPP, or respiration of a system given two of the three.
Figure 3-7
Chapter 4 – Global Climates & Biomes
Page #
Terms
Concepts
88
weather, climate, latitude, elevation
88
atmosphere, troposphere, stratosphere,
thermosphere
Explain the difference between weather and climate.
Understand the how latitude and elevation influence climate and weather
patterns.
Identify the major determinants of climate.
Know how the Earth is structured
89-90
89-94
Coriolis effect, convection, Hadley cell
99-109
biome, desert, grassland (prairie), savanna,
steppe, tundra, shrubland, chapparal, forest,
tropical rainforest, deciduous, coniferous, taiga
Understand what happens to solar radiation when it reaches the Earth and
how energy (radiation) can move through space to reach Earth.
Fig 4.3, 4.4
Understand the four major factors that determine global air circulation
patterns.
Describe how a convection cell functions and their role in distributing heat
and moisture in the atmosphere.
Compare the Hadley, Ferrell, and Polar convection cells in terms of altitude,
intensity, and direction of circulation.
Explain how the Coriolis effect influences global wind belts.
Fig 4.6, 4.8
Know the major characteristics of each terrestrial biome and where they
occur on the Earth.
Be able to interpret a climate diagram.
Identify a biome by examining its climate diagram.
Understand how latitude and altitude influence climate.
Chapter 6 – Population and Community Ecology
Page #
Terms
Concepts
150-153
Population distribution, random, clumping,
uniform, immigration, emigration, birth, death,
population density, density-dependent factors,
density-independent factors, carrying capacity
154-158
growth rate, exponential growth, logistic growth,
overshoot, die-off, boom-and-bust cycles, limiting
factor
asexual reproduction, sexual reproduction, rselected species, K-selected species, opportunist,
competitor, survivorship curve, life table, early
loss, constant loss, late loss
Identify population distribution patterns and analyze their underlying causes.
Calculate a population size based upon the variables of change given (i.e.
apply P = (B+I)-(D+E))
Identify density dependent and density independent population control
factors.
Describe the concept of carrying capacity, identify it on a graph of population
versus time, and explain its plasticity
Compare S- and J-shaped growth curves.
Explain how predators and prey interact in boom-and-bust cycles.
Fig 6.10 and “Oh Deer” Activity
Compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of both types of
reproduction.
Identify characteristics of r- and K-selected species.
Predict the survivorship curves for various species based on their
reproductive strategies.
Characterize the various interspecific interactions and symbioses
159-160
161-166
Predation, mutualism, commensalism, parasitism,
competition keystone species
Chapter 7 – The Human Population
Page #
Terms
Concepts
179-182
---
180-185
birth rate, death rate, fertility, replacement-level
fertility, total fertility (TFR), baby boom, life
expectancy, infant mortality rate, migration,
antinatalist and pronatalist factors
185-186
population age structure diagram
188-190
demographic transition, preindustrial stage,
transitional stage, industrial stage, post-industrial
stage
192
Environmental impact theory
Identify the major factors that have contributed to the exponential growth of
the human population.
Explain the factors that have contributed to the fluctuations of the U.S.
population over the last 100 years.
Compare replacement-level fertility and total fertility.
Identify factors that affect fertility.
Understand the importance of infant mortality rate as a predictor of societal
well-being.
Use population age structure diagrams to predict the demographic changes
that will occur in a population and the differences between developed and
developing countries in this regard.
Identify the various age structures and describe their relative size on the
effect of the total population (i.e. growing, stable, and declining).
Figure 7.8
Explain the stages of the demographic transition and their characteristic birth
and death rates.
Explain the effects (pros and cons) of population control policies like the ones
in China and India on population growth.
Be able to use the I-PAT equation to discuss the relative impacts (I) that
various societies make on the Earth given their relative population (P),
affluence (A), and technology (T).
Chapter 8 – Earth’s Systems
Page #
Terms
Concepts
208-210
Inner core, outer core, lower mantle, upper
mantle (asthenosphere), crust (lithosphere),
theory of plate tectonics, convection cell
convergent/divergent/transform fault plate
boundary, seafloor spreading, subduction,
volcano, earthquake, tsunami, epicenter/focus,
Know the layers of the Earth and their solid/molten characteristics.
Understand the theory of plate tectonics and how the lithosphere is moved
213-216
217-219
sedimentary, metamorphic, igneous rock
226
227-230
Mineral, ore, metal
Surface mining, subsurface mining, strip
mining, open pit mining, placer mining,
mountaintop removal, acid mine drainage,
reclamation, overburden, leaching
219-224
Weathering (biological, physical, chemical),
erosion, deposition, soil horizon, sand, silt,
clay, texture, porosity, humus, permeability,
infiltration, eluviation
225-226,
295-297
soil erosion, desertification, salinization,
conservation-tillage farming, terracing, contour
farming, strip cropping, shelterbelts, organic
fertilizer, commercial inorganic fertilizer,
animal manure, green manure, compost, crop
rotation
Identify and give general characteristics of the three different types of plate
boundaries.
Be able to identify areas of each type of boundary on a map.
Be able to relate topographical/geological features to the different types of plate
boundaries.
Know how the different natural hazards arise from plate tectonic activity.
Figs 8.4, 8.11
Understand the rock cycle and how each rock type are formed and can be
converted into each other type.
Figure 8.15
Understand the difference between the three
Describe the various types of mining
Compare human impacts and environmental impacts from each mining type.
Understand the negative impacts of acid mine drainage
Describe reclamation and explain why it is necessary
Be familiar with the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 and the
General Mining Act of 1872 and their provisions and implications.
Compare and contrast the different types of weathering and explain each’s role in
creating soil.
Know the characteristics of the various horizons/soil layers in a soil profile.
Explain the differences among soil’s characteristics like texture, surface area,
porosity & permeability.
Fig 8.22
Identify the factors that lead to degradation, erosion & desertification.
Describe the causes of soil erosion and evaluate methods to reverse it.
Understand the causes and consequences of desertification.
Describe how soil salinization occurs, how it can be prevented, and how it might
be remediated.
Explain various soil conservation methods.
Know the provisions of the Soil Conservation Act of 1935 and the role of the
Natural Resources Conservation Service in the protection of soil, water, and
pollution control.
Compare and contrast the use of inorganic and organic fertilizers.