Download APES Midterm Review Outline - Mrs. Rice`s World O` Science!

APES Midterm Review Outline
Chapter 1
I. Why is environmental science so important?
A. Sustainability
B. Human population issues, particularly growth, numbers and consumption
C. Challenges and complexity
D. Tragedy of the Commons
II. Historical perspective of the environmental movement in the United States
A. Mid-1800s through the early 1900s
2. Theodore Roosevelt
3. John Muir
B. Mid-1900s through present
3. Rachel Carson
C. Establishment and policies of EPA
Chapter 2
I. Method for solving environmental problems
A. Step-wise process
B. Implementation of the scientific method
Chapter 3
I. Energy: Basic principles and biological processes
A. Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration
B. Two laws of thermodynamics and their application to living systems
II. Introduction to ecology
A. Hierarchy: population, community, ecosystem, biosphere
III. Food chains and food webs
A. Energy flow and trophic levels
B. Ecological pyramids: numbers of organisms, biomass, and energy
C. Primary productivity
D. Human impact on food webs
IV. Biogeochemical cycles
A. Carbon cycle: natural events and human impact
B. Nitrogen cycle: role of bacteria, natural events, and human impact
 Nitrification, Dentrification, Assimilation, Ammonification, Nitrogen fixation
C. Hydrologic cycle: natural events and human impact
D. Phosphorus
Chapter 4
I. Species interactions
A. Predator-prey interactions
B. Competition
C. Symbiosis
 Mutualism, Commensalism, Parasitism
D. Interspecific and Intraspecific
II. Ecological niche
A. Fundamental vs. realized niche
III. Community structure and composition
A. Keystone species and community structure
B. Species diversity due to community structure
C. Natural selection
D. Introduced species
E. Succession and community structure
1. Primary succession
2. Secondary succession
Chapter 5
I. Terrestrial biomes
A. Representative terrestrial biomes and their defining characteristics, both
physical and biological
 Tundra, Taiga or boreal forest, Temperate rain forest, Temperate deciduous forest,
Grasslands, Chaparral, Deserts, Savanna, Tropical rain forests
B. Human impacts on biomes around the world
C. Impact of altitude and latitude on distribution and type of vegetation present
II. Aquatic ecosystems
A. Representative aquatic ecosystems
1. Freshwater
a. Flowing-water ecosystems
b. Standing-water ecosystems
2. Estuaries
3. Marine
o Intertidal zone, Benthic, Neritic, Oceanic
B. Human impacts on aquatic ecosystems
Chapter 11
Biodiversity
A. Benefits of biological diversity
B. Threatens Biodiversity
1. Natural causes
2. Human causes
C. U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA)
Chapter 6
I. Population ecology
A. Factors that influence population size
1. Birth rate and death rate
2. Immigration and emigration
B. Calculation of population growth rate
C. Biotic potential and carrying capacity
1. Exponential growth and the J-shaped curve
2. Carrying capacity and logistic growth, the S-shaped curve
D. K-selected and r-selected reproductive strategies
E. Density-dependent and density-independent factors that influence population size
1. Density-dependent factors include predation, competition, and disease
2. Density-independent factors are typically random or extreme abiotic events
Chapter 7
I. Human population growth
A. Historical perspective and current trends
B. Differing population characteristics, highly developed and developing countries
1. Infant mortality rate
2. Total fertility rate
3. Replacement-level fertility
4. Age structure
5. Doubling time
II. The human population explosion
A. Factors related to human population growth
1. World hunger
2. Economic effects
3. Natural resources and consumption
4. Environmental impact
B. People overpopulation vs. consumption
III. Fertility, national policies, and control of global human population growth
A. Fertility rates and related factors
1. Cultural values
2. Social and economic status of women
3. Availability of family planning services
D. Control of global population growth
1. Actions for individuals
2. Actions for governments
Chapter 17
I. Water: the basics
A. Structure and properties of water
B. Hydrologic cycle
1. Potential reservoirs or sources of fresh water
C. Increasing dependence on freshwater resources
II. Resource issues: water supply and quality
A. Water uses, particularly irrigation
B. General water resource problems
1. Floods
2. Arid and semi-arid regions and drought
3. Depletion of surface and groundwater supplies
4. Salinization from irrigation
III. Water management and conservation
A. A sustainable water supply
1. Role of dams and reservoirs
a. Impact of dams on human activities and interests
B. Conservation of water resources
Chapter 18
I. Types and sources of water pollution
A. Types of water pollution
 Sewage, Disease-causing agents, Sediment
 Inorganic plant and algal nutrients
o Eutrophication
 Organic compounds
 Inorganic compounds
o Lead, Mercury
 Radioactive substances
 Thermal pollution
B. Sources of water pollution
1. Point source vs. nonpoint source pollution
C. Groundwater pollution
II. Water quality issues and control
A. Sewage treatment
1. Municipal sewage treatment
a. Primary treatment-coliform bacteria
b. Secondary treatment
c. Tertiary treatment
d. Disposal of sludge
2. Individual septic systems
B. U.S. water pollution control
1. Legislation
a. Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974
b. Clean Water Act of 1972, 1981, and 1987