Download AP® Environmental Science Lisle High School Introduction to the

AP® Environmental Science
Lisle High School
Introduction to the AP Environmental Science Course
AP Environmental Science course will provide students with the scientific principles,
concepts, and methodologies required to:
A. Understand the interrelationships of the natural world
B. Identify and analyze environmental problems both natural and human-made,
C. Evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems
D. Examine alternative solutions for resolving and/or preventing these problems
Environmental science is interdisciplinary; it embraces a wide variety of topics from different
areas of study. The following themes provide a foundation for the structure of the AP
Environmental Science course:
A. Science is a process.
a. Science is a method of learning more about the world.
b. Science constantly changes the way we understand the world.
B. Energy conversions underlie all ecological processes.
a. Energy cannot be created; it must come from somewhere.
b. As energy flows through systems, at each step more of it becomes unusable.
C. The Earth itself is one interconnected system.
a. Natural systems change over time and space.
b. Biogeochemical systems vary in ability to recover from disturbances.
D. Humans alter natural systems.
a. Humans have had an impact on the environment for millions of years.
b. Technology and population growth have enabled humans to increase both the
rate and scale of their impact on the environment.
E. Environmental problems have a cultural and social context.
a. Understanding the role of cultural, social and economic factors is vital to the
development of solutions.
F. Human survival depends on developing practices that will achieve sustainable systems.
a. A suitable combination of conservation and development is required.
b. Management of common resources is essential.
AP Environmental Science Course Units
Introduction to Our Earth – Earth’s Sphere’s
A. Lithosphere
a. Geologic Time Scale
b. Plate Tectonics
c. Rock Cycle
d. Soil Formation
B. Hydrosphere
a. Global Water Distribution
b. Water Cycle
c. Unique Properties of Water
d. Ocean Circulation
C. Atmosphere
a. Composition and Structure
b. Global Circulation and Coriolis Effect
c. Weather and Climate
D. Biosphere
a. Biomes and Ecosystems
b. Biodiversity
E. Anthrosphere
a. Human Impacts on Spheres
Matter and Energy in the Environment
A. Matter
a. Organization
b. Conservation
B. Nutrient Cycles (Biogeochemical cycles)
a. Carbon
b. Nitrogen
c. Phosphorus
d. Sulfur
C. Energy
a. Laws of Thermodynamics
i. Conservation and Transfer
b. Energy Flow
i. Food Chains, Webs and Trophic Levels
ii. Productivity
c. Earth’s Energy Budget
Population Interactions
A. Diversity and Distribution
a. Niches / Habitats
b. Migrations / Movement
B. Species Interactions
a. Competition
b. Symbiosis
c. Parasitism
d. Commensalism
e. Mutualism
C. Tolerance Limits
D. Natural Selection
a. Mutation
b. Speciation
c. Evolution
i. Divergent and Convergent
d. Founder Effect
e. Bottleneck Effect
E. Biological Communities
a. Complexity
b. Stability
Population Dynamics
A. Biological Concepts
a. Fertility, Fecundity and CBR
b. Mortality and CDR
c. Surviorship
d. Life Expectancy
e. Life Span
f. Total Growth Rate
g. Natural Growth Rate
B. Growth Rates
a. Arithmetic Growth vs. Exponential Growth
C. Factors Influencing Growth Rates
a. Biotic Potential
i. Strategies (r or K)
ii. Curves (J or S)
b. Environmental Resistance
c. Carrying Capacity
i. Overshoot and Dieback
D. Factors Affecting Population Size
a. Density-Dependent
b. Density-Independent
c. Immigration and Emmigration
d. Environmental or Cultural Pressures
E. Human Population
a. Age-Structure Diagrams
b. Demographic Transition (Stages)
c. History of Human Population Growth Strategies
i. Hunter-Gatherers
ii. Agricultural Revolution
iii. Industrial Revolution
iv. Global Communications Revolution
F. World Population Concerns and Solutions
Human Health
A. Morbidity and Mortality
B. Environmental Health Hazards
a. Pathogens
b. Viruses
c. Bacteria
d. Protists and Fungi
e. Animals and Plants
C. Vaccines, Antibotics, and Pesticides
D. Toxic and Hazardous Materials
a. Neurotoxins
b. Allergens
c. Mutagens and Carcinogens
d. Teratogen
E. Factors that Affect Toxicity
a. Dose
b. Dose-Response
c. LD50
d. Genetic Predisposition
e. Chemical Synergy
F. Environmental Factors
a. Solubility and Persistence
Air Pollution
A. Sources
a. Point and Nonpoint
b. Natural
c. Anthropogenic
B. Criteria Pollutants (Clean Air Act 1970)
C. Non-Criteria Pollutants
a. Indoor Air Pollution
D. Effects on Human Health
E. Effects on Ecosystems
a. Acid Rain
b. Greenhouse Effect
c. Ozone Depletion
d. Inversions and Grasshopper Effect
F. Laws, Regulations and Solutions
Water Pollution
A. Sources (Point and Nonpoint)
B. Types of Water Pollution
a. Pathogens
b. Oxygen-Demanding Wastes
c. Inorganic
d. Suspended Particles
e. Organic
f. Thermal
C. Wastewater Treatment
a. Primary, Secondary, Tertiary
D. The Clean Water Act (1972)
a. Pollution Control
Land Resources
A. Land Use
a. Tragedy of the Commons
i. Deforestation
ii. Desertification
iii. Urbanization
iv. Waste Disposal
v. Waterways and Wetlands
B. Land Restoration and Reuse
a. Conservation and Preservation
b. Restoration and Remediation
c. Reclamation and Mitigation
d. Multiple-Use Philosophy
C. Land Management
D. Agriculture
a. Human Nutritional Needs
b. Land Degradation
i. Erosion, Desertification, Pesticides, Fertilizers
c. Sustainable Agriculture vs. Industrial Monoculture
i. Subsistence Farming
d. Revolutions
i. Green Revolution (1950s)
ii. Gene Revolution (1970s)
e. Irrigation
E. Forestry
a. Harvesting Practices
b. Management
F. Prairie
a. Management
b. Services
G. Mining and Mineral Resources
a. Common Mineral Resources
b. Mining Operation
H. Solid Waste Disposal
a. Waste Stream
b. Landfills and Other Methods
Energy Resources
A. Human Energy Use Historical Patterns
B. Solar Energy
a. Fusion
b. Mechanism for other energy sources (fossil, wind, water)
C. Generating Electricity
a. Thermodynamics
D.
E.
F.
G.
b. Energy Units and Conversions
Non-Renewable Energy Sources
a. Fossil Fuels
i. Location and Extraction
ii. Power Generation
iii. Environmental Impacts
b. Nuclear Power
i. Location and Extraction
ii. Power Generation
iii. Environmental Impacts
Renewable Energy Sources
a. Solar
i. Passive and Active
ii. Power Generation (PVs and Electrical Power)
b. Wind
c. Biomass
d. Geothermal
i. Electrical Power
ii. Ground Source
e. Hydroelectric
i. Tidal
ii. Gravitational
Energy Conservation
Energy Efficiency
Environment and Society
A. Market forces
a. Supply and Demand
B. Policy to Create Demand
a. Tax Breaks
b. Environmental Laws
C. Capital
a. Natural
b. Human
c. Manufactured
d. Social
e. Flow of Capital
i. GNP
ii. GDP
iii. Cost-Benefit Analysis
D. Internal and External Costs
E. Environmental Ethics
a. Morals and Values
b. Instrumental and Intrinsic Values
c. Aesthetic and Cultural Values
d. Scientific and Educational Value
F. Worldviews
G. Government Organization
a. Executive, Judicial, and Legislative Branches
b. Agency Organization
H. Environmental Laws
a. General
b. Air
c. Water
d. Energy
e. Land
f. Toxic Substances
g. Biodiversity
I. Environmental Policy and Management
a. Risk Assessment
b. Conservation, Preservation, Restoration, Remediation, Reclamation and Mitigation