Download The beginning part of this outline was not important

First Semester Review Outline
AP Environmental
Chapter 1. Nothing on this chapter.
Chapter 2 Environmental Laws, Economics and Ethics
I.
A brief Environmental History of the United States
a. Know the main events that we reviewed during the course of the semester
II.
U.S. Environmental Legislation
a. Know what the EPA is.
b. Know the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, The Clean Air Act, and any of the
laws mentioned in the lectures.
III.
Economics and the Environment
a. Optimal Amount of Pollution and marginal cost of pollution
b. Marginal cost of abatement
c. Strategies for pollution control – know command & control, incentive-based, tradable permits
Chapter 3 Ecosystems and Energy
I. Introduction to ecology (section in text on The House We Live In)
A. Terms and definitions
B. Hierarchy: population, community, ecosystem, biosphere
II. Energy: Basic principles and biological processes (sections in text on The Energy of Life)
A. Introduction and definitions
B. Two laws of thermodynamics and their application to living systems
C Photosynthesis, primary productivity in the deep sea (chemosynthesis), and cell respiration
1. Chemical equations
2. Relationship to basic laws of thermodynamics
III. Food chains and food webs (sections in text on The Flow of Energy through Ecosystems)
A. Energy flow and trophic levels
B. Ecological pyramids: numbers of organisms, biomass, and energy
C. Primary productivity
1. Gross primary productivity
2. Net primary productivity
D. The link between productivity and biodiversity?
E. Fossil Fuels
Chapter 4 Ecosystems and Living Organisms
I. Biological Communities
A. Succession and community structure
1. What is succession?
2. Primary succession: who, where, how long, and examples
3. Secondary succession: who, where, how long, and examples
II. Species interactions (sections in text on Interactions among Organisms
A. Predator-prey interactions
1. Pursuit and ambush
2. Herbivore and plant defenses
3. Defenses and adaptation
B. Competition
C. Symbiosis
1. Definition
2. Mutualism
3. Commensalism
4. Parasitism
II. Ecological niche (sections in text on The Ecological Niche)
A. Definition
B. Fundamental vs. realized niche
1. Limiting factors
2. Competitive exclusion
3. Resource partitioning
III. Community structure and composition (sections in the text on Keystone Species and Species Richness)
A. Keystone species and community structure
B. Species diversity due to community structure
1. Margins and environmental stress
2. Ecosystem services
IV. Natural selection, populations, and community structure (sections in the text on Evolution)
Chapter 5 Ecosystems and the Physical Environment
I. Biogeochemical cycles (section in text on The Cycling of Materials within Ecosystems)
A. Gaseous cycles
1. Carbon cycle: natural events and human impact
a. natural processes – cellular respiration and photosynthesis
b. human impact and global warming
2. Nitrogen cycle: role of bacteria, natural events, and human impact
a. nitrogen fixation
b. nitrification
c. assimilation
d. ammonification
e. denitrification
f. human impact
3. Hydrologic cycle: natural events and human impact
B. Sedimentary cycle
1. Phosphorus cycle: natural events and human impact
2. Sulfur cycle: natural events and human impact
II. Role of solar energy in global ecosystems and events (sections in text on Solar Radiation, The
Atmosphere, The Global Ocean, and Weather and Climate)
A. Earth surface temperatures
1. Latitude
2. Season
B. Wind and water flow patterns
1. Atmospheric flow and wind patterns
2. Global ocean currents
C. Ocean and atmospheric interactions
1. ENSO
2. La Nina
D. Weather vs. climate
1. Precipitation and regional differences
2. Tornadoes vs. tropical cyclones
III. Plate tectonics and environmental impact (section in text on Internal Planetary Processes)
A. Earthquakes
B. Volcanic eruptions
Chapter 6 Major Ecosystems of the World
I. Terrestrial biomes (sections in text on Earth's Major Biomes)
A. What is a biome?
B. Representative terrestrial biomes and their defining characteristics, both physical and biological
1. Tundra
2. Taiga or boreal forest
3. Temperate rain forest
4. Temperate deciduous forest
5. Grasslands
6. Chaparral
7. Deserts
8. Savanna
9. Tropical rain forests
C. Human impacts on biomes around the world (old growth forests)
D. Impact of altitude and latitude on distribution and type of vegetation present
II. Aquatic ecosystems (sections in text on Aquatic Ecosystems)
A. Environmental factors responsible for the structure of aquatic ecosystems
1. Salinity
2. Light
3. Currents
4. Dissolved oxygen
B. Representative aquatic ecosystems
1. Freshwater
a. Flowing-water ecosystems
b. Standing-water ecosystems
c. Freshwater wetlands
2. Estuaries
3. Marine
a. Intertidal zone
b. Benthic environment
c. Neritic province
d. Oceanic province
Chapter 17 – Preserving Earth’s Biological Diversity
A.
Biodiversity (Chapter 16)
1. Definition of Biodiversity
2. Significance of Biological Diversity
a.
Ecosystem services and species diversity
b.
Genetic diversity
1. research
2. medicine
3. agriculture
4. industry
c.
Aesthetics, ethics, and spiritual value
3. Threats to Biodiversity
a.
Extinctions
1. Endangered vs. Threatened status
2. Characteristics of a endangered species
3. Biological distinct areas at particular risk
b.
Human Activities Threatening Biodiversity
1. habitat loss
2. exotic species
3. pollution
4. overexploitation
Case Study: Disappearing Frogs
4. Conservation of Biodiversity
a.
Conservation
1. habitat protection
2. habitat restoration
3. captive-breeding programs and seed banks
4. role of conservation organizations
b.
Laws Promoting Conservation
1. United States - Endangered Species Act
1. habitat conservation plants
2. U.S. Biological Resources Division
2. International – World Conservation Strategy
5. Wildlife Management
a.
Migratory animals (arctic snow geese)
b.
Aquatic organisms (gray whale)
6. Reacting to Declining Biodiversity
a.
Increase public awareness
b.
Support research
c.
Control pollution
d.
Provide economic incentives
Chapter 7 Human Health and Environmental Toxicology
I. Health effects and risk assessment (sections in text on Human Health, Environmental Pollution and
Disease, Determining Health Effects of Environmental Pollution, Assessment of Risk and Determining
the Health Effects of Environmental Pollutants)
A. Risk, risk assessment, and risk management
B. LD50 and ED50
C Carcinogens and chemical mixtures
D. Acute vs. Chronic Toxicity
E. Health Issues in Highly Developed and Developing Nations
F. Emerging and Reemerging Disease
G. Persistence, Bioaccumulation, and Biological magnification.
H. Endocrine Disruptors.
I. Children and Chemical Exposure
J. Cancer-causing substances
II. Ecological risk assessment (sections in text on Ecotoxicology
A. Sustainability
B. Human population issues, particularly growth, numbers and consumption
C. Challenges and complexity
Chapter 8 Population Change
I. Population ecology - the basics (sections in text on Principles of Population Ecology, Reproductive
Strategies, and Focus on: Predator-Prey Dynamics)
A. Four factors that influence population size
1. Birth rate and death rate
2. Immigration and emigration
3. Calculation of population growth rate
B. Biotic potential and carrying capacity
1. Exponential growth and the J-shaped curve
2. Carrying capacity and logistic growth, the S-shaped curve
3. Limiting Factors
4. Population Density
C. Life history strategies and survivorship curves
1. K-selected and r-selected reproductive strategies
2. Types I, II and III survivorship
D. 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
II. Human population growth (sections in text including the Human Population and Demographics of
Countries)
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
C. Demographic Stages – Figure 8.14
D. Age Structure of Countries
Chapter 9 Addressing Population Issues
I. The human population explosion (sections in text on Population and Quality of life
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 overpopulation
II, Fertility, national policies, and control of global human population growth (sections in text including the
Reducing the Total Fertility Rate, Governmental Policies and Fertility,)
A. Fertility rates and related factors
1. Cultural values
2. Social and economic status of women
3. Availability of family planning services
B. National policies on fertility
1. China
2. India
C. Control of global population growth
1. Actions for individuals
2. Actions for governments
Chapter 14 Water: A Limited Resource
I. Water: the basics (section in text on The Importance of Water)
A. Structure and properties of water
1. Molecular structure
2. Physical properties and their significance (pH, turbidity from water lab)
B. Hydrologic cycle
1. The prevalence of seawater
2. Potential reservoirs or sources of fresh water
3. Drainage basin vs. watershed
4. Confined vs. Unconfined aquifers
5. Why are wetlands so important?
II. Resource issues: water supply and quality (sections in text including the Water Resource Problems,
Water Problems in the United States, and Global Water Problems)
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
C. Water problems in the United States
1. Surface water and increasing population in arid and semi-arid regions
2. Groundwater
a. Uses and increasing demands
3. The San Francisco Bay and its delta
D. Global water issues
1. Adequate clean water supply
2. Population growth and increasing demands
3. Potentially volatile situations involving sharing international water resources
III. Water management and conservation (sections in text on Water Management, Water Conservation)
A. Recognizing water as a resource
B. A sustainable water supply
1. Role of dams and reservoirs
2. Water diversion projects
3. Desalinization
C. Conservation of water resources
1. Agriculture
2. Industry
3. Municipal, including actions of individuals
Chapter 22 Water
1. Types of Water Pollution (Chapter 22)
a.
Sewage
1. enrichment
2. biological oxygen demand (BOD)
b.
Disease-causing agents
1. viruses & bacteria
2. fecal coliform
c.
Sediment pollution
d.
Inorganic plant and algal nutrients
1. dead zone
e.
Organic compounds
f.
Inorganic chemicals
1. lead
2. mercury
3. radioactive substances and radon
g.
Thermal pollution
2. Eutrophication (Chapter 22)
a.
Definition of eutrophic and olgiotrophic
b.
Artificial Eutrophication
3. Sources of Water Pollution (Chapter 22)
a.
Surface Water Pollution
1. Point source vs. non-point source pollution
2. Agricultural pollution
3. Industrial pollution
b.
Groundwater Pollution
4. Improving Water Quality (Chapter 22)
a.
Water purification
1. chlorine dilemma
2. fluoride dilemma
b.
Municipal Sewage Treatment (Sewer Science)
c.
Septic Systems
5. Laws Controlling Water Pollution (Chapter 22)
a.
Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)
b.
Clean Water Act (CWA)
c.
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
6. Water Pollution Case Studies (Chapter 22)
a.
United States (Great Lakes)
b.
Global (Po River, Italy; Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela; Ganges River, India)