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APES End of Course Review Sheet
The purpose of this review sheet is to help you start studying for your final exam and for the APES Exam.
You should first attempt to answer all the questions you know without having to look at your notes.
Then, you should go back and review your text and course materials to answer the questions that you
were unable to answer.
Unit 1 – Interdependence of Earth Systems
Introduction to Environmental Science
1. What was Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring about?
List the steps of the scientific method.
2. Define the following terms:
a. Control Group –
b. Experimental Group –
c. Independent Variable –
d. Dependent Variable –
3. Make a graph for the following data.
Rainfall (mL) Temperature (F')
Time (hr)
2
64
1
1
66
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3
71
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5
73
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6
74
5
2
78
6
13
82
7
1
79
8
2
71
9
4
68
10
Earth Systems
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How old is the earth?
What era are we living in?
What comprises about 87% of the geologic time scale?
List and describe (relative thickness & what it is made of) the 3 layers of earth.
What is the lithosphere?
What is the asthenosphere?
Make a chart of the different types of plate boundaries, with a brief description, and the
geological features associated with each.
What are rift, subduction, and hot spot volcanoes?
What is the focus and epicenter of an earthquake?
What is a tsunami? How does it form?
Distinguish between igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. Give examples of each.
Define weathering and erosion.
Draw the soil layers and describe characteristics of each layer.
List some causes and effects of soil erosion.
Make a chart of the three main soil types to compare their particle size, porosity, density, texture,
water permeability, and nutrient holding capabilities.
Explain why we have seasons here on Earth.
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List the factors that affect solar insulation? Which areas receive the greatest/least solar insulation?
What is albedo? List surfaces that have a high/low albedo?
List the major components of the atmosphere.
List the layers of the atmosphere and give a brief description of each layer.
Describe the coriolis effects and how it affects air circulation patterns.
List and briefly describe the prevailing wind belts and the latitudes at which they are found.
Describe how climate has changed throughout Earth’s history.
Distinguish between a sea breeze and a land breeze. What is the importance of each?
Describe the rain shadow effect.
List and describe the properties of water that make it essential to life.
Describe Earth’s water budget.
List and describe the steps of the water cycle. Draw a picture if necessary.
Describe the major freshwater systems and identify environmental problems facing each system.
Describe eutrophication?
List the pros/cons of building dams?
Distinguish between surface and deep ocean currents.
What is ENSO?
What happens during an El Nino year?
What happens during a La Nina year?
How are the ocean and atmosphere connected?
Define the following.
a. Species
b. Population
c. Community
d. Ecosystem
e. Biosphere
Define habitat and niche.
Describe the different types of interactions among species.
What does the competitive exclusion principle state?
List and describe the three different types of species distributions.
Define keystone species.
What is species diversity?
What is the difference between species richness and species abundance?
Describe the process of evolution and the four factors that can cause evolution.
Define natural selection.
Define edge effects.
Make a chart of the major biomes and their characteristics.
Write the formulas for the processes of photosynthesis and cell respiration.
Compare chemosynthesis and photosynthesis.
Define primary and secondary productivity.
How are humans impacting productivity?
What is the difference between a food chain and a food web?
What are trophic levels?
What does an ecological pyramid show?
What are abiotic and biotic factors? Give examples of each.
Describe the efficiency of energy transfer in ecosystems.
Describe the carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous, and water cycles. Include a description of the major
sinks and sources.
Distinguish between primary and secondary succession.
Describe the succession of organisms on bare rock.
Define climax community.
Define and describe the role of pioneer species.
Unit 2 – Population Dynamics
1. Define the following.
a. Birth rate
b. Total fertility rate
c. Fecundity
d. Death rate
e. Life expectancy
f. Biotic potential
g. Carrying capacity
h. Doubling time
i. Limiting factor
j. Environmental resistance
k. Density-dependent
l. Density-independent
m. Emmigration
n. Immigration
2. Write out the formula used to calculate growth rate. Figure out the answer to the following
problem. County A had a birth rate of 12 per 1000 in 200 and a death rate of 9 per 1000 in the
same year. What is the growth rate?
3. Draw a diagram of the age structure diagrams for a rapid growth, slow growth, and zero growth
population. Give examples of countries that represent each age structure diagram.
4. Describe the steps in demographic transition model.
5. Distinguish between the two population growth models. Give examples of organisms that
represent each growth model.
6. Write out the formula for doubling time. Figure out the answer to the following problem. A
population has a growth rate of 2 percent per year. How long will it take for this population to
double?
7. Give examples of density-independent and density-dependent factors that affect population
growth.
8. Describe the three survivorship curves and organisms representing each type.
9. Distinguish between R selected and K selected organisms. Give examples.
10. What is the current human population count?
11. List factors that affect birth and death rates in human populations.
12. Distinguish between human population growth in developed vs. developing countries.
13. How can humans control our population growth?
14. Describe how China has regulated their population growth.
15. What are the environmental affects of human population growth?
Unit 3 - Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources: Distribution, Ownership, Use, Degradation
Resources in General
1. Describe the tragedy of the commons.
2. Differentiate between renewable and nonrenewable resources.
3. Define sustainability.
Water Resources
4. What is public water supply?
5. What is the biggest use of water in the US?
6. What is domestic water?
7. What is the number one domestic water use?
8. How can we increase our supply of freshwater?
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List the pros and cons of constructing dams.
What are some things you can do to reduce waste water?
Define by-catch.
Describe the problems with over-fishing.
Define maximum sustainable yield.
What is aqua culture?
List 4 different fishing methods and how they are harmful to the environment.
Land Resources
16. Define subsidence agriculture.
17. Describe the practice of slash and burn agriculture and how it affects the environment.
18. What was the green revolution? What were some reasons for this revolution in agriculture?
19. Describe the effects of pesticide and fertilizer use on the environment.
20. Define integrated pest management.
21. List and describe 3 methods of irrigation. Be sure to include the most environmentally friendly
method.
22. What is salinization? How do farmers combat this problem?
23. What are the pros and cons of using GE foods?
24. Why do people starve when we produce enough food globally to feed our population?
25. Define monoculture? How does monoculture affect the environment?
26. What are some better methods of agriculture?
27. What was the Dust Bowl?
28. What is the environmental impact of mining?
29. Why is it better to use recycled materials rather than buying new materials?
30. What is reclamation?
31. What is our #1 use of land?
32. Distinguish between clear cutting and selective cutting.
33. What are the environmental affects of deforestation?
34. What are the environmental affects of overgrazing? How can it be prevented?
35. What is desertification?
36. What was the cause of urbanization?
37. What is suburban sprawl? How does it affect the environment?
Energy Resources
38. What do the 1st and 2nd laws of thermodynamics state?
39. List the renewable and nonrenewable energy resources.
40. What is our #1 use of energy?
41. Describe how electricity is generated.
42. What are fossil fuels and how do they impact the environment? How can we make fossil fuel use
cleaner?
43. Describe solar, wind, geothermal, and nuclear energy. How do they work? What are the
environmental consequences of using each? What are the benefits of using these resources over
fossil fuels?
44. Distinguish between passive and active solar energy.
45. What happened at Chernobyl and the Three Mile Island?
Unit IV – Environmental Quality
Water Pollution
1. Distinguish between point and nonpoint pollution.
2. How do wastewater treatment plants work? List the stages and what occurs in each stage.
3. What is sludge? What are its uses?
4. What is biomagnification or bioaccumulation?
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What is eutrophication?
What are the environmental affects of oil spills?
What is the number one marine debris?
What is Minimata disease?
What has the government done to reduce water pollution?
What are red tides and why do they form?
Air Pollution
11. Distinguish between primary and secondary air pollutants.
12. What is PM? Why is it harmful?
13. Describe how ground level ozone forms.
14. Define thermal inversion. How does this affect air pollution in cities?
15. Distinguish between sulfurous and photochemical smog.
16. How has the government started regulating air pollution?
17. What is acid rain? How does it form? What are the environmental problems associated with it?
18. List the indoor air pollutants and major characteristics of those pollutants.
Noise Pollution
19. Why is it hard to define or regulate noise pollution?
Land Pollution
20. Distinguish between biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste.
21. How much of our waste is municipal waste? What is the number one product we throw away?
22. How do we get rid of trash? What are the pros and cons of each method?
23. How can we reduce our trash production?
24. What are the main parts of a landfill?
25. Define hazardous waste.
26. What is RCRA? What is SARA?
27. How can we dispose of hazmat?
Toxicology and Human Health
28. Define LD-50.
29. Define threshold.
30. Define tolerance.
31. What does the precautionary principle state?
32. What are pathogens? Give examples.
33. How can we manage our risks?
Unit V – Global Changes and Their Consequences
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What is ozone? How is it formed? Where is it found?
Why is ozone important?
Distinguish between the 3 types of UV radiation.
What is the ozone hole?
What is the cause of ozone depletion? Describe how they work to destroy the ozone layer.
What are polar stratospheric clouds? What do they have to do with ozone?
Why is there a debate about ozone depletion?
What are the environmental affects of ozone depletion?
What is the Montreal Protocol?
How can we stop ozone depletion?
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Define biological diversity. How do we measure diversity?
What processes has led the biological diversity we have today?
What factors cause biodiversity to increase? To decrease?
What are the environmental consequences of losing biodiversity?
What evidence is there to support the fact that we are reducing the biodiversity that exists on
Earth?
What is the endangered species act?
What is an exotic species? How do they impact the environment?
Why should we preserve biodiversity?
Distinguish between global warming and the greenhouse effect.
How are humans causing global warming?
What is the evidence to support the idea that our planet is getting warmer.
Why is there a debate about global warming?
What are the environmental consequences of global warming?
What is the Kyoto Protocol?
Unit VI – Environment and Society
What are green taxes?
Describe supply and demand.
Define gross national product and gross domestic product.
Define direct costs, indirect costs, externalities, and marginal cost.
What is a cost-benefit analysis?
Define the following environmental management strategies: conservation, preservation,
restoration, remediation, reclamation, and mitigation.
7. What is a common law system?
8. You need to know the following legislation. It’s important that you can recognize the
abbreviations. For the laws listed, give a brief description of what the law’s purpose is.
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General Laws
- National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
- Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)
Air
- Clean Air Act
- Montreal Protocol
- Kyoto Protocol
Water
- Clean Water Act
- Water Quality Act
- Safe Drinking Water Act
- Ocean Dumping Ban Act
- Water Resources Planning Act
- Federal Water Pollution Control Acts
Energy
- U.S. Public Utility Regulatory Policy Act (PURPA)
Land
- Surface Mining Reclamation and Control Act (SMCRA)
- National Park Service Act
- Soil Conservation Act
- Wilderness Act
- Federal Land Policy and Management Act
Toxic Substances
- Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodentcide Act (FIRFA)
- Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA)
- Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA)
- Toxic Substance Control Act (TOSCA)
- Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
- Federal Hazardous Substance Act
- Hazardous Materials Transportation Act
Biodiversity
- Species Conservation Act
- Endangered Species Act
- Lacey Act