Practice AP Environmental Science questions on biodiversity levels, species richness, habitat comparisons, ecological benefits, and resilience after disturbance.
Respond to parts A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and H, and all subparts.
Based on the data in Figure 1, identify the number of spiders per sample at 25\% nonnative
plants.
Based on the data in Figure 1, describe the trend in the number of insects per sample in
relation to the percentage of nonnative plants.
Insect biodiversity is important to maintain ecosystem health. A group of students was
interested in learning about factors that affect ant biodiversity. They located two study sites
near their school: a frequently mowed urban park and an unmowed grassland. The students
used traps designed to collect ants. They loaded 10 of these traps with the same food and
placed them randomly at different locations within each site. Students collected the traps
after 24 hours and counted the number of different ant species in each trap to determine
species richness.
Identify a likely scientific question for the students' investigation of ant diversity.
Identify the dependent variable in the students' investigation.
The data from the student investigation of ant diversity are shown in the following table. An
"X" in the table indicates that the species was present at that site.
Ant Species Present in an Urban Park and Unmowed Grassland
Explain why the ant community of the unmowed grassland would be more likely to
recover from a disturbance, such as a flood or fire, than the ant community in the
mowed urban park would.
Explain how the results of the investigation could have been altered if students had
measured ant biodiversity at a paved playground rather than in the grassland.