Practice AP Environmental Science Unit 2 questions on biodiversity, ecosystem services, island biogeography, tolerance, disruption, adaptation, and succession.
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.
The following diagram shows how an area changed over time. The dominant vegetation in each stage is labeled in the diagram. Each roman numeral represents a stage in the ecological process.
Identify the ecological change over time illustrated in the diagram.
Identify the stage in which pioneer species first appear.
Identify a cultural ecosystem service that may be provided by a mature forest.
Researchers are interested in investigating the effect of the removal of trees on the water quality of nearby waterways. To conduct their experiment, the researchers locate two identical forest watersheds, both with a river running through them. Forest A is an intact forest and forest B is a clear-cut forest. Four stream monitoring stations are set up in each forest study area. Each station monitors a variety of water quality indicators, including water temperature, at various locations along the river. The experimental setup is shown in the following diagrams. The arrows shown in the rivers represent the direction of water flow. The triangles in the river show the location of the stream monitoring stations.
Biologists collected data on the abundance of lizards on several Pacific islands with and without mongoose populations. The surveys were conducted at different locations on the islands by counting the number of lizards observed per hour and included habitats with both undisturbed areas and anthropogenically disturbed areas.
LIZARD NUMBERS ON PACIFIC ISLANDS
The graph shows data collected by biologists on lizard numbers on several Pacific islands.
Based on the data in the graph, identify the habitat type with the greatest number of lizards.
Based on the theory of island biogeography, describe the characteristics of an island with the greatest species diversity.
Islands provide humans with many ecosystem services. However, humans may alter ecosystems when they obtain these services. Large-scale commercial sugarcane farming on the Pacific islands has led to significant ecological damage.
Identify a provisioning ecosystem service provided by primary forests.
Based on the data in the graph, explain how replacing primary forests with sugarcane fields may have affected the number of lizards counted on the mongoose-free Pacific islands.
Termites are social insects that are essential decomposers in tropical rain forest ecosystems. Termites may account for up to 95 percent of insect biomass in tropical rain forests. Termites consume vast amounts of dead and decomposing plant material, thanks to the work of mutualistic cellulose-digesting microorganisms that inhabit their guts. In addition to their roles as important decomposers, termites digest plant materials and directly contribute to carbon dioxide and methane emissions into the atmosphere. It is likely that, like many insect species, termites and their symbionts may be sensitive to changes in their microclimate caused by global climate change, especially with regard to temperature and humidity.
Respond to the following using the data in the table above, which gives the rate of wood consumption by termites, in mg per day per termite, under various temperature and relative humidity conditions. Under optimal conditions, the emission rate of methane by termites is approximately 70 kilograms of per year per 1,000 termites.
According to the data, what are the optimal temperature and relative humidity for termite activity?
Explain why the population size of termites is also affected by temperature and humidity.