APES Unit 2 Study Guide
Ultimate Review Packet (2.1 - 2.3)
2.1 - Introduction to Biodiversity
a. Define genetic diversity and provide an example: the diversity or variance of genes or traits within
individuals of a population; ex: diversity of fur thickness in elk or beak size in sparrows
b. Explain how high genetic diversity for the trait you identified in part (a) would be beneficial to the
population: high diversity of fur thickness in elk would increase the likelihood that some of the elk
would have thicker/lighter coats that would be advantages in cooling/warming climate in their
habitat; high diversity of beak size in sparrows would increase the likelihood that some of the
sparrows would be able to utilize bigger/smaller or harder/softer food sources in the event of
environmental disturbance such as drought, decline of smaller/larger food source
c. Explain the difference between species richness and species evenness: richness is the number
of different species found in an ecosystem, while evenness refers to how balanced the distribution
of individuals between species is/how balanced the population sizes of diff. species are
d. Define ecosystem diversity: the variance in different ecosystems found in a given area
e. Identify the relationship between ecosystem diversity and species diversity: there is a direct
relationship or a positive correlation between ecosystem diversity and species diversity
2.2 - Ecosystem Services 2.3 - Island Biogeography
a. Describe provisioning services using an a. Identify the two rules of the Theory of
example from an ocean ecosystem: things Island Biogeography:
provided to humans from nature that have value, 1. Islands closer to the mainland have higher
such as fish we can catch in the ocean species richness than islands further away
2. Larger Islands have higher species
b. Describe supporting services using an example richness than smaller islands
from a grassland ecosystem: processes done by
ecosystems that support valuable human b. Explain what accounts for each of these
actions, such as pollinators supporting rules:
agricultural profits or decomposers in the soil 1. More species are able to migrate to islands
recycling nutrients that support crops that are closer to the mainland as it’s easier
to fly or swim a shorter distance
c. Describe regulating services using an example 2. Larger Islands have higher ecosystem
from a wetland ecosystem: the stabilizing of diversity, providing more food and habitat
conditions like climate or water quality; wetland resources for a larger number of different
trees sequester CO2, absorb excess stormwater, species
and filter pollutants out of ground water
c. Explain why islands generally have a
d. Describe cultural services using an example higher percentage of specialist species:
from a tropical rainforest ecosystem: recreation Islands provide a narrower range of food
or intellectual benefits from nature, such as the and habitat resources than mainland
tourism revenue from resorts, boat rides, etc. ecosystems, leading to conditions that
near the tropical rainforest or studies conducted select for a more narrow or specialized set
on rainforest plants/animals of traits in the species on the island
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APES Unit 2 Ultimate Review Packet (2.4 - 2.6)
2.4 - Ecological Tolerance
a. Define each of the following zones:
i. Optimal range: range of an environmental condition where an organism can survive,
grow, and reproduce
ii. Zone of physiological stress: range of environmental condition where an organism can
survive, but with impaired growth or reproduction
iii. Zone of intolerance: range of environmental condition where death occurs
b. Explain the ecological range of tolerance a plant species has for soil moisture: the plant species
will have an optimal range of tolerance for soil moisture where it can grow and reproduce. If the
soil moisture moves below that range the plant may not have enough water to photosynthesize
and may suffer stunted growth. If the soil moisture moves above the optimal range, the soil may
become too saturated and the roots of the plant may not receive enough oxygen for growth.
c. Describe how high genetic diversity in the plant population above would be advantageous in the
event of a drought: with high genetic diversity in the population, there will be an increased chance
that some of the plants will have a greater optimal range of tolerance for soil moisture, enabling
some of the members of the population to still grow and reproduce in the drought conditions
2.5 - Natural Ecosystem Disruption 2.6 - Adaptations
a. Identify an example of a periodic, episodic, a. Define adaptation: genetic mutation that
and random event: periodic (ocean tides, increases an organism’s chances of survival
seasons), episodic (El Nino/La Nina, and reproduction
hurricanes, forest fires), random (meteorite
strikes, volcanic eruptions) b. Describe the selective pressure that selected
b. Describe one way that earth’s orbit around for opposable thumb arrangement in Homo
the sun changes naturally over time habilis: energy availability or food scarcity;
1. Eccentricity - variation in shape/how circular since opposable thumb arrangement enabled
earth’s orbital path around the sun is tool use and increased energy availability for
2. Axial precession - variation in how much H. habilis, more members survived and
earth wobbles on its axis during orbit passed on their genes for opposable thumb
3. Obliquity - variation in how much earth is structure to offspring
tilted on its axis toward or away from the sun
c. Explain how variation in earth’s orbit c. Describe an adaptation in a tundra species:
influence global climate: variations in earth’s Caribou/other tundra mammals have thick fur
orbit such as eccentricity or obliquity bring that keeps them warm enough to survive low
earth closer/further further from the sun or tilt tundra temperatures
it towards/away from the sun in its orbit, Polar bear/arctic fox/hare/snowy owl have white
heating/cooling global climate fur that enables them to blend into the snow/ice
d. Identify the relationship between global of the arctic and avoid predators or hunt prey
atmospheric temperature and sea level: Lichen are adapted to photosynthesize in
positive correlation or direct relationship freezing conditions, gaining nutrients in rocky or
e. Explain one cause for the relationship you low nutrient soils, and absorbing water from ice
identified above: As global atmospheric and snow
temperature increases it causes:
1. Melting of glacial/polar ice sheets which
runoff into the ocean, raising sea level
2. Thermal expansion of water molecules in the
ocean, raising sea level
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APES Unit 1 Ultimate Review Packet (2.7)
2.7 - Ecological Succession
a. Describe how moss and lichen are able to colonize bare rock: moss and lichen secrete acids that
chemically weather rocks and release nutrients and minerals in them
b. Describe the central process of ecological succession: rapidly growing pioneer species are
replaced by slower-growing, larger species over time
c. Describe the difference between primary and secondary succession: primary succession is the
colonization of bare rock by moss and lichen, which form shallow-rocky soil through their growth
and breakdown and the chemical weathering of rock, whereas secondary succession begins in a
recently-disturbed ecosystem that already has soil present
d. Describe the characteristics of pioneer species and provide an example: rapidly-growing,
dispersed by wind/animals, sun-tolerant; ex: moss, lichen, weeds, grasses, wildflowers
e. Describe the characteristics of climax community species and provide an example: slow-growing,
shade-tolerant; large trees; ex: redwoods, sequoias, sugar maple, beach, oak
f. Define keystone species: a species with an outsized or vital role in ecosystem stability whose
removal leads to significant instability or collapse of its ecosystem
g. Identify an example of a top predator keystone species and an ecosystem engineer keystone
species:
i. Top predator: wolves, starfish, sharks, sea otters, grizzly bears
ii. Ecosystem engineers: mangroves, beavers
h. Describe one example of how the removal of a keystone species could destabilize an ecosystem:
i. Top predator examples: loss of top predators leads to increases in herbivore
populations which then overgraze on plants in the ecosystem leading to:
1. Less food for other herbivores
2. Less habitat for species that nest/build nests with the plants being overgrazed
3. Increased soil erosion due to loss of vegetation
ii. Ecosystem engineer examples:
1. Loss of mangroves destabilizes shoreline which can lead to loss of estuary
habitats as land erodes into the ocean; can also remove vital habitat or breeding
grounds for many shellfish/fish/aquatic species
2. Loss of beavers remove beaver pond ecosystems that may be habitat/breeding
grounds for amphibian, insect, or other aquatic species or drinking weather
source for mammals, or reduce habitat space for riparian plants
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