Unit #2 - RHS AP Environmental Science - Home



Unit #4 Biomes, forestry, land conservation-(4(p93-103, p85), 12

|Day |In class |Homework |

|T |Test corrections |National Park Project Due |

|10/29 | | |

|W |Meteorology and Geography |Unit #4 Reading Quiz Due Wed 11/13 |

|10/30 | |Weather map for Due Mon 4th |

|Th |Unit #4 Biomes and Climate Notes | |

|10/31 | | |

|F |Ecological Services card sort |Eco Serv Thank You Note Due Mon 11th |

|11/1 |Thank You Note | |

|M |Biome notes |Texas Parks and Wildlife Park Map Due Wed 6th |

|11/4 | | |

|T |No School | |

|11/5 | | |

|W |Movie – Never Cry Wolf |½ Book Quiz Due extra 15 pts |

|11/6 | | |

|Th |Movie – Never Cry Wolf | |

|11/7 | | |

|F |Biodiversity Forest activity | |

|11/8 |Forestry Notes | |

|M |Share Thank You Notes |Thank You Note Due |

|11/11 |Finish Forestry | |

|T |Soil Temp Lab |Soil Temp Lab due 21st |

|11/12 | | |

|W |Work on Soil Temp lab |Book quiz Due |

|11/13 | | |

|Th 11/14 |Finish Notes | |

|F |Habitat Islands Biodiversity Lab |Island Biodiversity lab due Tues 19th |

|11/15 | | |

|M | | |

|11/18 | | |

|T |Field Trip to Cedar Ridge Preserve |Island Biodiversity lab Due |

|11/19 |Work on Book quiz, labs, proj | |

|W |Field Trip to Cedar Ridge Preserve | |

|11/20 |Work on Book quiz, labs, proj | |

|Th |Desert Ecology Activity |Soil Lab Due |

|11/21 | | |

|F |Volleyball game | |

|11/22 | | |

|M |Share NP Projects |NP Project Due |

|12/2 |National Park Video | |

|T | |Test Rev after school 4:15 |

|12/3 | |CE#4 Due |

|W |Test Unit #4 FRQs |Photo Vocab Due |

|12/4 | | |

|Th |Test Unit #4 MC | |

|12/5 | | |

Unit #4 Climate, Terrestrial and Aquatic Biomes – Ch 4,12,

1 Weather

2 Climate

5 Upwelling

5 El Nino

5 La Nina

3 Cold Front

3 Warm Front

3 High Pressure

3 Low Pressure

2 Dew point

4 Rain Shadow Effect

4 Microclimates

5 Hadley Cells

5 Corrolis Effect

5 Gyres

5 Latitude

3 Altitude

4 Tropical climate

3 Temperate climate

5 Tropical Desert

5 Temperate Desert

5 Cold Desert

5 Tropical Grassland

5 Savanna

2 Temperate Grassland

5 Arctic Tundra

5 Permafrost

4 Alpine Tundra

3 Chaparral

4 Tropical Rainforest

4 Canopy

2 Understory

1 Forest floor

1 Deciduous Forest

1 Broadleaf Deciduous plants

2 Coniferous Forest

2 Boreal Forest

2 Broadleaf Evergreen plants

3 Taiga

4 Ecotone

4 Ecological succession

4 Pioneer species

4 Climax Species

4 Primary succession

4 Secondary succession

4 Pioneer species

5 Multiple-Use lands

3 Greenbelts

5 Habitat corridor

4 Habitat Fragmentation

5 National Forest System

5 Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

5 National Park System (NPS)

4 Old growth forest

4 Clear cutting

4 Selective cutting

5 Strip cutting

5 Prescribed Burn

5 Fire suppression

5 Buffer-zone concept

5 Edge effect

5 Restoration Ecology

5 Even Aged forest

5 Old Growth Forest

Unit #4 Climate and Biomes

1.2 Terrestrial Biomes

o Ecosystems are the result of biotic and abiotic interactions.

o Describe the global distribution and principal environmental aspects of terrestrial biomes.

1. A biome contains characteristic communities of plants and animals that result from, and are adapted to, its climate.

2. Major terrestrial biomes include taiga, temperate rainforests, temperate seasonal forests, tropical rainforests, shrubland, temperate grassland, savanna, desert, and tundra.

3. The global distribution of nonmineral terrestrial natural resources, such as water and trees for lumber, varies because of some combination of climate, geography, latitude and altitude, nutrient availability, and soil.

4. The worldwide distribution of biomes is dynamic; the distribution has changed in the past and may again shift as a result of global climate changes.

1.8 Primary Productivity

o Energy can be converted from one form to another

o Explain how solar energy is acquired and transferred by living organisms.

1. Gross primary productivity is the total rate of photosynthesis in a given area.

2. Net primary productivity is the rate of energy storage by photosynthesizers in a given area, after subtracting the energy lost to respiration.

3. Productivity is measured in units of energy per unit area per unit time (e.g., kcal/m2/yr).

2.1 Introduction to Biodiversity

o Ecosystems have structure and diversity that change over time.

o Explain levels of biodiversity and their importance to ecosystems.

1. Biodiversity in an ecosystem includes genetic, species, and habitat diversity.

2. The more genetically diverse a population is, the better it can respond to environmental stressors. Additionally, a population bottleneck can lead to a loss of genetic diversity.

3. Ecosystems that have a larger number of species are more likely to recover from disruptions.

4. Loss of habitat leads to a loss of specialist species, followed by a loss of generalist species. It also leads to reduced numbers of species that have large territorial requirements.

5. Species richness refers to the number of different species found in an ecosystem.

2.2 Ecosystem Services

o Ecosystems have structure and diversity that change over time.

o Describe ecosystem services.

Describe the results of human disruptions to ecosystem services

1. There are four categories of ecosystem services: provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting.

2. Anthropogenic activities can disrupt ecosystem services, potentially resulting in economic and ecological consequences.

2.3 Island Biogeography

o Describe island biogeography.

o Describe the role of island biogeography in evolution.

1. Island biogeography is the study of the ecological relationships and distribution of organisms on islands, and of these organisms’ community structures

2. Islands have been colonized in the past by new species arriving from elsewhere.

3. Many island species have evolved to be specialists versus generalists because of the limited resources, such as food and territory, on most islands. The long-term survival of specialists may be jeopardized if and when invasive species, typically generalists, are introduced and outcompete the specialists.

2.4 Ecological Tolerance

o Describe ecological tolerance.

1. Ecological tolerance refers to the range of conditions, such as temperature, salinity, flow rate, and sunlight that an organism can endure before injury or death results.

2. Ecological tolerance can apply to individuals and to species.

2.5 Natural Disruptions to Ecosystems

o Explain how natural disruptions, both short and long-term, impact an ecosystem.

1. Natural disruptions to ecosystems have environmental consequences that may, for a given occurrence, be as great as, or greater than, many human-made disruptions

2. Earth system processes operate on a range of scales in terms of time. Processes can be periodic, episodic, or random.

3. Earth’s climate has changed over geological time for many reasons

4. Sea level has varied significantly as a result of changes in the amount of glacial ice on Earth over geological time.

5. Major environmental change or upheaval commonly results in large swathes of habitat changes.

6. Wildlife engages in both short- and long-term migration for a variety of reasons, including natural disruptions.

2.7 Ecological Succession

o Describe ecological succession.

o Describe the effect of ecological succession on ecosystems.

1. There are two main types of ecological succession: primary and secondary succession.

2. A keystone species in an ecosystem is a species whose activities have a particularly significant role in determining community structure.

3. An indicator species is a plant or animal that, by its presence, abundance, scarcity, or chemical composition, demonstrates that some distinctive aspect of the character or quality of an ecosystem is present

4. Pioneer members of an early successional species commonly move into unoccupied habitat and over time adapt to its particular conditions, which may result in the origin of new species.

5. Succession in a disturbed ecosystem will affect the total biomass, species richness, and net productivity over time.

4.5 Global Wind Patterns

o Earth’s systems interact, resulting in a state of balance over time.

o Explain how environmental factors can result in atmospheric circulation.

1. Global wind patterns primarily result from the most intense solar radiation arriving at the equator, resulting in density differences and the Coriolis effect.

4.7 Solar Radiation and Earth’s Seasons

o Most of the Earth’s atmospheric processes are driven by input of energy from the sun.

o Explain how the sun’s energy affects the Earth’s surface

1. Incoming solar radiation (insolation) is the Earth’s main source of energy and

2. The angle of the sun’s rays determines the intensity of the solar radiation. Due to the shape of the Earth, the latitude that is directly horizontal to the solar radiation receives the most intensity.

3. The highest solar radiation per unit area is received at the equator and decreases toward the poles.

4. The solar radiation received at a location on the Earth’s surface varies seasonally, with the most radiation received during the location’s longest summer day and the least on the shortest winter day.

5. The tilt of Earth’s axis of rotation causes the Earth’s seasons and the number of hours of daylight in a particular location on the Earth’s surface.

4.8 Earth’s Geography and Climate

o Most of the Earth’s atmospheric processes are driven by input of energy from the sun.

o Describe how the Earth’s geography affects weather and climate.

1. Weather and climate are affected not only by the sun’s energy but by geologic and geographic factors, such as mountains and ocean temperature

2. A rain shadow is a region of land that has become drier because a higher elevation area blocks precipitation from reaching the land.

5.2 Clearcutting

o When humans use natural resources, they alter natural systems.

o Describe the effect of clearcutting on forests.

1. Clearcutting can be economically advantageous but leads to soil erosion, increased soil and stream temperatures, and flooding.

2. Forests contain trees that absorb pollutants and store carbon dioxide. The cutting and burning of trees releases carbon dioxide and contributes to climate change.

5.10 Impacts of Urbanization

o When humans use natural resources, they alter natural systems.

o Describe the effects of urbanization on the environment.

1. Urbanization can lead to depletion of resources and saltwater intrusion in the hydrologic cycle.

2. Urbanization, through the burning of fossil fuels and landfills, affects the carbon cycle by increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

3. Impervious surfaces are human-made structures—such as roads, buildings, sidewalks, and parking lots—that do not allow water to reach the soil, leading to flooding.

4. Urban sprawl is the change in population distribution from high population density areas to low density suburbs that spread into rural lands, leading to potential environmental problems.

5.17 Sustainable Forestry

o Humans can mitigate their impact on land and water resources through sustainable use.

o Describe methods for mitigating human impact on forests.

1. Some of the methods for mitigating deforestation include reforestation, using and buying wood harvested by ecologically sustainable forestry techniques, and reusing wood.

2. Methods to protect forests from pathogens and insects include integrated pest management (IPM) and the removal of affected trees.

3. Prescribed burn is a method by which forests are set on fire under controlled conditions in order to reduce the occurrence of natural fires.

8.4 Human Impacts on Wetlands and Mangroves

o Human activities, including the use of resources, have physical, chemical, and biological consequences for ecosystems.

o Describe the impacts of human activity on wetlands and mangroves.

1. "Wetlands are areas where water covers the soil, either part or all of the time."

2. Wetlands provide a variety of ecological services, including water purification, flood protection, water filtration, and habitat.

3. Threats to wetlands and mangroves include commercial development, dam construction, overfishing, and pollutants from agriculture and industrial waste.

9.10 Human Impacts on Biodiversity

o The health of a species is closely tied to its ecosystem, and minor environmental changes can have a large impact.

o Explain how human activities affect biodiversity and strategies to combat the problem.

1. HIPPCO (habitat destruction, invasive species, population growth, pollution, climate change, and over exploitation) describes the main factors leading to a decrease in biodiversity.

2. Habitat fragmentation occurs when large habitats are broken into smaller, isolated areas. Causes of habitat fragmentation include the construction of roads and pipelines, clearing for agriculture or development, and logging.

3. The scale of habitat fragmentation that has an adverse effect on the inhabitants of a given ecosystem will vary from species to species within that ecosystem.

4. Global climate change can cause habitat loss via changes in temperature, precipitation, and sea level rise.

5. Some organisms have been somewhat or completely domesticated and are now managed for economic returns, such as honeybee colonies and domestic livestock. This domestication can have a negative impact on the biodiversity of that organism.

6. Some ways humans can mitigate the impact of loss of biodiversity include creating protected areas, use of habitat corridors, promoting sustainable land use practices, and restoring lost habitats.

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