AP®︎ Environmental Science: Topic 8.2 Practice Test
Prepare for your quiz, test, or the AP exam with focused practice questions on Topic 8.2 of AP Environmental Science – Human Impacts on Ecosystems.
Questions List
Topic 8.2
Question 1 Easy
This question tests the following: STB-3.B.6
What does DO stand for in aquatic ecosystems?
What You’re Being Tested On:
Explore the learning objectives taken directly from the College Board’s AP® Environmental Science Curriculum. Ensure you’re prepared for the exact topics covered on the AP® exam, in-class tests, and quizzes, and gain confidence in your mastery of the material.
Topic 8.2: Human Impacts on Ecosystems
Learning Objective: STB-3.B
Describe the impacts of human activities on aquatic ecosystems.
Essential Knowledge: STB-3.B.1
Organisms have a range of tolerance for various pollutants. Organisms have an optimum range for each factor where they can maintain homeostasis. Outside of this range, organisms may experience physiological stress, limited growth, reduced reproduction, and in extreme cases, death.
Essential Knowledge: STB-3.B.2
Coral reefs have been suffering damage due to a variety of factors, including increasing ocean temperature, sediment runoff, and destructive fishing practices.
Essential Knowledge: STB-3.B.3
Oil spills in marine waters cause organisms to die from the hydrocarbons in oil. Oil that floats on the surface of water can coat the feathers of birds and fur of marine mammals. Some components of oil sink to the ocean floor, killing some bottom-dwelling organisms.
Essential Knowledge: STB-3.B.4
Oil that washes up on the beach can have economic consequences on the fishing and tourism industries.
Essential Knowledge: STB-3.B.5
Oceanic dead zones are areas of low oxygen in the world’s oceans caused by increased nutrient pollution.
Essential Knowledge: STB-3.B.6
An oxygen sag curve is a plot of dissolved oxygen levels versus the distance from a source of pollution, usually excess nutrients and biological refuse.
Essential Knowledge: STB-3.B.7
Heavy metals used for industry, especially mining and burning of fossil fuels, can reach the groundwater, impacting the drinking water supply.
Essential Knowledge: STB-3.B.8
Litter that reaches aquatic ecosystems, besides being unsightly, can create intestinal blockage and choking hazards for wildlife and introduce toxic substances to the food chain.
Essential Knowledge: STB-3.B.9
Increased sediment in waterways can reduce light infiltration, which can affect primary producers and visual predators. Sediment can also settle, disrupting habitats.
Essential Knowledge: STB-3.B.10
When elemental sources of mercury enter aquatic environments, bacteria in the water convert it to highly toxic methylmercury.
