2BGU APES PARTIAL 1 2017 - 2018

NAME: .............. DATE: October 2017

SUBJECT: AP ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE TEACHER: John Osborne

COURSE: 2BGU PARALELO: A & B

Score ......../62 Grade ......../10

Write your name at the top of this page.

Do not start the test until told to do so.
The test contains 10 questions, giving a total of 62 marks. Question 1-5 (35 marks) concern the
latest reading; questions 6-8 (19 marks) cover previous topics of the term; questions 9 & 10 (8
marks) are about media articles.
Answer all the questions in the spaces provided.
Use a pen to write your answers.
Show your working out in any questions requiring calculations.
Calculators may not be used.
If you make mistakes, do not use liquid paper, instead rule a line through the answer and write it
again on the back of the question paper.

1. BIODIVERSITY is said to comprise 4 components. Briefly explain what is meant by each of the 4
components:
i) FUNCTIONAL DIVERSITY:
Functional diversity is the range of patterns and interactions in an ecosystem, and the influence they
have on the working of the ecosystem.

ii) SPECIES DIVERSITY:

Species diversity describes the species richness (the number of species) and species evenness
(abundance of different species) in an ecosystem.

iii) GENETIC DIVERSITY:

Genetic diversity is the total number of genetic characteristics(alleles) in the genome of a species,
which gives an indication of how well a population of a species may adapt to change.

iv) ECOLOGICAL DIVERSITY:

Ecological diversity describes the variation in ecosystems found in an area or biome or habitat
[8 marks]
 2. EVOLUTION refers to the gradual changes that populations of species make over time, leading to
new species. EVOLUTION BY NATURAL SELECTION is generally accepted to be the most logical
theory for how evolution occurs.

Using all the words and phrases in the box below, as well as other terms of your choice, write a
paragraph which explains how evolution by natural selection is thought to occur.

Your answer must be prepared in rough on paper before the paragraph is written on this answer
sheet.

mutation survival of the fittest competition adaptation

environmental change reproduction favourable genes population
reproductive isolation species

A population of a species contains a variety of genes and different versions (alleles) of those genes,
which enables organisms to adapt their behaviour and face environmental change. Genes and alleles
rise by random mutation. Most of the results of mutation are lethal and disappear; some mutant
characteristics may survive in a population because they confer favourable benefits. In a situation
where the environment undergoes change, competition for resources may result and the organisms
with the beneficial genetic variations have an advantage - this is called survival of the fittest. These
survivors are more likely to reproduce so their offspring may then inherit the genetic variations. If the
population becomes reproductively isolated, there is the opportunity for a new species to then
develop, which can no longer interact or breed with populations of the ancestral species.
[10 marks]

3. The following table is a sample of a very large body of data reported by J. P. Collins, M. L. Crump,
and T. E. Lovejoy III in their book Extinction in Our TimesGlobal Amphibian Decline. It compares
various areas of the world in terms of the number of amphibian species found and the number of
amphibian species that were endemic, or unique to each area. Scientists like to know these percentages
because endemic species tend to be more vulnerable to extinction than do non-endemic species. Study
the table below and then answer the following questions.

i) Which two areas have the highest number of endemic species?

1 Tropical Southern Andes Mountains of Bolivia

 2 Southern Sierra Madre de Mxico
[1 mark]

ii) Which two areas have the highest percentage of endemic species?

1 Pacific/Cascades/Sierra Nevada Mountains of North America

2 Tropical Southern Andes Mountains of Bolivia and Peru

[1 mark]

iii) Which two areas have the lowest number of endemic species?

1 Upper Amazon Basin of Southern Peru

2 Southern Coastal Plain of the United States

[1 mark]

iv) Which two areas have the lowest percentage of endemic species?

1 Upper Amazon Basin of Southern Peru

2 Southern Appalachian Mountains of the United States

[1 mark]
v) Suggest one reason why one habitat or area might have higher number of endemic species
than another.

Geographical isolation - caused by the presence of rivers and mountains; physical, climatic
o biological characteristics of a habitat; lack of human influence
[1 mark]

vi) What are the characteristics which all amphibians (organisms of the Class Amphibia) have in
common?
Amphibians have moist skin without scales. They are homoeothermic and partly respire
through their skin. They are land-living but water dependent organisms. They lay eggs which
do not have a hard shell. At least one of their metamorphic stages are water dependent.

[2 marks]

vii) Name a non-endemic species that you know, and the habitat where it is found.
Eg: Goats on the Galpagos islands.
[2 marks]

4. Distinguish between each of the following and give an example of each.

i) PRIMARY ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION: ...............................................................................

Primary ecological succession occurs when land or a habitat is made 'dead', ie by an eruption
of a volcano, so no life is present. Pioneer species are the first to arrive and, after a long
period of succession through different seres, a climax community is reached, for instance a
tropical rain forest like the Amazon.

ii) SECONDARY ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION: .........................................................................

 Secondary ecological succession occurs when an already existent habitat suffers an impact
such as fire or deforestation, which does not remove all life and soil. The species which
survive may recover and new species may arrive, and a succession occurs which will probably
lead to a different set of ecological communities and type of habitat.
[4 marks]

5. Climate change is already having a profound impact upon ecosystems, species distribution,
biodiversity and very many other aspects of the living world. Describe one specific example of the
impact of climate change on the living world.

Climate change results in global warming, which increases the temperature of the water in the seas
and oceans. One result of this is the increased risk of hurricanes. Another result is the thermal
expansion of water which leads to its increase in volume. The increase of volume of the water in the
oceans threatens coastal or low-lying countries and cities with flooding. At special risk are nations
like Bangladesh and Holland, and cities like Rotterdam and London.
[4 marks]

6. The map below shows the major tectonic plates of the planet Earth and the movements of the plates
(mm yr-1). Study the map and answer the questions.

i) Name the two tectonic plates which are moving away from each other at the fastest rate?
The Pacific and Nazca plates are moving away from each other at a rate of 141 mm per year.
[1 mark]

ii) Name the tectonic plate which borders the western coast of the South American continent?
The Nazca Plate borders the western coast of the South American continent.
[1 mark]
 iii) What are convergent tectonic plates?
Tectonic plates which are moving towards each other are called convergent. They may push
up against each other and form mountain chains or, if their densities are different, slide one
under the other in a subduction zone.
[1 mark]

iv) Name two adjacent tectonic plates on the map which are converging.
The Indo-Australian plate and the Eurasian plate are converging.
[1 mark]

v) Locate the African plate and the South American plate on the map. In a period of 17 years,
since the beginning of the 21st century, approximately how far have these two plates moved
away from each other? (Show your working.)
The two plates are diverging at a rate of 33mm a year
In 17 years they will have diverged by 17 x 33 mm = 561 mm
[3 marks]

7. The diagram below shows the different layers (horizons) found in a typical soil. Complete the diagram
by filling in the labels.

O horizon of organic matter

A horizon of organic and mineral
topsoil
E horizon of leached minerals
and nutrients

B horizon - topsoil with an

accumulation of metals and
nutrients

C horizon - topsoil which is

unweathered

Bedrock

[6 marks]

8. Two thirds of the planet Earth is covered by water. Water has several special, even unique, properties,
which make it an ideal medium in which organisms can live. Sate THREE properties of water and say
how each helps life to survive on Earth. One example is given for you.

Ex. Water is transparent, which means that green plants such as algae are able to photosynthesis
under water.
 i) Water has surface tension which prevents it dissipating and allows some small organisms to
walk on water.

ii) Water has a high thermal capacity which means it is a very stable environment for life and
maintains steady temperatures.

iii) Water has high adhesion and cohesion properties which means columns of water flow easily
without breaking
[6 marks]

9. The world's longest river, the Nile, runs through 5 countries of East and North-east Africa. All 5 of the
countries can claim some ownership to the waters of the Nile and all 5 are also negatively contributing
in different ways to the conversion of the River Nile into an environmental disaster.

Outline three activities being carried out by some or all of the nations through which the river runs,
which are converting the Nile into an environmental disaster.

i) The Nile is heavily used for irrigation, most especially by Egypt, which leads to reduction in
water volume and to silting.

ii) The Nile is used to generate Hydro electricity, most especially in Ethiopia, which has
profound effects downstream , including reduction in water flow and volume, silting and lack
of flood water which is important for irrigation in Egypt.

iii) All nations contribute to the pollution of the River Nile, by discarding human waste,
detergents, mining waste and materials such as plastics, which flow downstream.
[6 marks]

10. The city of Rome in Italy cannot manage its domestic waste. 170,000 tonnes of that waste is now
being transported every year by train to Austria. What does Austria do with Rome's waste?

Austria uses the domestic waste is huge incinerator burners, to generate electricity, which is used to
power houses and towns.
[2 marks]