AP Environmental Science Chapter 5 Review

In a population of spiders there are three different sizes: small, medium, and large.
---The large spiders are easily seen by predators.
---Small spiders have a difficult time finding food.
What will most likely happen to this population of spiders after many generations?

• Small and large spiders will mutate
• Medium spiders will be the most plentiful
• Large spiders will learn to hide from predators
• Small and medium spiders will be the least plentiful

The habitat of a moth species included trees with both light and dark colored bark.Therefore the moth species included both light and dark colored variants.Then the light-colored trees were wiped out by a disease, and within a few years nearly all the moths in this forest were dark colored. Which of the following choices BEST explains what happened?

• The light moths that survived all had dark offspring in order to adapt to the change.
• The dark moths were less visible to predators, so mostly light moths were eaten.
• The few light moths that survived did not mate, and therefore they had no offspring.
• The light moths changed their wing pigments to darker colors to avoid being eaten.

Which statement best explains how natural selection occurs?

• when adaptations help an organism reproduce and survive.
• when organisms are geographically isolated.
• when an organism’s offspring grow vestigial structures.
• when characteristics from the parent organism are inherited.

How is secondary succession different from primary succession?

• Secondary succession occurs after a disturbance in an area that was previously uninhabited.
• Secondary succession occurs after a disturbance in an area in which the soil has remained intact.

What does this picture represent?

• species diversity
• ecosystem diversity 
• genetic diversity
• biodiversity

Globally, the leading cause of biodiversity loss is 

• invasive species
• poaching and overharvesting
• pollution
• habitat change and loss 

 Characteristic or trait that helps an organism survive in its environment

• skills
• speciation
• natural instinct
• adaptation

Charles Darwin noticed that birds of the Galapagos Islands were very similar in size and shape but their beaks were very different. What is the explanation for birds having different beaks? 

• gathering food
• building nest
• fighting
• scaring predators

Northern foxes can have different fur colors.The foxes hunt squirrels for food. Foxes that have fur the same color as their environment are better at getting closer to squirrels and catching them.The diagram shows a population of foxes that live in one area. At time 1, the population had the same number of brown and white foxes. At time 2, after many generations, there were many more brown foxes and fewer white foxes in the population.
How did the environment change between time 1 and time 2? How did the population change?

• You cannot tell how the environment changed. With each generation, more foxes passed on the gene for brown fur to their offspring.
• The environment became brown. Brown foxes are more likely to survive, so the white foxes changed to have brown fur.
• The environment became brown. Brown foxes are more likely to survive, so both kinds of foxes passed on the gene for brown fur to their offspring.
• The environment became brown. With each generation, more brown foxes survived long enough to pass on the gene for brown fur to their offspring.

Which of the following describes the importance of biodiversity to an ecosystem?

• a. People like to be able to see all the different plants and animals
• b. If there aren�t all the different species, there will be resources that aren�t being used
• c. Biodiversity is not as important as many people think
• d. Biodiversity can help minimize the effects of losing a species.