LWB: Study Guide 📚

The Living World-Biodiversity Study Guide

This study guide will help you study for the module exam by highlighting the most important concepts on the exam. It is not a definitive list of every topic that could appear on the exam and should not be used in lieu of the textbook and course content.

 

🌱 If you need help with any of the essential knowledge listed in the study guide or answering any of the questions, please watch the AP Daily video for that standard in AP Classroom. 

 

🚨 Do not begin your test until you have completed all self-assessments, assignments, and the review items and feel confident in your understanding of this material.

 

Introduction to Biodiversity 🪸 (click to reveal)

• • • • • ERT-2.A.1 - Biodiversity in an ecosystem includes genetic, species, and habitat diversity.
        • ERT-2.A.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.
        • ERT-2.A.3 - Ecosystems that have a larger number of species are more likely to recover from disruptions.
        • ERT-2.A.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.
        • ERT-2.A.5 - Species richness refers to the number of different species found in an ecosystem.
        • ERT-2.H.1 - Organisms adapt to their environment over time, both in short- and long-term scales, via incremental changes at the genetic level.
        • ERT-2.H.2 - Environmental changes, either sudden or gradual, may threaten a species’ survival, requiring individuals to alter behaviors, move, or perish.

• • • • • Identify...
          • ecological functions of biological diversity.
          • major problems are associated with biological diversity.
          • the impact human activity has on biological diversity.
        • Describe...  
          • how organisms adapt to their environment.
          • the role of natural disturbances, such as wildfires and hurricanes, in shaping species diversity.
          • how habitat complexity in different locations affects species diversity.
          • the concept of ecosystem resilience.
          • the resilience of an ecosystem with low species richness vs. one with high species richness.
        • Explain...
          • levels of biodiversity and their importance to ecosystems.
          • the importance of habitat diversity in promoting overall biodiversity.
          • the role of genetic adaptation in the long-term survival of populations.
          • the role of biological diversity in enhancing ecosystem resilience.
          • why biodiversity is important.
          • the concept of intermediate disturbance hypothesis and its implications for species diversity.
          • which species will die first when an ecosystem is changed or destroyed.
          • why it is important for a species to have a high genetic diversity.
          • what can happen if a species loses too much genetic diversity.
        • Justify...
          • why an ecosystem with a higher species richness would be more resilient.
          • how the conservation of biological diversity involves an understanding of the intricate relationships among species and between species and their environments.

 

Ecosystem Services 🪵 (click to reveal)

• • • • • ERT-2.B.1 - There are four categories of ecosystem services: provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting. 

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

• • • • • Describe...  
          • ecosystem services.
          • the cultural services provided by ecosystems and their significance in human societies.
          • the importance of supporting services in sustaining ecosystems and biodiversity.
          • the significance of regulating services in maintaining environmental balance.
          • the results of human disruptions to ecosystem services.
          • the consequences of invasive species on native ecosystems and their services.
          • the impact of climate change on the availability of ecosystem services in a specific region.
          • the challenges and threats to ecosystem services.
        • Explain...
          • the economic value of ecosystem services and discuss how they contribute to human economies.
          • the role of provisioning services in supporting human well-being.
          • the consequences of habitat destruction for terrestrial ecosystem services.
          • the results of overfishing on marine ecosystem services.
          • how human-induced disturbances, such as deforestation and pollution, impact species diversity.

 

Island Biogeography 🏝️ (click to reveal)

• • • • • ERT-2.D.1 - Island biogeography is the study of the ecological relationships and distribution of organisms on islands and of these organisms’ community structures.
        • ERT-2.D.2 - Islands have been colonized in the past by new species arriving from elsewhere.
        • ERT-2.E.1 - 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.

• • • • • Identify islands that are examples of evolution due to an island's location.
        • Describe...  
          • the role of island biogeography in evolution.
          • the role of resource partitioning among island species in the context of specialization.
          • the role of adaptive radiation in the evolution of species on islands.
          • the role of isolation in shaping species diversity on islands.
          • island biogeography.
        • Justify...
          • which would have more UNIQUE species: an island close to the mainland or an island far away from the mainland.
          • why island species are unlikely to be successful in the wild if they are transported to the mainland.
        • Explain...
          • the advantages and disadvantages of species evolving into specialists on islands.
          • how the unique environmental conditions on islands, such as limited resources and distinct ecological niches, exert evolutionary pressures on island species.
          • how the founder effect contributes to the evolution of species on isolated islands.
          • why island biogeography is important.
          • the concept of endemism in the context of island evolution.

 

Ecological Tolerance 🌡️ (click to reveal)

• • • • • • ERT-2.F.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. 
          • ERT-2.F.2 - Ecological tolerance can apply to individuals or species.

• • • • • Identify ecological tolerance.
        • Describe...  
          • ecological tolerance.
          • the dynamic nature of ecological tolerance over time.
          • the difference between acclimation and adaptation in the context of ecological tolerance.
          • the key factors that influence the ecological tolerance of a species.
          • the relationship between genetic diversity and ecological tolerance at both the individual and species levels.
          • the role of genetic factors in shaping both individual and species-level ecological tolerance.
          • the impact of human activities on the ecological tolerance of species.
        • Explain...
          • the role of ecological tolerance in the process of evolution.
          • how climate change can impact both individual and species-level ecological tolerance.
          • the concept of ecological tolerance at the individual and species level.
          • the role of stressors in determining the ecological tolerance of species.
          • how individuals within a species may exhibit different tolerances to specific environmental conditions.

 

Natural Disruptions to Ecosystems 🔥 (click to reveal)

• • • • • ERT-2.G.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.
        • ERT-2.G.2 - Earth system processes operate on a range of scales in terms of time. Processes can be periodic, episodic, or random.
        • ERT-2.G.3 - Earth’s climate has changed over geological time for many reasons.
        • ERT-2.G.4 - Sea level has varied significantly as a result of changes in the amount of glacial ice on Earth over geological time.
        • ERT-2.G.5 - Major environmental change or upheaval commonly results in large swathes of habitat changes.
        • ERT-2.G.6 - Wildlife engages in both short- and long-term migration for a variety of reasons, including natural disruptions.

• • • • • Identify examples of ecosystem disruptions and their effects.
        • Describe...  
          • the immediate effects of a short-term disruption, such as a wildfire, on the structure and composition of an ecosystem.
          • the challenges in predicting and mitigating the impacts of random Earth system processes.
        • Explain...
          • how natural disruptions, both short- and long-term, impact an ecosystem. 
          • how long-term disruptions, such as climate change, can influence the distribution of species within an ecosystem.
          • the concept of geological time and how it is relevant to understanding Earth's climate history.

 

Adaptations 🦒 (click to reveal)

• • • • • ERT-2.H.1 - Organisms adapt to their environment over time, both in short- and long-term scales, via incremental changes at the genetic level.
        • ERT-2.H.2 - Environmental changes, either sudden or gradual, may threaten a species' survival, requiring individuals to alter behaviors, move, or perish.

• • • • • Identify...
          • examples of sexual selection.
          • the three types of selection.
          • the three types of adaptations.
        • Describe...  
          • how organisms adapt to their environment.
          • sexual selection.
          • how non-random mating influences evolution.
          • the importance of genetic drift.
        • Explain...
          • the options available to an organism if their habitat changes.
          • how natural selection is the mechanism by which evolution occurs. 

 

Ecological Succession 🌋 (click to reveal)

• • • • • ERT-2.I.1 - There are two main types of ecological succession: primary and secondary succession.
        • ERT-2.I.2 - A keystone species in an ecosystem is a species whose activities have a particularly significant role in determining community structure.
        • ERT-2.I.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.
        • ERT-2.J.1 - Pioneer members of an early successional species commonly move into unoccupied habitats and over time adapt to their particular conditions, which may result in the origin of new species.
        • ERT-2.J.2 - Succession in a disturbed ecosystem will affect the total biomass, species richness, and net productivity over time.

• • • • • Identify...
          • which type of succession is most common.
          • examples of keystone species.
          • examples of indicator species.
          • which species arrive first in succession.
        • Describe...  
          • ecological succession.
          • the effect of ecological succession on ecosystems.
        • Justify...
          • the importance of keystone species.
          • the importance of indicator species.
        • Explain...
          • the difference between primary and secondary succession.
          • the differences between the species present in each stage of succession.
          • the role of disturbance in initiating secondary succession.

 

 

Multiple-Choice 📝

• You will only be graded on what is submitted in Canvas.
• There are four choices for each question. Choose the best answer.
• On the actual AP exam, you will have 90 minutes to answer 80 questions. On this test, you will have 65 minutes to answer the questions on your test.

 

Free-Response 📝

• You will only be graded on what is submitted in Canvas.
• You can write your answers and upload them to Canvas OR write them directly in Canvas
  • NOTE: if you are uploading your answers to Canvas, you are responsible for uploading your answers within the time frame allowed for the free-response test. You will not get extra time if your document does not upload in time.
• On this exam, you will have 35 minutes to answer your Free Response question. On the real AP exam, you should plan for about 22.5 minutes per FRQ.

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