APES Midterm Exam Questions With Complete Solutions
10% Rule Correct Answers only 10% of the total energy
produced at each trophic level is available to the next level
A-Horizon (topsoil) Correct Answers layer of humus and
minerals from parent material (most biological activity =
decomposing)
Adaptation Correct Answers a new trait that increases an
organism's fitness (ability to survive and reproduce)
Age Structure Diagrams Correct Answers - extreme pyramid
shape = rapid growth
- less extreme pyramid = slow, stable growth
- house = stable, little to no growth
- narrow base = declining population
Albedo Correct Answers the ability of a surface to reflect light
- high = reflect more, low = reflect less
Ammonification Correct Answers soil bacteria, microbes &
decomposers converting waste & dead biomass back into NH3
and returning it to soil
Assimilation Correct Answers plants and animals take in
nitrogen and incorporate it into their body
Asthenosphere Correct Answers solid, flexible layer outer layer
of mantle beneath the lithosphere
,B-Horizon Correct Answers lighter layer below topsoil, mostly
made of minerals with little organic matter
Biome Correct Answers large area with similar climate
conditions that determine plant and animal species there
Biotic Potential Correct Answers maximum potential growth
rate with no limiting resources (exponential growth)
Boreal Forest Correct Answers a forest biome made up
primarily of coniferous evergreen trees that can tolerate cold
winters and short growing seasons
Bottleneck Event Correct Answers an environmental
disturbance that drastically reduces population size and kills
organisms regardless of their genome
- smaller population = less genetic diversity = more vulnerable
C-Horizon Correct Answers least weathered soil that is closest
to the parent material (bedrock)
Carbon Sink Correct Answers a carbon reservoir that stores
more carbon than it releases
- ocean, trees, soil, atmosphere
Carbon Source Correct Answers process that adds carbon
dioxide into the atmosphere
- fossil fuel combustion, animal agriculture, deforestation
Carrying Capacity Correct Answers the maximum number of
individuals in a population that an ecosystem can support
, - based on limiting resources
- overshoot ---> population exceeds carrying capacity ---> sharp
decline in population size
Chemosynthesis Correct Answers conversion of energy without
sunlight
Climax Community Correct Answers a stable, mature
community that undergoes little or no change in species over
time (last stage)
Commensalism Correct Answers one organisms benefits while
the other is unaffected
Community Correct Answers all the living organisms in an area
Competition Correct Answers reduces population size since
there are fewer resources available and fewer organisms survive
Consumers/Heterotrophs Correct Answers an organism that
obtains energy and nutrients by feeding on other organisms or
their remains
Convergent Plate Boundary Correct Answers tectonic plates
move towards each other in the same direction
- leads to subduction (one plate subducts under the other)
- forms mountains, island arcs, earthquakes, and volcanoes
Coral Reef Correct Answers warm, shallow waters beyond the
shoreline; most diverse marine biome on earth
10% Rule Correct Answers only 10% of the total energy
produced at each trophic level is available to the next level
A-Horizon (topsoil) Correct Answers layer of humus and
minerals from parent material (most biological activity =
decomposing)
Adaptation Correct Answers a new trait that increases an
organism's fitness (ability to survive and reproduce)
Age Structure Diagrams Correct Answers - extreme pyramid
shape = rapid growth
- less extreme pyramid = slow, stable growth
- house = stable, little to no growth
- narrow base = declining population
Albedo Correct Answers the ability of a surface to reflect light
- high = reflect more, low = reflect less
Ammonification Correct Answers soil bacteria, microbes &
decomposers converting waste & dead biomass back into NH3
and returning it to soil
Assimilation Correct Answers plants and animals take in
nitrogen and incorporate it into their body
Asthenosphere Correct Answers solid, flexible layer outer layer
of mantle beneath the lithosphere
,B-Horizon Correct Answers lighter layer below topsoil, mostly
made of minerals with little organic matter
Biome Correct Answers large area with similar climate
conditions that determine plant and animal species there
Biotic Potential Correct Answers maximum potential growth
rate with no limiting resources (exponential growth)
Boreal Forest Correct Answers a forest biome made up
primarily of coniferous evergreen trees that can tolerate cold
winters and short growing seasons
Bottleneck Event Correct Answers an environmental
disturbance that drastically reduces population size and kills
organisms regardless of their genome
- smaller population = less genetic diversity = more vulnerable
C-Horizon Correct Answers least weathered soil that is closest
to the parent material (bedrock)
Carbon Sink Correct Answers a carbon reservoir that stores
more carbon than it releases
- ocean, trees, soil, atmosphere
Carbon Source Correct Answers process that adds carbon
dioxide into the atmosphere
- fossil fuel combustion, animal agriculture, deforestation
Carrying Capacity Correct Answers the maximum number of
individuals in a population that an ecosystem can support
, - based on limiting resources
- overshoot ---> population exceeds carrying capacity ---> sharp
decline in population size
Chemosynthesis Correct Answers conversion of energy without
sunlight
Climax Community Correct Answers a stable, mature
community that undergoes little or no change in species over
time (last stage)
Commensalism Correct Answers one organisms benefits while
the other is unaffected
Community Correct Answers all the living organisms in an area
Competition Correct Answers reduces population size since
there are fewer resources available and fewer organisms survive
Consumers/Heterotrophs Correct Answers an organism that
obtains energy and nutrients by feeding on other organisms or
their remains
Convergent Plate Boundary Correct Answers tectonic plates
move towards each other in the same direction
- leads to subduction (one plate subducts under the other)
- forms mountains, island arcs, earthquakes, and volcanoes
Coral Reef Correct Answers warm, shallow waters beyond the
shoreline; most diverse marine biome on earth
