AP Environmental Science (APES) Full
Review + Practice Questions
Unit 1: Earth Systems and Resources
Key Concepts:
● Layers of the Earth: crust, mantle, core (inner/outer)
● Plate tectonics: continental drift, subduction zones, earthquakes, volcanoes
● Rock cycle: igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic
● Soil formation: weathering, erosion, humus, soil horizons (O, A, E, B, C)
● Water cycle: evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, infiltration
● Atmosphere layers: troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere
● Renewable vs. nonrenewable resources
Important Terms:
Aquifer, watershed, runoff, salinization, desertification, erosion
Laws/Policies:
Clean Water Act (CWA), Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)
Graphs/Processes:
Water cycle diagram, carbon/nitrogen/phosphorus cycles
Practice Questions:
, 1. MCQ: Which soil horizon is richest in organic material?
A) O B) A C) B D) C
Answer: A
2. FRQ: Explain how plate tectonics influence the formation of natural resources such as
minerals and fossil fuels.
Unit 2: The Living World: Biodiversity
Key Concepts:
● Trophic levels: producers → primary → secondary → decomposers
● Food webs, energy flow, and 10% energy rule
● Biodiversity: species richness, genetic diversity, ecosystem diversity
● Keystone & indicator species
● Human impacts: habitat loss, invasive species, overharvesting, pollution
Important Terms:
Ecological niche, fundamental vs realized niche, ecological succession (primary/secondary)
Laws/Policies:
Endangered Species Act (ESA), Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
Graphs/Processes:
Population growth curves (J vs S), predator-prey interactions (Lotka-Volterra)
Practice Questions:
Review + Practice Questions
Unit 1: Earth Systems and Resources
Key Concepts:
● Layers of the Earth: crust, mantle, core (inner/outer)
● Plate tectonics: continental drift, subduction zones, earthquakes, volcanoes
● Rock cycle: igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic
● Soil formation: weathering, erosion, humus, soil horizons (O, A, E, B, C)
● Water cycle: evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, infiltration
● Atmosphere layers: troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere
● Renewable vs. nonrenewable resources
Important Terms:
Aquifer, watershed, runoff, salinization, desertification, erosion
Laws/Policies:
Clean Water Act (CWA), Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)
Graphs/Processes:
Water cycle diagram, carbon/nitrogen/phosphorus cycles
Practice Questions:
, 1. MCQ: Which soil horizon is richest in organic material?
A) O B) A C) B D) C
Answer: A
2. FRQ: Explain how plate tectonics influence the formation of natural resources such as
minerals and fossil fuels.
Unit 2: The Living World: Biodiversity
Key Concepts:
● Trophic levels: producers → primary → secondary → decomposers
● Food webs, energy flow, and 10% energy rule
● Biodiversity: species richness, genetic diversity, ecosystem diversity
● Keystone & indicator species
● Human impacts: habitat loss, invasive species, overharvesting, pollution
Important Terms:
Ecological niche, fundamental vs realized niche, ecological succession (primary/secondary)
Laws/Policies:
Endangered Species Act (ESA), Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
Graphs/Processes:
Population growth curves (J vs S), predator-prey interactions (Lotka-Volterra)
Practice Questions:
