Practice Test 6 - AP Environmental Science
20 questions. Answer them in any order, then submit to see your score and every explanation.
- Which best describes why generalists often colonize early successional habitats more successfully than specialists?
- A city plans to reroute trucks from residential streets; which outcome is most likely?
- A researcher notes that a species' survivorship is characterized by low mortality during early life due to parental care and medical intervention, but mortality increases dramatically at older ages. Which survivorship curve type is this?
- A country bans DDT for agriculture, but residues are still detected in soils and in birds of prey years later. Which explanation best matches the concept of persistence in POPs?
- A coastal bay shows warmer surface waters and lower dissolved oxygen in late summer compared with historical averages. Which mechanism best explains how warming can contribute to lower oxygen?
- A wildlife biologist observes male alligators in a lake near former agricultural land showing reduced penis size and abnormal testicular development. Historical records indicate heavy use of DDT decades ago, and DDT residues persist in sediments. Which outcome is most consistent with endocrine disruption from persistent pesticides like DDT?
- A graph of immigration and extinction rates vs. number of species present shows the immigration curve shifted upward (higher immigration at all richness values) while the extinction curve remains the same. What happens to the equilibrium number of species?
- A coral reef is in warm, clear, shallow water with abundant sunlight, yet offshore waters nearby have low productivity. Which factor often helps reefs maintain relatively high productivity in nutrient-poor regions?
- A region's human population doubles in 30 years. During the same period, forest cover drops from 60% to 25% due to agriculture, roads, and urban expansion; several large predators disappear first, followed by declines in many understory birds. Which HIPPCO factor is acting as the underlying driver that intensifies multiple direct threats in this scenario?
- Which layer is best identified by the combination: 'coldest temperatures in Earth's atmosphere' and 'temperature decreases with altitude'?
- A hydroelectric plant's power output drops during a multi-year drought because reservoir levels are low. Which statement best explains why electricity generation decreases?
- A class examines two years: Year 1 has warm SST anomalies in the eastern equatorial Pacific and a weaker Walker circulation; Year 2 has cool SST anomalies in the eastern equatorial Pacific and a stronger Walker circulation. Which pairing correctly labels the years?
- A cooling pond is built to reduce thermal pollution; how does it primarily work?
- A researcher compares two nutrient cycles. Cycle X includes a large atmospheric reservoir and rapid exchange between air and organisms. Cycle Y is driven mainly by rock weathering, sedimentation, biological uptake, and decomposition, with no significant atmospheric phase. If Cycle Y represents phosphorus, which process is a primary long-term source of new bioavailable phosphorus to ecosystems?
- A power plant switches from coal to natural gas for electricity generation. Assuming similar energy output, which change in combustion products is most likely?
- At the surface, air flows from high pressure to low pressure and is deflected by the Coriolis effect. Which combination correctly pairs latitude band with prevailing surface winds?
- An increase in impervious surfaces within a watershed has a direct impact on the hydrologic cycle. Which of the following is a likely downstream effect of this change?
- After urbanization, stormwater bypasses soil; which change most increases pathogen pulses into rivers after rain?
- A city builds a new airport; which local environmental impact is most likely?
- A public service announcement says: "Avoid refueling your car at midday during an ozone alert." Assuming the goal is to reduce photochemical smog, what is the most accurate rationale?