AP Environmental Science Quiz: Pollution and Biodiversity

📚 Quick Study Guide

• 🧪 Pollution is the presence or introduction into the environment of a substance or thing that has harmful or poisonous effects.
• 🌍 Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on Earth at all its levels, from genes to ecosystems, and can encompass the evolutionary, ecological, and cultural processes that sustain life.
• ⚠️ Major types of pollution include air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution, noise pollution, and light pollution.
• 📉 Loss of biodiversity can be caused by habitat destruction, pollution, climate change, overexploitation, and invasive species.
• 🌿 Eutrophication is the enrichment of an ecosystem with chemical nutrients, typically compounds containing nitrogen, phosphorus, or both. It can lead to increased algae growth and oxygen depletion.
• ☢️ Bioaccumulation is the accumulation of substances, such as pesticides, or other organic chemicals in an organism.
• 🧬 Biomagnification is the increasing concentration of a substance, such as a toxic chemical, in the tissues of organisms at successively higher levels in a food chain.
• 💡 Conservation efforts include habitat restoration, sustainable agriculture, pollution control, and the establishment of protected areas.

Practice Quiz

1. What is the primary cause of acid rain?
   1. A. Increased use of renewable energy sources
   2. B. Emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides
   3. C. Deforestation and habitat loss
   4. D. Overuse of fertilizers in agriculture
2. Which of the following is an example of non-point source pollution?
   1. A. A discharge pipe from a factory
   2. B. Runoff from agricultural fields
   3. C. Oil spill from a tanker
   4. D. Leakage from an underground storage tank
3. What is the term for the process by which pollutants become more concentrated in organisms at higher trophic levels?
   1. A. Bioaccumulation
   2. B. Biomagnification
   3. C. Eutrophication
   4. D. Biodegradation
4. Which human activity is most closely associated with the depletion of the ozone layer?
   1. A. Burning of fossil fuels
   2. B. Release of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
   3. C. Deforestation
   4. D. Overfishing
5. What is the primary cause of coral bleaching?
   1. A. Ocean acidification and rising sea temperatures
   2. B. Increased nutrient runoff from agriculture
   3. C. Overfishing of herbivorous fish
   4. D. Introduction of invasive species
6. Which of the following is NOT a major threat to biodiversity?
   1. A. Habitat destruction
   2. B. Invasive species
   3. C. Sustainable agriculture
   4. D. Climate change
7. What is the purpose of a wildlife corridor?
   1. A. To prevent animals from entering human settlements
   2. B. To connect fragmented habitats and allow for species movement
   3. C. To provide food and water for endangered species
   4. D. To create artificial breeding grounds for rare animals