AP BIOLOGY OUTLINE  FOR ECOLOGY:

ECOLOGY:
	1.  HABITAT
		A.  ABIOTIC FACTORS: CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL
		B.  BIOTIC  FACTORS: SPECIES INTERACTIONS
	2.  POPULATION GROWTH AND REGULATION
		A. LIFE HISTORY: FECUNDITY, SURVIVORSHIP,
		    MORTALITY, AGE STRUCTURE
		B. DENSITY-DEPENDENT AND DENSITY-INDEPENDENT 
		    FACTORS
	3.  COMMUNITY STRUCTURE, GROWTH, AND REGULATION
		A. SUCCESSION AND CLIMAX COMMUNITIES
		B. MAJOR BIOMES
	4.  ENERGY FLOW AND PRODUCTIVITY IN ECOSYSTEMS
		A. FOOD CHAINS AND WEBS
		B. TROPHIC LEVELS AND PYRAMIDS
		C. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY PRODUCTIVITY
	5.  BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES: 
		NITROGEN, CARBON, PHOSPHORUS, AND WATER
	6.  HUMAN ECOLOGY:
		A. RESOURCES AND THEIR MANAGEMENT
		B. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS AND 
		    THEIR EFFECTS

ESSAY QUESTIONS:
1959:
	Starting with an open pond of water or with a bare sand beach, discuss the 
	natural succession from a pioneer community to a climax community with 
	respect to:
		1)  physiographic factors
		2)  biotic factors
		3)  the order of some of the successional stages which might be 
		      expected to occur
1961:
	Describe the complete cyclic movement of nitrogen within a balanced biotic 
            community.
1963:
	From an ecological standpoint, discuss briefly the interaction of organisms in:
		a)  the carbon-oxygen cycle
		b)  a specific food chain





1966:
	The retreat of a glacier leaves barren rock and soil that may be low or 
	lacking in organic material. Characterize the changes that might occur over 
	a long period of time following the retreat of the glacier. Your answer should 	include:
		a)  physical and chemical changes
		b)  changes in flora
		c)  changes in fauna
1966:
	A small, upland, temperate-zone lake of 100 acres surface area and a maximum depth of 10 meters at the middle is created behind an earthfill dam. High land surrounding the lake is covered with deciduous forest. Springs and a permanent stream flowing into the lake from a pasture grassland provide a constant supply of water. For the next five years, the lake and stream remain undisturbed. At the end of the five-year period:
		a)  what organism could be expected in samples taken from the middle
		      of the lake?
		b)  what organisms could be collected from shallow water at the end 
		      of the stream entrance?
		c)  how, during the five-year period, did the organisms come to the lake,
		      and why did they thrive there?
1971: 
	A mature forest community is completely destroyed by fire. Describe the stages 	of succession by which this community is restored.
1972:
	A very long-term trip into deep space, lasting at least a decade, is being planned.
	You have been assigned the responsibility of designing a balanced ecosystem that 
	will meet the needs of you and several others in the spaceship . Cite the specific 
	types of organisms that you would take and include the role that each would play 	in the ecosystem. (Assume that the problem of temperature control in the 
	spaceship has been solved.)
1976:
	Discuss the web of life in a biological community. Your essay should focus on 
	energy flow, conversion, and loss in food chains, including the concepts of 
	trophic levels and pyramids.
1978:
	Human beings have altered the environment in a variety of ways. Discuss the 
	beneficial and harmful modifications of the environment brought about by the 
	use of the following:
		a)  Nuclear energy
		b)  Fertilizers and pesticides
		c)  Fossil fuels and metals
1979:
	Explain and illustrate with one specific example each of the following concepts:
		a)  competitive exclusion (Gause's principle)
		b)  ecological succession
		c)  nutrient (biogeochemical) cycles
1980:
	Many areas of North America that were once covered with many small lakes 
	and ponds have undergone succession and are now continuously covered with 	forests. Give a detailed description of the events (biotic and abiotic factors) 
	that lead to the establishment of a climax forest.


1981:
	Define, discuss, and give an example of each of the following close interactions 
	of species.
		a)  Predator-prey relationships
		b)  Commensalism
		c)  Mutualism
1983:
	Describe the trophic levels in a typical ecosystem. Discuss the flow of energy 	through the ecosystem, the relationship between the different trophic levels, 
	and the factors that limit the number of trophic levels.
  1985:
	Describe the process of ecological succession from a pioneer community to a
	climax community. Include in your answer a discussion of species diversity 
	and interactions, accumulation of biomass, and energy flow.
1986:
	Describe the biogeochemical cycles of carbon and nitrogen. Trace these elements 	from the point of their release from a decaying animal to their incorporation into 	a living animal.
1989:
	Using an example for each, discuss the following ecological concepts.
		a)  Succession
		b)  Energy flow between trophic levels
		c)  Limiting factors
		d)  Carrying capacity
1993:
	Living organisms play an important role in the recycling of many elements within an ecosystem. Discuss how various types of organisms and their biochemical reactions contribute to the recycling of either carbon or nitrogen in an ecosystem. Include in your answer one way in which human activity has an impact on the nutrient cycle you have chosen.