AP Biology. Miss Simcox

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1 AP Biology Miss Simcox Dear AP Biology Student, Welcome to AP Biology class for the school year! I am looking forward to a great school year and hope that this letter will help you to prepare for what lies ahead. AP Biology will be both a challenging and rewarding experience. Students enrolled in AP Biology must understand the workload and reading level that this class demands. AP Biology, a university-level course, requires approximately 50 pages of reading per week as well as intensive study time. Your grades will be based on performance on university-level exams and quizzes in addition to lab work. This course will maintain the rigor necessary for you to score well on the AP Biology Exam. AP Biology covers a wide range of topics in life science (ecology, genetics, biochemistry, plant and human systems, etc.). The AP Biology Exam covers a very large quantity of material that cannot be completely covered in a one year high school course. It is assumed that you have an introductory course in biology and are already prepared in the basic concepts included in that introductory level class. Additionally, you will need to do some summer reading. Vocabulary words, study questions, and essay questions can be found throughout pages 3-8 of this document. You will not be issued your textbook (Biology, Campbell, 7 th Edition) for AP Biology until the start of the school year. The summer reading can be done by accessing the following college-level biology book online: This summer reading assignment includes the following: Assignments: Chapter 55 Population Ecology Chapter 56 Community and Ecosystem Dynamics Chapter 57 The Biosphere and Mass Extinctions Additionally, I recommend you purchase an AP Biology study guide through Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, or any other booksellers. Among those used by former AP Biology students: Cliff s AP Biology How to Prepare for the AP Biology Philip E. Pack Gabrielle I. Edwards and Marion Cimmino To improve your retention of the material learned, you will need to purchase of the Campbell Active Reading Guide. This workbook will provide the framework to successfully learn the concepts found on the AP Exam and will be used as a homework manual for the school year. You will not need this workbook until we begin class in the fall. Refer to the next page for the steps to purchase this workbook. Upon completion of the reading portion of this assignment, you will then need to complete four (4) AP essay questions which will be due on the first day of class (i.e. this is not extra credit; it is required a for a grade). You may always collaborate with other students on the study questions; however, the AP essays must be your own, original work. Please me with any questions you have during summer break. Thank you, Miss Simcox

2 How to Purchase the AP Biology Active Study Guide ISBN: Go to the Pearson website. The link below will bring you to the ordering page: bsubsolutionid=&pmdbcategoryid=811&pmdbsubcategoryid=23496&pmdbsubjectareaid=&pmdbprogrami d=78581&pmdbproductid=426624&elementtype=programcomponents 2. You need to order the Active Reading Guide, ISBN for $ Note: This guide accompanies the 9 th edition of Campbell. It works well with the 7 th edition we will be using in class. 3. Enter the number of copies. Then click Guest Checkout of students and parents. Follow the instructions to complete your order. 4. We will not need the guide until the second week of school, so speak to me in the fall if there are any questions or concerns.

3 AP Biology Vocabulary Word List Unit: Ecology The vocabulary words below are a fairly thorough list of terms that will come up multiple times as we explore the various topics within the ecology unit. These words may also guide the vocabulary that is expected as you complete your essay questions. These are not due at the beginning of our school year. In fact, you may remember the definitions for some of these words based on the introductory biology class you have already completed. I would recommend doing something (i.e. flashcards, Cornell notes definitions, bubble map for related words, etc.) with these vocabulary words (especially the ones that are brand new to you) so that you can keep up with me when I use them throughout lectures, labs, etc. In other words, I will assume that you have previously accessed this vocabulary. Ecology Abiotic factor Biotic factor Tropical deciduous Ecosystem Biosphere Rainshadow Forest Succession Climograph Tropical dry forest Savanna Chaparral Taiga Tundra Permafrost Photic zone Wetlands Aphotic zone Benthic Intertidal zone Neritic zone Oceanic zone Pelagic zone Benthic zone Abyssal zone Population Density Dispersion Geographical range Clumped dispersion Random dispersion Uniform dispersion Biogeography Fecundity Survivorship curve Life history Exponential population growth Carrying capacity Logistic population growth Density-dependent factor Intraspecific competition R-related species K-related species

4 Community Coevolution Predator Prey Secondary Cryptic coloration Aposematic Mimicry compounds coloration Batesian mimicry Mullerian mimicry Parasitism Competitive exclusion principal Ecological niche Fundamental niche Realized niche Symbiosis Commensalism Mutualism Diversity Stability Trophic structure Keystone predator Exotic species Primary succession Secondary succession Climax community Inhibition Facilitation Trophic level Primary producer Primary consumer Secondary consumer Tertiary consumer Decomposer Food chain Food web Primary productivity Gross primary Net primary Biomass productivity productivity Standing crop Limiting nutrient Secondary Ecological efficiency biomass productivity Energy pyramid Biogeochemical cycle Nitrification Ammonification Denitrification Eutrophication Biological magnification Greenhouse effect Biodiversity

5 AP Biology Study Questions Unit: Ecology Study questions are intended to highlight the important points of each chapter. They should be completed; however, they will not be collected or graded. Use them as a base of knowledge to answer the assigned essay questions. Chapter 55 Population Ecology 1. Define and determine the distinguishing characteristics among: Biosphere, ecosystem, community, population, and organism. 2. Distinguish between density and dispersion. 3. Explain how ecologists measure the density of a species. 4. Describe conditions which may result in clumped dispersion, random dispersion, and uniform dispersion of populations. 5. Describe the characteristics of populations which exhibit Type I, Type II, and Type III survivorship curves. 6. Explain how carrying capacity of the environment affects the intrinsic rate of increase of a population. 7. Explain how density-dependent factors affect population growth. 8. Describe how weather and climate can function as density-independent factors in controlling population growth. 9. Distinguish between r-selected and k-selected populations (You will need to investigate this information using a different website please let me know if you have any questions). Chapter 56 Community and Ecosystem Dynamics 1. Explain the importance of temperature, water, light, soil and wind to living organisms. 2. Describe the characteristics of the major biomes: tropical forest, savanna, chaparral, temperate grassland, temperate forest, taiga, tundra. 3. Compare and contrast the types of freshwater communities. 4. Using a diagram, identify the various zones found in the marine environment. 5. Explain the relationship between species richness, relative abundance and diversity. 6. List 4 properties of a community and explain the importance of each. 7. Explain how intraspecific competition may affect community structure. 8. Describe the competitive exclusion principal and explain how competitive exclusion may affect community structure. 9. Distinguish between an organism s fundamental niche and realized niche. 10. Explain the role of predators in community structure 11. Distinguish among parasitism, mutualism, and commensalism.

6 12. Distinguish between primary and secondary succession. 13. List the factors involved in limiting species to a particular range. 14. List and describe the importance of the four consumer levels found in an ecosystem. 15. Explain how gross primary productivity is allocated by the plants in an ecosystem. 16. Explain why productivity declines at each trophic level. 17. Distinguish between energy and biomass pyramids. Chapter 57 The Biosphere and Mass Extinctions 1. Describe the hydrologic (water) cycle. 2. Describe the carbon cycle and explain why it is said to result from the reciprocal processes of photosynthesis and cellular respiration. 3. Describe the nitrogen cycle and explain the importance of nitrogen fixation to all living organisms. 4. Explain how phosphorus is recycled locally in most ecosystems. 5. Explain why the soil in tropical rainforests contains lower levels of nutrients than soil in temperate forests. 6. Describe how deforestation can affect nutrient cycling within an ecosystem. 7. Explain why toxic compounds usually have the greatest effect on top-level carnivores. 8. Describe how increased atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide could affect Earth. 9. Describe the causes and effects of acid rain. Additional Information ****Note: The reading sections assigned are found ONLINE. In case you are curious, below is the list if chapters in our textbook (which you will not get until the start of the school year) that correspond to the online reading chapters: Assignments: Chapter 46, pages Chapter 47, pages Chapter 48, pages Chapter 49, pages

7 AP Biology Essay Questions Unit: Ecology THIS IS THE ONLY PART OF YOUR SUMMER ASSIGNMENT THAT WILL BE COLLECTED AND GRADED ON THE FIRST DAY OF CLASS. Please don t wait until the last minute to write these essays; much less complete the assigned reading, review the vocab words, or work on the study questions. Remember, the ecology unit is mostly covered through this summer assignment. We will not spend much time on this topic once the school year starts. The essay questions below are assigned to both cover the ecology essay requirement of the course and to prepare you for the ecology portion of the AP Biology Exam (remember, the AP Exam is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow). Your answers to the following questions must be in essay form. Outline form (i.e. bullets points and/or random sentences) is not acceptable. Labeled diagrams may be used to help supplement discussion, but in no case will a diagram alone suffice. Give specific information in your answers and be sure to answer all parts of the question. Use the last pages of this document for additional information concerning essays for the AP Biology exam. 1. Describe how limiting factors regulate the growth of populations. Give specific examples in your answer. 2. 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. 3. Living organisms play an important role in the recycling of many elements within an ecosystem. Discuss how various types of organisms and their biological 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. 4. Interdependence in nature is illustrated by the transfer of energy through trophic levels. The diagram below depicts the transfer of energy in a food web of an arctic lake located in Alaska:

8 (a) Choosing organisms from FOUR (4) different trophic levels of this food web as examples, explain how energy is obtained at each trophic level. (b) Describe the efficiency of energy transfer between trophic levels and discuss how the amount of energy available at each trophic level affects the structure of the ecosystem. (c) If the cells in the dead terrestrial plant material that washed into the lake contained a commerciallyproduced toxin, what would be the likely effects of this toxin in the food web? Explain your answer. ESSAYS ARE DUE ON THE FIRST DAY OF CLASS. LATE WORK WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. YOU ARE FREE TO YOUR ESSAY QUESTIONS AS YOU COMPLETE THEM IF YOU WOULD LIKE ADDITIONAL FEEDBACK.

9 AP Biology Tips for Writing Exam Essays DO s 1. Read the question VERY carefully. Yes, one may think this is obvious, but so many students struggle with answering essay questions simply because they do not take the time to dissect the question being asked. Be sure that you answer the question that is being asked and only that question, and that you answer all parts of it. If you are ever given a choice of parts to answer, choose carefully. Don t answer all parts in that case. 2. Briefly outline the answer to avoid confusion and disorganization. Pay close attention to the verbs used in the directions (i.e. describe, explain, compare, give evidence for, graph, calculate, etc.) and be sure to follow those directions. Thinking ahead helps to avoid messy scratch-outs, scribbles, astrices, skipping around, and rambling. 3. Write an essay. Outlines and diagrams, no matter how elaborate or useful to you in the planning process, are not essays and will not result in much, if any, credit by themselves. Exceptions: If you are asked as part of an essay on a lab to calculate a number, this part does not require an essay, but be sure to show the steps of how you came up with your answer (i.e. show the formula you are using, the numerical values you have inserted into those formulas, and display the proper units on the answer); or, if you are asked to draw a diagram in the question, do so, but be sure to title and annotate it carefully and thoroughly. 4. Define and/or explain the terms you use. Write something about each of the important terms. The AP Exam will not ask for a list of buzzwords. Use high-level vocabulary, but use it within the appropriate context. 5. Answer the question parts in the order called for and use the questions labels (i.e. (a), (b), (c), etc.). It is best NOT to skip around within the question. 6. Write clearly and neatly. Don t confuse the reader with poor penmanship- you will have a hard enough time coming up with a thorough answer in a limited amount of time! 7. Go into detail on the particular subject; be sure that you get straight to the point. Include the obvious when starting your response (i.e. Light is necessary for photosynthesis because. ); answer the question thoroughly. 8. If you cannot recall a particular vocabulary word exactly, take a shot at it anyway-try to get as close as you can! Even if you don t remember the name for a concept, describe the concept. 9. Remember that no detail is too small to be included as long as it is to the point. Be sure to include the obvious- most points are given for knowledge of the basics anyway. 10. If you use a diagram, carefully label it (it will get no points otherwise) and place it within the text at the appropriate place- not detached at the end. Be sure to then refer to your diagram in your essay answer.

10 AP Biology Tips for Writing Exam Essays DONT s 1. Don t waste time on background information or a long introduction unless the question calls for historical development or historical significance. Answer the question- don t rewrite it! 2. Don t ramble- get to the point. Write what you know and go on to the next question. You can always come back if you remember something else to add. 3. Don t use a pencil or a felt-tip pen; use black ink. Don t scratch out excessively. One or two lines through an unwanted word or sentence will be enough. Avoid writing more than a few words in the margin. Again, be neat. The reader could miss something worth points if they have trouble navigating through a messy essay. 4. Don t panic or become angry because you are immediately unfamiliar with a question or how to answer it. You have most likely heard or read something about the topic-stop and collect your thoughts before proceeding. 5. Don t obsess about spelling every word perfectly or using perfect grammar. These are not part of the standards that the graders use. It is for you to know, however, very poor spelling and/or grammar can hurt your chances of a good score. 6. There is no need to say something twice. While introductory paragraphs are important in formal essays in an English class, they are essentially a waste of valuable time on an AP Exam essay question. 7. If you are given a choice of two or more topics to write about, understand that only the first one you write about will be scored. You must make a choice and stick with it. If you decide your first choice was a bad one, then cross out that part of the answer so the reader can easily tell which parts you wish to be considered for credit. 8. Don t leave questions blank. EVER. Remember that each point you earn on an essay question is the equivalent of two correct multiple choice questions, and there is NO penalty for a wrong guess, bad speling, or bad gramer (ha ha).