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AP®Environmental ScienceCollege BoardExam QuestionsUnit 2: The Living World: BiodiversityEcosystem Services

Ecosystem Services (College Board AP® Environmental Science): Exam Questions

7 mins7 questions
11 mark

Which of the following is not a category of ecosystem services?

  • Supporting services

  • Regulation services

  • Cultural services

  • Economic services

Choose your answer

21 mark

Which of the following is not considered an ecosystem service?

  • Pollination of crops by bees

  • Medicine derived from plants

  • Soil erosion caused by deforestation

  • Enjoyment of the beauty of a national park

Choose your answer

31 mark

Study the following dataset and answer the question:

Ecosystem Type

Area (km²)

Carbon Sequestration (tons/year)

Tropical Rainforest

10000

2500

Wetland

3000

1500

Coral Reef

1500

500

Temperate Forest

8000

2000

Grassland

5000

700

Which ecosystem provides the most carbon sequestration per unit area?

  • Tropical Rainforest

  • Wetland

  • Coral Reef

  • Temperate Forest

Choose your answer

41 mark

Read the text and answer the following questions:

In a coastal ecosystem, researchers assessed several ecosystem services over a 15-year period. The results are summarised below:

  • Service Type A:

    • Over 15 years, the ecosystem provided 3,000,000 kg of fish, 1,000,000 m3 of freshwater, and 500,000 m3 of timber.

    • The combined economic value of these services was estimated at 75 million USD.

  • Service Type B:

    • The ecosystem filtered 50,000,000 m3 of water, sequestered 50,000 tons of carbon, and provided flood protection for 100,000 hectares of farmland.

    • The combined economic value of these services was estimated at 40 million USD.

  • Service Type C:

    • The ecosystem attracted 15,000,000 visitors per year, with an estimated total expenditure of 25 million USD annually.

    • Over 15 years, the total economic value of services was 375 million USD.

Which of the following ecosystem services provides the highest economic value per unit?

  • Provisioning Services

  • Regulating Services

  • Cultural Services

  • All services provide the same economic value per unit

Choose your answer

51 mark

Which of the following is an example of a provisioning service in the coastal ecosystem?

  • Carbon sequestration reducing atmospheric CO2

  • Tourism revenue generated from visitors

  • The supply of fish harvested from the ecosystem

  • The filtration of water improving water quality

Choose your answer

61 mark

Which of the following is an example of a regulating service in the coastal ecosystem?

  • Timber harvested for construction

  • Flood protection for 100,000 hectares of farmland

  • Revenue generated from ecotourism

  • Cultural traditions linked to marine biodiversity

Choose your answer

71 mark

If researchers wanted to increase the economic value of regulating services, which of the following would be the most effective strategy?

  • Expanding conservation areas to enhance carbon sequestration and flood protection

  • Increasing visitor numbers to generate more tourism revenue

  • Encouraging higher fish harvests to boost economic returns

  • Expanding timber extraction to maximize provisioning services

Choose your answer