Cover: Environmental Science for the AP® Course, 5th Edition by Andrew Friedland; Rick Relyea

Environmental Science for the AP® Course

Fifth  Edition©2027  Andrew Friedland; Rick Relyea

About

Precisely aligned for the AP Environmental Science Course. BFW Gets You AP Science Ready! Environmental Science for the AP Course fifth edition offers everything you’ll need on your journey to success on the AP exam with integrated features that spiral skills to ensure mastery.

Table of Contents

MODULE 0 What Is Environmental Science?


UNIT 1 The Living World: Ecosystems

MODULE 1 Introduction to Ecosystems

MODULE 2 Terrestrial Biomes

MODULE 3 Aquatic Biomes

MODULE 4 The Carbon and Nitrogen Cycles

MODULE 5 The Phosphorus and Hydrologic (Water) Cycles

MODULE 6 Primary Productivity

MODULE 7 Trophic Levels, Energy Flow and the 10% Rule, Food Chains, and Food Webs

Unit 1 Practice Your Science Skills

Unit 1 AP® Environmental Science Practice Exam


UNIT 2 The Living World: Biodiversity

MODULE 8 Introduction to Biodiversity

MODULE 9 Ecosystem Services

MODULE 10 Island Biogeography

MODULE 11 Ecological Tolerance

MODULE 12 Natural Disruptions to Ecosystems

MODULE 13 Adaptations

MODULE 14 Ecological Succession

Unit 2 Practice Your Science Skills

Unit 2 AP® Environmental Science Practice Exam


UNIT 3 Populations

MODULE 15 Generalist and Specialist Species, K- and r-selected Species, and Survivorship Curves

MODULE 16 Carrying Capacity, Population Growth, and Resource Availability

MODULE 17 Age Structure Diagrams and Total Fertility Rates

MODULE 18 Human Population Dynamics and the Demographic Transition

Unit 3 Practice Your Science Skills

Unit 3 AP® Environmental Science Practice Exam


UNIT 4 Earth Systems and Resources

MODULE 19 Plate Tectonics

MODULE 20 Soil Formation, Erosion, Composition, and Its Properties

MODULE 21 Watersheds

MODULE 22 Earth’s Atmosphere, Global Wind Patterns, Solar Radiation, and Earth’s Seasons

MODULE 23 Earth’s Geography and Climate, El Niño, and La Niña

Unit 4 Practice Your Science Skills

Unit 4 AP® Environmental Science Practice Exam


UNIT 5 Land and Water Use

MODULE 24 The Tragedy of the Commons; Clear-cutting

MODULE 25 The Green Revolution

MODULE 26 Impacts of Agricultural Practices

MODULE 27 Irrigation and Pest Control Methods

MODULE 28 Meat Production Methods and the Impacts of Overfishing

MODULE 29 Impacts of Mining

MODULE 30 Impacts of Urbanization and the Methods to Reduce Urban Runoff

MODULE 31 Ecological Footprints

MODULE 32 Introduction to Sustainability

MODULE 33 Integrated Pest Management and Sustainable Agriculture

MODULE 34 Aquaculture and Sustainable Forestry

Unit 5 Practice Your Science Skills

Unit 5 AP® Environmental Science Practice Exam


UNIT 6 Energy Resources and Consumption

MODULE 35 Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources and Global Energy Consumption

MODULE 36 Fuel Types and Uses

MODULE 37 Distribution of Natural Energy Resources: Fossil Fuels

MODULE 38 Nuclear Power

MODULE 39 Biomass and Solar Energies and Hydroelectric Power

MODULE 40 Geothermal Energy and Hydrogen Fuel Cells

MODULE 41 Wind Energy and Energy Conservation

Unit 6 Practice Your Science Skills

Unit 6 AP® Environmental Science Practice Exam


UNIT 7 Atmospheric Pollution

MODULE 42 Introduction to Air Pollution

MODULE 43 Photochemical Smog, Thermal Inversions, Atmospheric CO₂, and Particulates

MODULE 44 Indoor Air Pollutants

MODULE 45 Reduction of Air Pollutants

MODULE 46 Acid Rain and Noise Pollution

Unit 7 Practice Your Science Skills

Unit 7 AP® Environmental Science Practice Exam


UNIT 8 Aquatic and Terrestrial Pollution

MODULE 47 Sources of Pollution, Human Impacts on Ecosystems, and Endocrine Disruptors

MODULE 48 Human Impacts on Wetlands and Mangroves, Eutrophication, and Thermal Pollution

MODULE 49 Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), Bioaccumulation, and Biomagnification

MODULE 50 Solid Waste Disposal

MODULE 51 Waste Reduction Methods

MODULE 52 Sewage Treatment

MODULE 53 Lethal Dose 50% (LD₅₀) and Dose-Response Curves

MODULE 54 Pollution, Human Health, Pathogens, and Infectious Diseases

Unit 8 Practice Your Science Skills

Unit 8 AP® Environmental Science Practice Exam


UNIT 9 Global Change

MODULE 55 Stratospheric Ozone Depletion and Its Reduction

MODULE 56 The Greenhouse Effect

MODULE 57 Increases in the Greenhouse Gases and Global Climate Change

MODULE 58 Ocean Warming and Ocean Acidification

MODULE 59 Invasive Species, Endangered Species, and Human Impacts on Biodiversity

Unit 9 Practice Your Science Skills

Unit 9 AP® Environmental Science Practice Exam


Cumulative AP® Environmental Science Practice Exam Exam-1

Appendix: Reading Graphs App-1

Glossary/Glosario Glos-1

Index Ind-1

Periodic Table of the Elements

Metric Conversions

Math Review

Andrew Friedland

Andrew Friedland is the Richard and Jane Pearl Professor Emeritus in Environmental Studies at Dartmouth College. He received a BA degree in both biology and environmental studies, and a PhD in earth and environmental science, from the University of Pennsylvania. He has authored or coauthored more than 80 peer-reviewed publications and one other book, Writing Successful Science Proposals, Third Edition (Yale University Press). Andy is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was the founding chair of the AP® Test Development Committee (College Board®) for Environmental Science and served on the College Board AP® Environmental Science Curriculum Development and Assessment Committee. He has been a guest lecturer at various Advanced Placement® Institutes for Secondary Teachers and in high school AP Environmental Science classrooms. Andy has researched forested ecosystems in montane regions of New England and has taught introductory environmental science and energy courses at Dartmouth College as well as courses in forest ecosystems, global change, and soil science.

Rick Relyea

Rick Relyea is the William J. Rucker Professor in Fisheries and Wildlife at the University of Missouri–Columbia (Mizzou). He received a BS in environmental forest biology from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, an MS in wildlife management from Texas Tech University, and a PhD in ecology and evolution from the University of Michigan. He has authored more than 200 scientific articles, presented research seminars throughout the world, and is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Rick was a professor at the University of Pittsburgh for 15 years, where he was named the Chancellor’s Distinguished Researcher and received the Tina and David Bellet Teaching Excellence Award. In 2014, he moved to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to direct the Darrin Fresh Water Institute. In 2025, Rick moved to Mizzou to be the founding director of the Johnny Morris Institute of Fisheries, Wetlands, and Aquatic Systems. Rick has a strong interest in high school education, including hosting high school science teachers who conduct research in his laboratory. He is the author of the college textbook Ecology: The Economy of Nature, and co-author of Biology for the AP® Course, which are also published by BFW and MacMillan Publishers.