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AP Environmental Science Flashcards: Adaptations

Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026

Review key ideas with interactive flashcards. This set includes 10 cards to help you master important concepts.

What is the source of the incremental changes that lead to adaptation?
The source of the incremental changes that lead to adaptation is at the genetic level.
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What is the source of the incremental changes that lead to adaptation?
The source of the incremental changes that lead to adaptation is at the genetic level.
Over what time scales do adaptations occur?
Organisms adapt to their environment over both short-term and long-term scales.
What is the relationship between genetic change and adaptation?
Adaptation is the result of incremental changes at the genetic level that allow an organism to better fit its environment.
What are three potential outcomes for an individual when a sudden environmental change threatens its species' survival?
The individual may alter its behaviors, move to a different location, or perish.
How do environmental changes impact a species' survival?
Environmental changes, whether sudden or gradual, can threaten a species' survival by creating pressures that necessitate adaptation or lead to decline.
A pond slowly dries up over several years. According to the text, what might this gradual change require of the frog species living there?
This gradual change may threaten the frog species' survival, requiring individuals to alter behaviors, move, or perish.
What is the fundamental mechanism that drives adaptation?
The fundamental mechanism is incremental changes at the genetic level, which accumulate over time.
Define adaptation in organisms.
Adaptation is the process where organisms adjust to their environment over time via incremental changes at the genetic level.
Is adaptation a single event or a process?
Adaptation is a process that occurs over time through incremental, cumulative changes.
If a species is unable to alter behaviors or move in response to a threatening environmental change, what is the likely outcome?
If individuals in the species cannot alter behaviors or move, the likely outcome is that they will perish.