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AP Environmental Science Practice Quiz: Human Impacts on Wetlands and Mangroves

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

Test your understanding with short quizzes. This quiz has 9 questions to check your progress.

Question 1 of 9

According to the provided text, which of the following is a key ecological service provided by wetlands?

All Questions (9)

According to the provided text, which of the following is a key ecological service provided by wetlands?

A) Commercial development

B) Flood protection

C) Dam construction

D) Overfishing

Correct Answer: B

The text explicitly lists several ecological services of wetlands, including water purification, flood protection, water filtration, and habitat. The other options are listed as threats to wetlands.

Which of the following is identified in the text as a primary threat to both wetlands and mangroves?

A) Water purification

B) Habitat restoration

C) Commercial development

D) Increased biodiversity

Correct Answer: C

The content lists commercial development as a direct threat to wetlands and mangroves, which often involves draining or filling these areas for construction.

Runoff containing excess fertilizers and pesticides from a large farm flows into a nearby wetland. This is a direct example of which category of threat?

A) Dam construction

B) Overfishing

C) Commercial development

D) Pollutants from agriculture

Correct Answer: D

The text specifies that pollutants from agriculture and industrial waste are threats to wetlands. Fertilizers and pesticides are common pollutants associated with agricultural activities.

A coastal community removes a large mangrove forest to build a new resort. This action would most directly diminish which ecological service, increasing the risk to the new development?

A) Water filtration

B) Flood protection

C) Overfishing

D) Industrial waste pollution

Correct Answer: B

The text states that wetlands and mangroves provide flood protection. Removing them for commercial development, such as a resort, eliminates this natural barrier against storm surges and flooding.

The construction of a dam on a river upstream of a large wetland is an example of a human activity that can threaten the wetland's health. Which service is most likely to be impacted by the altered water flow?

A) The wetland's ability to serve as a habitat

B) The wetland's capacity for commercial development

C) The wetland's vulnerability to overfishing

D) The wetland's role in creating industrial waste

Correct Answer: A

Dam construction alters the natural flow of water and sediment downstream. This change can drastically affect the wetland's ecosystem, degrading the habitat for the species that depend on specific water levels and nutrient inputs.

The degradation of a wetland's ability to act as a nursery for juvenile fish is a loss of its habitat service. Which two human impacts mentioned in the text are most likely to cause this specific degradation?

A) Dam construction and commercial development

B) Overfishing and pollutants from industrial waste

C) Flood protection and water filtration

D) Water purification and dam construction

Correct Answer: B

A wetland's role as a nursery is part of its habitat service. Overfishing can deplete the adult populations that reproduce, while pollutants from industrial waste can make the water toxic, killing or harming the sensitive juvenile organisms that rely on the habitat.

All of the following are listed in the text as ecological services provided by wetlands EXCEPT:

A) Habitat

B) Water purification

C) Dam construction

D) Water filtration

Correct Answer: C

The text identifies habitat, water purification, and water filtration as ecological services. Dam construction is listed as a threat to wetlands, not a service they provide.

A factory releases untreated wastewater into a river that feeds a mangrove estuary. This activity directly threatens which two ecological services of the mangrove system?

A) Water purification and habitat

B) Dam construction and overfishing

C) Flood protection and commercial development

D) Overfishing and water filtration

Correct Answer: A

Industrial waste is a pollutant. Releasing it into a mangrove system overwhelms its natural water purification and filtration capabilities and degrades the water quality, which in turn destroys the habitat for numerous species.

Which human activity is best described as the physical conversion of a wetland or mangrove area for the construction of buildings, roads, or other infrastructure?

A) Overfishing

B) Pollution from agriculture

C) Commercial development

D) Dam construction

Correct Answer: C

Commercial development involves altering the landscape for economic purposes, such as building structures. This process directly results in the physical destruction and replacement of natural habitats like wetlands and mangroves.