Unit 8: Ecology

BIG IDEA 1 Evolution- How does diversity among and between species in a biological system affect the evolution of species within the system?
BIG IDEA 2 Energetics- How does the acquisition of energy relate to the health of a biological system?

How do communities and ecosystems change, for better or worse, due to biological disruption?

BIG IDEA 3 Information Storage and Transmission- How does a disruption of a biological system affect genetic information storage and transmission?

BIG IDEA 4 Systems Interactions- How do organisms use energy or conserve energy to respond to environmental stimuli?

8.1.A-Explain how the behavioral and physiological response of an organism is related to changes in internal or external environment.

8.1.B-Explain how the behavioral responses of organisms affect their overall fitness and may contribute to the success of a population.

8.2.A-Describe the strategies organisms use to acquire and use energy.

8.2.B-Explain how energy flows and matter cycles through trophic levels.

8.2.C-Explain how changes in energy availability affect populations, communities, and ecosystems.

8.2.D-Explain how the activities of autotrophs and heterotrophs enable the flow of energy within an ecosystem.

8.3.A-Describe factors that influence growth dynamics of populations.

8.4.A-Explain how the density of a population affects and is determined by resource availability in the environment.

8.5.A-Describe the structure of a community according to its species composition and diversity.

8.5.B-Explain how interactions within and among populations influence community structure.

8.6.A-Describe the relationship between ecosystem diversity and its resilience to changes in the environment.

8.6.B-Explain how the addition or removal of any component of an ecosystem will affect its overall short-term and longterm structure.

8.7.A-Explain the interaction between the environment and random or preexisting variations in populations

8.7.B-Explain how invasive species affect ecosystem dynamics.

8.7.C-Describe human activities that lead to changes in ecosystem structure and dynamics.

8.7.D-Explain how geological and meteorological activity leads to changes in ecosystem structure and dynamics.

8.1 Responses to the Environment 3.C. Identify experimental procedures that align with the question, including: i. identifying dependent and independent variables ii. identifying appropriate controls iii. justifying appropriate controls

8.2 Energy Flow Through Ecosystems 6.D Explain the relationship between experimental results and larger biological concepts, processes, or theories.

8.3 Population Ecology 4.A- Construct a graph to represent the data, including: x-y graphs (bar, histogram, line, log scale, dual y), scatter plot, box and whisker plot, and pie chart. The graph should include the following components: i. type of graph appropriate for the data ii. axis labeling, including appropriate units and legend iii. scaling iv. accurately plotted data (including error bars when appropriate) v. trend line (when appropriate)

8.4 Effect of Density on Populations 5.A- Perform mathematical calculations, including: i. mathematical equations in the curriculum ii. means iii. rates iv. ratios v. percentages and percent changes

8.5 Community Ecology 5.B Use confidence intervals and error bars to estimate whether sample means are statistically different.

8.6 Biodiversity 6.E Predict the causes or effects of a change in, or disruption to, one or more components in a biological system.

8.7 Disruptions in Ecosystems 5.D- Use data to evaluate a hypothesis or prediction, including rejecting or failing to reject the null hypothesis.