Topic 4: Ecology
Standard:
Students will understand that ecosystems can be examined at a variety of scales, from individual species to complex communities of interacting populations of species. Energy flows through ecosystems in a continuous supply to fuel the processes of life, while carbon cycles continuously within the earth system, maintaining carbon available as the basic building block of the molecules of life. Dynamic cycles within the biosphere can explain shifts in climate. Students will distinguish between local temperature trends versus global climate patterns, as a function of greenhouse gases.
Students will understand that ecosystems can be examined at a variety of scales, from individual species to complex communities of interacting populations of species. Energy flows through ecosystems in a continuous supply to fuel the processes of life, while carbon cycles continuously within the earth system, maintaining carbon available as the basic building block of the molecules of life. Dynamic cycles within the biosphere can explain shifts in climate. Students will distinguish between local temperature trends versus global climate patterns, as a function of greenhouse gases.