Allegheny-Clarion Valley School District Jr./Sr. High School Name of Course: Ecology Grade Level: 9-12 Persons Writing/Revising Curriculum: Joni Runyan Laura Jamison *** Created 2015-16 School Year
Unit 1: Principles of Ecology Unit Rationale: The health of all living things is directly related to the quality of the environment. Ecology is the study of the relationships among How does the quality of the environment affect organisms and their environment. the health of all living things within it? An ecosystem includes both biotic and abiotic factors. Changing one factor in an ecosystem can affect many other factors. An ecosystem includes both biotic and abiotic factors. Changing one factor in an ecosystem can affect many other factors. Producers provide energy for other organisms in an ecosystem. Almost all producers obtain energy from sunlight. A food chain is a model that shows a sequence of feeding relationships. A food web demonstrates a complex network of feeding relationships. An energy pyramid shows the distribution of energy among trophic levels. Other pyramid models illustrate an ecosystem s biomass and distribution of organisms. Summarize the levels of organization that ecologists study. Describe research methods ecologists use to study the environment Identify biotic and abiotic factors in an ecosystem. Describe how a change in one factor in an ecosystem can affect others Describe the roles of producers and consumers in ecosystems. Compare photosynthesis to chemosynthesis. Water cycles through the environment. Elements essential for life also cycle through ecosystems. Describe the structure of a food chain. Explain how food chains and trophic levels are related. Analyze feeding relationships in a food web. Summarize Earth s hydrologic and biogeochemical cycles. Relate cycling of matter to ecosystems Trace the flow of energy through an ecosystem, using an energy pyramid. Relate energy pyramids to food chains and trophic levels. Compare and contrast a biomass pyramid and a pyramid of numbers. Key Terms: ecology, community, ecosystem, biome, biotic, abiotic, biodiversity, keystone species, producer, autotroph, consumer, heterotroph, chemosynthesis, food chain, herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, detritivore, decomposer, specialist, generalist, trophic level, food web, hydrologic cycle, biogeochemical cycle, nitrogen fixation, biomass, energy pyramid Standards: BIO.B.4.2.1: Describe how energy flows through an ecosystem (e.g., food chains, food webs, energy pyramids). BIO.B.4.2.3: Describe how matter recycles through an ecosystem (i.e., water cycle, carbon cycle, oxygen cycle, nitrogen cycle).
Unit 2: Interactions in Ecosystems Unit Rationale: A variety of ecosystems consist of diverse living and nonliving components that change over time. Every ecosystem goes through changes as species interact with one another. A habitat differs from a niche. Resource availability gives structure to a community. Competition and predation are two important ways in which organisms interact. Symbiosis is a close relationship between species. Population density is the number of individuals that live in a defined area. Geographic dispersion of a population show how individuals in a population are spaced. Survivorship curves help to describe the reproductive strategy of a species. Changes in a population s size are determined by immigration, births, emigration and deaths. Population growth is based on available resources. Ecological factors limit population growth. Succession occurs following a disturbance in an ecosystem. How do the changes in an ecosystem affect the balance and relationships between the living and nonliving components within the ecosystem? Differentiate between habitat and niche. Differentiate between competitive exclusion and ecological equivalents. Compare and contrast interspecific and intraspecific competition. Distinguish between mutualism, commensalism and parasitism. Consider density and geographic dispersal as characteristics of populations. Describe three basic types of survivorship curves in relation to reproductive strategies. Describe four factors that affect population size. Compare exponential and logistic population growth. Identify factors that limit population growth. Describe the process of primary succession. Explain the difference between primary and secondary succession. Key Terms: habitat, ecological niche, competitive exclusion, ecological equivalent, competition, predation, symbiosis, mutualism, commensalism, parasitism, population density, population dispersion, survivorship curve, immigration, emigration, exponential growth, logistic growth, carrying capacity, population crash, limiting factor, densitydependent limiting factor, density-independent limiting factor, succession, primary succession, pioneer species, secondary succession Standards: BIO.B.4.2.2: Describe biotic interactions in an ecosystem (e.g., competition, predation, symbiosis).
Unit 3: The Biosphere Unit Rationale: The Earth s biosphere is made of land and aquatic biomes, that are determined by the climate, and species that live and grow there. The biosphere is divided into many ecological levels. How do the interactions and relationships between abiotic and biotic factors determine ecological levels of global organization? The biosphere is the portion of Earth that is inhabited by life. Biotic and abiotic factors interact in the biosphere. Climate is the prevailing weather of a region. Earth has three main climate zones. Earth has 6 major biomes. Polar ice caps and mountains are not considered biomes. The ocean can be divided into zones. Coastal waters contain unique habitats. Estuaries are dynamic environments where rivers flow into the oceans. Freshwater ecosystems include moving and standing water. Ponds and lake share common features. Describe the interactions of the biosphere, hydrosphere and geosphere. Describe the interactions of biotic and abiotic factors in the biosphere. Differentiate between weather, climate and microclimates. Identify factors that determine Earth s climate zones. Describe biotic and abiotic features of Earth s six major biomes. Explain why polar ice caps and mountains are not considered biomes. Identify the four major ocean zones and organisms unique to each zone. Describe the unique habitats of coastal waters. Summarize the characteristics of estuaries and the organisms that inhabit them. Describe moving and standing freshwater ecosystems and the adaptations of organisms that inhabit them. Identify common features of ponds and lakes Key Terms: biosphere, biota, hydrosphere, atmosphere, geosphere, climate, microclimate, canopy, grassland, desert, deciduous, coniferous, taiga, tundra, chaparral, intertidal zone, neritic zone, bathyal zone, abyssal zone, plankton, zooplankton, phytoplankton, coral reef, kelp forest, estuary, watershed, littoral zone, limnetic zone, benthic zone Standards: Bio.B.4.2 Describe interactions and relationships in an ecosystem. BIO.B.4.2.5: Describe the effects of limiting factors on population dynamics and potential species extinction.
Unit 4: Human Impact on Ecosystems Unit Rationale: Sustainable use of natural resources is essential to provide for the needs and wants of all living things now and in the future. As the human population grows, the demand for Earth s resources increases along with pollution which both threaten biodiversity. How are the needs and wants of all living things directly connected to successful management of our resources? Earth s human population continues to grow. The growing human population exerts pressure on Earth s natural resources. Effective management of Earth s resources will help meet the needs of the future. Pollutants accumulate in the air. Air pollution is changing Earth s biosphere. Water pollution affects ecosystems. Biomagnification causes accumulation of toxins in the food chain. Preserving biodiversity is important to the future of the biosphere. Loss of habitat eliminates species. Introduced species can disrupt stable relationships in an ecosystem. Sustainable development manages resources for present and future generations. Conservation practices focus on a few species, but benefit entire ecosystems. Protecting Earth s resources helps protect our future. Summarize the current state and effects of human population growth. Explain the importance of effective resource management. Describe the sources, types and effects of air pollution. Explain how air pollution contributes to acid rain. Describe how water pollution affects ecosystems. Explain how biomagnifications causes accumulation of toxins in food chains. Assess the consequences of loss biodiversity. Explain how loss of habitat and introduced species affect ecosystems and biodiversity. Define sustainable development and describe some of its methods. Explain how protecting an umbrella species can protect an entire ecosystem. Key Terms: nonrenewable resource, renewable resource, ecological footprint, pollution, smog, particulate, acid rain, greenhouse effect, global warming, climate change, indicator species, biomagnification, habitat fragmentation, introduced species, invasive species, sustainable development, umbrella species, keystone species Standards: BIO.B.4.2.4: Describe how ecosystems change in response to natural and human disturbances (e.g., climate changes, introduction of nonnative species, pollution, fires) BIO.B.4.2.2: Describe biotic interactions in an ecosystem (e.g., competition, predation, symbiosis). BIO.B.4.2.5: Describe the effects of limiting factors on population dynamics and potential species extinction.
Unit 5: Evolution of Populations Unit Rationale: The survival of living things is dependent upon their ability to adapt and respond to natural changes and human influences on the environment. Natural selection is not the only mechanism through which populations How is survival of species affected by natural evolve. changes and human influences? Genetic variation in a population increases the chance that some individuals will survive. Genetic variation in population comes from several sources. Natural selection acts on distribution of traits. Natural selection can change the distribution of a trait in one of three ways. Gene flow is the movement of alleles between populations. Genetic drift is a change in allele frequencies due to chance. Sexual selection occurs when certain traits increase mating success. Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium describes populations that are not evolving. The Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium equation is used to predict genotype frequencies in a population. There are five factors that lead to evolution. The isolation of populations can lead to speciation. Populations can become isolated in several ways. Evolution through, natural selection is not random. Species can become extinct. Speciation often occurs in patterns. Describe the significance of genetic variation within a population. Identify sources of genetic variation. Describe how natural selection acts on the distribution of traits in a population. Explain three ways natural selection can change the distribution of a trait in a population. Explain how gene flow, genetic drift, and sexual selection can lead to the evolution of populations. Identify the conditions that define Hardy- Weinberg equilibrium. Explain the predictive value of the Hardy- Weinberg equation. Explain how isolation of populations can lead to speciation. Describe how populations can become isolated. Describe different types and rates of evolution. Compare different types and rates of extinction. Key Terms: gene pool, allele frequency, normal distribution, microevolution, directional selection, stabilizing selection, disruptive selection, gene flow, genetic drift, bottleneck effect, founder effect, sexual selection, Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, reproductive isolation, speciation, behavioral isolation, geographic isolation, temporal isolation, convergent evolution, divergent evolution, coevolution, extinction, punctuated equilibrium, adaptive radiation Standards: BIO.B.3.1.2: Describe the factors that can contribute to the development of new species (e.g., isolating mechanisms, genetic drift, founder effect, migration). BIO.B.3.1.3: Explain how genetic mutations may result in genotypic and phenotypic variations within a population.