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| NYS Performance Indicators | Objectives | Text Resources | Resources (Suggested Activities) | Cross-Curriculum Connections | Assessment Items | |||
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3.1a The basic theory of biological evolution states that the Earth's present-day species developed from earlier, distinctly different species. 3.1b New inheritable characteristics can result from new combinations of existing genes or from mutations of genes in reproductive cells. 3.1c Mutation and the sorting and recombining of genes during meiosis and fertilization result in a great variety of possible gene combinations. 3.1d Mutations occur as random chance events. Gene mutations can also be caused by such agents as radiation and chemicals. When they occur in sex cells, the mutations can be passed on to offspring; if they occur in other cells, they can be passed on to other body cells only. 3.1e Natural selection and its evolutionary consequences provide a scientific explanation for the fossil record of ancient life-forms, as well as for the molecular and structural similarities observed among the diverse species of living organisms. 3.1f Species evolve over time. Evolution is the consequence of the interactions of (1) the potential for a species to increase its numbers, (2) the genetic variability of offspring due to mutation and recombination of genes, (3) a finite supply of the resources required for life, and (4) the ensuing selection by the environment of those offspring better able to survive and leave offspring. 3.1g Some characteristics give individuals an advantage over others in surviving and reproducing, and the advantaged offspring, in turn, are more likely than others to survive and reproduce. The proportion of individuals that have advantageous characteristics will increase. 3.1h The variation of organisms within a species increases the likelihood that at least some members of the species will survive under changed environmental conditions. 3.1i Behaviors have evolved through natural selection. The broad patterns of behavior exhibited by organisms are those that have resulted in greater reproductive success. 3.1j Billions of years ago, life on Earth is thought by many scientists to have begun as simple, single-celled organisms. About a billion years ago, increasingly complex multicellular organisms began to evolve. 3.1k Evolution does not necessitate long-term progress in some set direction. Evolutionary changes appear to be like the growth of a bush: Some branches survive from the beginning with little or no change, many die out altogether, and others branch repeatedly, sometimes giving rise to more complex organisms. 3.1l Extinction of a species occurs when the environment changes and the adaptive characteristics of a species are insufficient to allow its survival. Fossils indicate that many organisms that lived long ago are extinct. Extinction of species is common; most of the species that have lived on Earth no longer exist. |
Opposable Thumb Activity Homologous Structure lab How Life is Related BEAKS OF FINCHES STATE LAB (Required) The Mating Game WebPBS Resources for Adaptation and Evolution Web Molecular Evidence for Evolution.doc Lab Opposable Thumb Lab - Evolution.doc Lab Explorations Through Time WebBecoming Human - Human Evolution WebStories from the Fossil Record WebThe Evolution of Flight in Birds WebLines of Evolution WebSelf-paced Evolution Lessons WebPeppered Moth Simulation - Web LabPhET Natural Selection Simulation Web |
Global Studies- introduction of foreign species; history of shipping. Math- Carrying capacity and reading graphs. Global Studies- industrial revolution and peppered moths. |
Evolution Topic A: Meaning of Evolution Topic B: Variation Topic D: Consequences of Selection Topic E: Pattern of Evolution Topic F: Evolution in Modern Science Topic G: Origin of Life Topic H: Constructed Response Questions |
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1.1a Populations can be categorized by the function they serve. Food webs identify the relationships among producers, consumers, and decomposers carrying out either autotropic or heterotropic nutrition. 1.1b An ecosystem is shaped by the nonliving environment as well as its interacting species. The world contains a wide diversity of physical conditions, which creates a variety of environments. 1.1c In all environments, organisms compete for vital resources. The linked and changing interactions of populations and the environment compose the total ecosystem. 1.1d The interdependence of organisms in an established ecosystem often results in approximate stability over hundreds and thousands of years. For example, as one population increases, it is held in check by one or more environmental factors or another species. 1.1e Ecosystems, like many other complex systems, tend to show cyclic changes around a state of approximate equilibrium. 1.1f Every population is linked, directly or indirectly, with many others in an ecosystem. Disruptions in the numbers and types of species and environmental changes can upset ecosystem stability. |
Food Web Lab Fitting Algae into the Food Web | Global Studies- Effects of Assimilation and Cultural Diffusion |
Ecology Topic A: Ecological Organization Topic B: Abiotic and Biotic Interactions Part 1: Abiotic Interactions Part 2: Habitat – Niche |
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6.1a Energy flows through ecosystems in one direction, typically from the Sun, through photosynthetic organisms including green plants and algae, to herbivores to carnivores and decomposers. 6.1b The atoms and molecules on the Earth cycle among the living and nonliving components of the biosphere. For example, carbon dioxide and water molecules used in photosynthesis to form energy-rich organic compounds are returned to the environment when the energy in these compounds is eventually released by cells. Continual input of energy from sunlight keeps the process going. This concept may be illustrated with an energy pyramid. 6.1c The chemical elements, such as carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen, that make up the molecules of living things pass through food webs and are combined and recombined in different ways. At each link in a food web, some energy is stored in newly made structures but much is dissipated into the environment as heat. 6.1d The number of organisms any habitat can support (carrying capacity) is limited by the available energy, water, oxygen, and minerals, and by the ability of ecosystems to recycle the residue of dead organisms through the activities of bacteria and fungi. 6.1e In any particular environment, the growth and survival of organisms depend on the physical conditions including light intensity, temperature range, mineral availability, soil/rock type, and relative acidity (pH). 6.1f Living organisms have the capacity to produce populations of unlimited size, but environments and resources are finite. This has profound effects on the interactions among organisms. 6.1g Relationships between organisms may be negative, neutral, or positive. Some organisms may interact with one another in several ways. They may be in a producer/consumer, predator/prey, or parasite/host relationship; or one organism may cause disease in, scavenge, or decompose another. |
Energy Pyramids and DDT Carrying Capacity Graphs |
Math-Percentages of energy lost at each successive level. |
Ecology Topic B: Abiotic and Biotic Interactions Topic C: Energy Flow in the Biosphere Topic F: Constructed Response Questions Part 1: Ecosystems, Biotic, and Abiotic Interactions |
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6.2a As a result of evolutionary processes, there is a diversity of organisms and roles in ecosystems. This diversity of species increases the chance that at least some will survive in the face of large environmental changes. Biodiversity increases the stability of the ecosystem. 6.2b Biodiversity also ensures the availability of a rich variety of genetic material that may lead to future agricultural or medical discoveries with significant value to humankind. As diversity is lost, potential sources of these materials may be lost with it. |
Deforestation of the Rainforest | Math- Percentage of biomass lost. |
Ecology Topic D: Maintenance and Change in the Biosphere (Stability) Part 1: Biodiversity and Survival of an Ecosystem |
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6.3a The interrelationships and interdependencies of organisms affect the development of stable ecosystems. 6.3b Through ecological succession, all ecosystems progress through a sequence of changes during which one ecological community modifies the environment, making it more suitable for another community. These long-term gradual changes result in the community reaching a point of stability that can last for hundreds or thousands of years. 6.3c A stable ecosystem can be altered, either rapidly or slowly, through the activities of organisms (including humans), or through climatic changes or natural disasters. The altered ecosystem can usually recover through gradual changes back to a point of long- term stability. |
Flip Book of Ecological Succession Ecological Succession Flash File |
Ecology Topic D: Maintenance and Change in the Biosphere (Stability) Part 2: Succession Topic F: Constructed Response Questions Part 1: Ecosystems, Biotic, and Abiotic Interactions |
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7.1a The Earth has finite resources; increasing human consumption of resources places stress on the natural processes that renew some resources and deplete those resources that cannot be renewed. 7.1b Natural ecosystems provide an array of basic processes that affect humans. Those processes include but are not limited to: maintenance of the quality of the atmosphere, generation of soils, control of the water cycle, removal of wastes, energy flow, and recycling of nutrients. Humans are changing many of these basic processes and the changes may be detrimental. 7.1c Human beings are part of the Earth's ecosystems. Human activities can, deliberately or inadvertently, alter the equilibrium in ecosystems. Humans modify ecosystems as a result of population growth, consumption, and technology. Human destruction of habitats through direct harvesting, pollution, atmospheric changes, and other factors is threatening current global stability, and if not addressed, ecosystems may be irreversibly affected. |
Lorax Video and Lab |
Ecology Topic E: Human Impact on the Biosphere Topic F: Constructed Response Questions Part 4: Human Impact on the Biosphere |