Clarification Statement - S.HS.LS.2.2.CS:
Examples of mathematical representations include finding the average, determining trends, and using graphical comparisons of multiple sets of data.

Assessment Boundary - S.HS.LS.2.2.AB:
Assessment is limited to provided data.

Science and Engineering Practices - 9-12.SEP5.5:
Use mathematical representations of phenomena or design solutions to support and revise explanations.

Disciplinary Core Ideas - S.HS.LS.2.2.DCI:
LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems •Ecosystems have carrying capacities, which are limits tothe numbers of organisms and populations they can support. Organisms would have the capacity to produce populations of great size were it not for the fact that environments and resources are finite. This fundamental tension affects the abundance (number of individuals) of species in any given ecosystem. •(NYSED) Carrying capacity results from the availability of biotic and abiotic factors and from challenges such as predation, competition, and disease. LS2.C: Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience •A complex set of interactions within an ecosystem can keep its numbers and types of organisms relatively constant over long periods of time under stable conditions. If a modest biological or physical disturbance to an ecosystem occurs, it may return to its more or less original status (i.e., the ecosystem is resilient), as opposed to becoming a very different ecosystem. Extreme fluctuations in conditions or the size of any population, however, can challenge the functioning of ecosystems in terms of resources and habitat availability.

Crosscutting Concepts - CC7.8:
Using the concept of orders of magnitudeallows one to understand how a model at one scale relates to a model at another scale.