Unit 1 Ecosystems

1.1 Introduction to Ecosystems

1.1a Predator-prey relationships; basic background information on ecosystems; how the availability of resources influences species interactions.
1.1b Symbiotic relationships (mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism); how the availability of resources influences these relationships.
1.1c Competition between species and within a single species; how resource partitioning helps reduce the negative impact of competition on species’ survival.

1.2 Terrestrial Biomes

1.2a The global distribution and principal environmental aspects of major terrestrial biomes.
1.2b The global distribution and principal environmental aspects of major terrestrial biomes.
1.2c Human impact on terrestrial biomes.

1.3 Aquatic Biomes

1.3a Freshwater biomes (streams, rivers, ponds, and lakes); freshwater biomes as a vital resource for drinking water.
1.3b Marine biomes (oceans, coral reefs, marshland, and estuaries).
1.3c Human impact on aquatic biomes.

1.4 The Carbon Cycle

1.4a The movement of carbon between sources and sinks and through photosynthesis and respiration.
1.4b Carbon cycling and sequestration; the role of decomposition and the burning of fossil fuels on the storage and release of carbon.

1.5 The Nitrogen Cycle

1.5a The movement of nitrogen between sources and sinks through the processes of fixation, ammonification, nitrification, assimilation, and denitrification.
1.5b The major processes of the nitrogen cycle, with a focus on reservoir interactions.

1.6 The Phosphorus Cycle

1.6a The movement of phosphorous between terrestrial and aquatic sources and sinks; the concept of phosphorous as a limiting factor in biological systems.

1.7 The Hydrologic (Water) Cycle

1.7a Following water through its cycle transformations of solid, liquid, and gaseous states; identifying sources, sinks, and transformation processes through the use of visual models.

1.8 Primary Productivity

1.8a Primary productivity: The rate at which solar energy (sunlight) is converted into organic compounds via photosynthesis over a unit of time.
1.8b Comparing the primary productivity of biomes.
1.8c How to measure solar energy that is acquired and transferred by living organisms.

1.9 Trophic Levels

1.9a How energy flows and matter cycles through trophic levels.
1.9b How biogeochemical cycles are essential for life; how each cycle demonstrates the conservation of matter.

1.10 Energy Flow and the 10% Rule

1.11 Food Chains and Food Webs

1.11a Depicting the flow of energy and nutrients in two or more food chains; understanding a food web as a model of an interlocking pattern of food chains.
1.11b How a trophic cascade results in both positive and negative impacts on food webs.
1.11c Human impacts on food webs.

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