Standard 17 - Interdependence

GRADE 9 - 12

LIFE SCIENCE BODY OF KNOWLEDGE

A. The distribution and abundance of organisms is determined by the interactions between organisms, and between organisms and the non-living environment.
B. Energy and nutrients move within and between biotic and abiotic components of ecosystems via physical, chemical and biological processes.
C. Human activities and natural events can have profound effects on populations, biodiversity and ecosystem processes.

BENCHMARK CODE

BENCHMARK

SC.912.L.17.1

Discuss the characteristics of populations, such as number of individuals, age structure, density, and pattern of distribution.

Remote Page: Population ecology

SC.912.L.17.2

Explain the general distribution of life in aquatic systems as a function of chemistry, geography, light, depth, salinity, and temperature.

Remote Page: Economic perspective (water and the environment)

SC.912.L.17.3

Discuss how various oceanic and freshwater processes, such as currents, tides, and waves, affect the abundance of aquatic organisms.

Remote Page: Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve, Florida

SC.912.L.17.4

Describe changes in ecosystems resulting from seasonal variations, climate change and succession.

Local Page: Watersheds and Springsheds Critical Influences (Bioaccumulation illustrates how humans influence aquatic systems)
Global Warming Coastal River Systems - University of Florida Studies

Remote Page: http://www.watercare.net (From "water-living and learning" one may choose "water supply", "water conservation", "competition for water", to illustrate the impact humans have on aquatic systems and ways of avoidance)
www.globe.gov (using the conservation section, under pH, use the fun games to learn about pH.)
www.bsu.edu (desribes what an aquifer is and how it works as well as where it may be found. You can create your own aquifer, and increases understanding of their importance.)

SC.912.L.17.5

Analyze how population size is determined by births, deaths, immigration, emigration, and limiting factors (biotic and abiotic) that determine carrying capacity.

Remote Page: Carrying capacity

SC.912.L.17.6

Compare and contrast the relationships among organisms, including predation, parasitism, competition, commensalism, and mutualism.

Remote Page: Predation Parasitism Exploitative Competition Commensalism Mutualism

SC.912.L.17.7

Characterize the biotic and abiotic components that define freshwater systems, marine systems and terrestrial systems.

Local Page: Florida's Springs

Remote Page: Freshwater Marine Terrestrial

SC.912.L.17.8

Recognize the consequences of the losses of biodiversity due to catastrophic events, climate changes, human activity, and the introduction of invasive, non-native species.

Local Page: Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Control (See also L.17.4 above)

Remote Page: Exotic species Invasive species

SC.912.L.17.9

Use a food web to identify and distinguish producers, consumers, and decomposers. Explain the pathway of energy transfer through trophic levels and the reduction of available energy at successive trophic levels.

Remote Page: Food web Trophic level Bottom-up control Tophic level Top-down control

SC.912.L.17.10

Diagram and explain the biogeochemical cycles of an ecosystem, including water, carbon, and nitrogen cycle.

Local Page: The Hydrologic Cycle Carbon Cycle The Nitrogen Cycle The Phosphorus Cycle

Remote Page: Water cycle Carbon cycle Nitrogen cycle Phosphorus cycle

SC.912.L.17.11

Evaluate the costs and benefits of renewable and nonrenewable resources, such as water, energy, fossil fuels, wildlife, and forests.

Local Page: Alternative Energy

Remote Page: Florida Renewables Assessment Study

SC.912.L.17.12

Discuss the political, social, and environmental consequences of sustainable use of land.

Local Page: Crystal River - Land Use

SC.912.L.17.13

Discuss the need for adequate monitoring of environmental parameters when making policy decisions.

Local Page: Global Warming - Possible Remedies Education Section

SC.912.L.17.14

Assess the need for adequate waste management strategies.

Remote Page: Waste

SC.912.L.17.15

Discuss the effects of technology on environmental quality.

Local Page: Ground Water - Aquifers Critical Influences (permeability of recharge areas)

Remote Page: AquiferActivity (find and select Aquifer Activity on that website, which helps people to learn about the aquifer and steps they may take to avoid harm to it.)

SC.912.L.17.16

Discuss the large-scale environmental impacts resulting from human activity, including waste spills, oil spills, runoff, greenhouse gases, ozone depletion, and surface and groundwater pollution.

Local Page: Urbanization Urbanization - Choices Stormwater Ponds Carbon Cycle Global Warming - Human Influence

SC.912.L.17.17

Assess the effectiveness of innovative methods of protecting the environment.

Remote Page: Environmental Protection

SC.912.L.17.18

Describe how human population size and resource use relate to environmental quality.

Local Page: Urbanization

SC.912.L.17.19

Describe how different natural resources are produced and how their rates of use and renewal limit availability.

Local Page: Wetlands

Remote Page: Model Wetland Mangrove (This lab is building one's own mangrove plant, illustrating how mangroves live in a muddy environment that will not readily suport other types of trees. This lab helps to understand how the wetlands support only certain kinds of plants and animals.)

SC.912.L.17.20

Predict the impact of individuals on environmental systems and examine how human lifestyles affect sustainability.

Local Page: Urbanization Wetlands

Remote Page: www.ngwa.org (tells how wetlands are made, and their function. This activity teaches how nature protects and cleans wetland waters by your designing aa wetland filter)