Ecology 6. Stability in an ecosystem is a balance between competing effects. As a basis for understanding this concept:

d. Students know how water, carbon, and nitrogen cycle between abiotic resources and organic matter in the ecosystem and how oxygen cycles through photosynthesis and respiration.

• Water cycle, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen cycle
• Relationship between photosynthesis and respiration
• Conservation of matter
• Demonstrate the interrelationships between the major biogeochemical cycles

California Geology 9. The geology of California underlies the state's wealth of natural resources as well as its natural hazards. As a basis for understanding this concept: a. Students know the resources of major economic importance in California and their relation to California's geology.

b. Students know the principal natural hazards in different California regions and the geologic basis of those hazards.

• Natural hazards such earthquake faults/volcanoes, tsunamis, erosion
• Location of faults/volcanic activity
• Pacific Ring of Fire
• Identify the geological source of the hazards such as earthquake,volcano, erosion, mud/landslide
• Relate Pacific Ring of Fire to California

c. Students know the importance of water to society, the origins of California's fresh water, and the relationship between supply and need.

• Uses of water in CA
• Origin of our fresh water/snow pack
• Aqueduct system in CA
• Illustrate water cycle
• Predict effect of a drought in CA
• Explain human impact on CA water cycle

Ecology 6. Stability in an ecosystem is a balance between competing effects. As a basis for understanding this concept: 

a. Students know biodiversity is the sum total of different kinds of organisms and is affected by alterations of habitats.

• What is biodiversity?
• Alteration of habitats
• What is an ecosystem?
• Major kingdoms of organisms
• Niche
• Process of succession
• Predict how habitat changes effect biodiversity
• Identify the biodiversity within a biological community/ecosystem

b. Students know how to analyze changes in an ecosystem resulting from changes in climate, human activity, introduction of nonnative species, or changes in population size.

• Factors of climate (seasons, patterns of migration, reproductive cycles, population size)
• Human influences on the environment (species introduction, pollution, conservation, habitat destruction, artificial selection)
• Natural vs. non-natural population size
• Predict effects changes on population size by factors of climate and human influence

c. Students know how fluctuations in population size in an ecosystem are determined by the relative rates of birth, immigration, emigration, and death.

• Fluctuations of populations (Immigration vs. emigration, birth vs. death rate)
• Predict population growth or decline by comparing rates of death and emigration with those of birth and immigration.

e. Students know a vital part of an ecosystem is the stability of its producers and decomposers.

• Organic matter is recycled
• Essential roles of producers and decomposers
• Examples of typical producers and decomposers
• Predict what will happen in an ecosystem when the balance of producers and decomposers is disrupted
• Identify producers and decomposers in an ecosystem

f. Students know at each link in a food web some energy is stored in newly made structures but much energy is dissipated into the environment as heat. This dissipation may be represented in an energy pyramid.

• Food web
• Energy pyramid (pyramid of biomass)
• Conservation of energy and the forms of energy
• Construct a food web trace the energy flow
• Predict the result of the removal of one or more organisms in a food web