MS - LS2.C (A) - The Dynamic Nature of Ecosystems - FINAL (WND 2/5/2014)

Module: The Dynamic Nature of Ecosystems

DCI: LS2.C (A) Ecosystems are dynamics in nature; their characteristics can vary over time. Disruptions to any physical or biological component of an ecosystem can lead to shifts in all its populations.

Connections to Nature of Science: Scientific Knowledge is Based on Empirical Evidence: Science disciplines share common rules of obtaining and evaluating empirical evidence.

 PE: MS-LS2-4 Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.

[Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on recognizing patterns in data and making warranted inferences about changes in populations, and on evaluating empirical evidence supporting arguments about changes to ecosystems.]

The ideas in this standard are: 

- ecosystems are dynamic in nature

- ecosystem characteristics can change over time

- disruptions to any physical component of an ecosystem can lead to shifts in all its populations

- disruptions to any biological component of an ecosystem can lead to shifts in all its populations

The real focus here is that changes to physical and biological components of ecosystems affect the populations of living things. Again, we will provide evidence of population shifts during a particular ecosystem shift and ask for the relationship.  We can also go the route where we ask "which of the following changes to the population would provide evidence that such and such ecosystem shift affected the population...."