Grade 7: Science – Interactions and Ecosystems (Social and Environmental Emphasis)

1: Investigate and describe relationships between humans and their environments, and identify related issues and scientific questions

• illustrate how life-supporting environments meet the needs of living things for nutrients, energy sources, moisture, suitable habitat, and exchange of gases

• describe examples of interaction and interdependency within an ecosystem

• identify examples of human impacts on ecosystems, and investigate and analyze the link between these impacts and the human wants and needs that give rise to them

• analyze personal and public decisions that involve consideration of environmental impacts, and identify needs for scientific knowledge that can inform those decisions

2: Trace and interpret the flow of energy and materials within an ecosystem

• analyze an ecosystem to identify biotic and abiotic components, and describe interactions among these components

• analyze ecosystems to identify producers, consumers and decomposers; and describe how energy is supplied to and flows through a food web

3: Monitor a local environment, and assess the impacts of environmental factors on the growth, health and reproduction of organisms in that environment

• investigate a variety of habitats, and describe and interpret distribution patterns of living things found in those habitats 

• investigate and interpret evidence of interaction and change

4: Describe the relationships among knowledge, decisions and actions in maintaining life-supporting environments

• identify intended and unintended consequences of human activities within local and global environments

• describe and interpret examples of scientific investigations that serve to inform environmental decision making

• illustrate, through examples, the limits of scientific and technological knowledge in making decisions about life-supporting environments 

• analyze a local environmental issue or problem based on evidence from a variety of sources, and identify possible actions and consequences 

Grade 7: Social Science – Following Confederation: Canadian Expansions

7.2.2 Using a grizzly bear lens, recognize the positive and negative consequences of political decisions

7.2.5 Using a grizzly bear lens, evaluate the impact of Confederation and of subsequent immigration on Canada from 1867 to the First World War

Grade 9: Science – Biological Diversity (Social and Environmental Emphasis)

1: Investigate and interpret diversity among species and within species, and describe how diversity contributes to species survival

• observe variation in living things, and describe examples of variation among species and within species 

• identify examples of niches

• investigate and interpret dependencies among species that link the survival of one species to the survival of others

• identify examples of symbiotic relationships 

• classify symbiotic relationships as mutualism, commensalism, parasitism

• identify the role of variation in species survival under changing environmental conditions

2: Investigate the nature of reproductive processes and their role in transmitting species characteristics

• describe examples of variation of characteristics within a species

• investigate the transmission of characteristics from parents to offspring

4: Identify impacts of human action on species survival and variation within species, and analyze related issues for personal and public decision making

• • describe the relative abundance of species on Earth and in different environments 

  • describe ongoing changes in biological diversity through extinction and extirpation of native species, and investigate the role of environmental factors in causing these changes 

  • evaluate the success and limitations of various local and global strategies for minimizing loss of species diversity 

Grade 11: Biology 20 – Ecosystems & Population Change

1: Explain that the biosphere is composed of ecosystems, each with distinctive biotic and abiotic characteristics.

• Define species, population, community and ecosystem, and explain the interrelationships among them.

• Explain how terrestrial ecosystems support a diversity of organisms through a variety of habitats and niches.

• Identify biotic and abiotic characteristics and explain their influence in a terrestrial ecosystem in the local region.

• Explain how limiting factors influence organism distribution and range.

• Evaluate the impact that human activity has had, or could have, on the biodiversity in an ecosystem.

• Hypothesize the role of biotic and abiotic factors in ecosystems.

• Analyze the interrelationship of biotic and abiotic characteristics that make up the ecosystem studied.

• Compile and organize evidence from a variety of sources, for or against human activity being responsible for ecosystem change, and analyze the relationship between human activity and changing ecosystems.

2: Explain the mechanisms involved in the change of populations over time.

• Explain that variability in a species results from heritable mutations and that some mutations have a selective advantage.

• Discuss the significance of sexual reproduction to individual variation in populations and to the process of evolution.

• Explain speciation and the conditions required for this process.

Grade 12: Biology 30 – Population and Community Dynamics

1: Describe a community as a composite of populations in which individuals contribute to a gene pool that can change over time.

• Describe the factors that cause the diversity in the gene pool to change

• Explain that science and technology have both intended and unintended consequences for humans and the environment.

• Discuss the introduction of exotic species into new ecosystems.

• Discuss the development of ecological reserves to preserve gene-pool diversity.

• Assess the bottleneck effect characteristic of small populations, such as in whooping crane and swift fox populations, and suggest strategies to counteract it.

• Assess habitat loss and the responsibility of society to protect the environment for future generations.

2: Explain the interaction of individuals in a population with one another and with members of other populations.

• Describe the basis of species interactions and symbiotic relationships and describe the influence of these interactions on population changes

• Explain why Canadian society supports scientific research and technological development to facilitate a sustainable society, economy and environment.

• Discuss public support for scientific work done on predator-prey relationships as part of wildlife management in national and provincial parks.