Page 237 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | Canadian and World Studies

allow humans to thrive outside the earth’s atmosphere?”
B3.2 explain the influence of physical factors (e.g., climate, sunlight, soils, topography) on the characteristics of various ecosystems (e.g., boreal forest, desert, tundra, savannah, rainforest), and analyse the relationship between the system’s characteristics and the abundance and variety of life that it supports
Sample questions: “How does the shape of the earth influence the characteristics of various ecosystems?” “Should humans be considered components of ecosystems? Why or why not?” “Why do some ecosystems support a much greater abundance and diversity of life than others? How do the abundance and diversity of plant life in an ecosystem determine the amount of animal life it can support?” “What accounts for the diversity of life in a coral reef ecosystem?” “How does the vertical structure of a tropical rainforest contribute to biodiversity? Why do most organisms in a rainforest live in the tree canopy?” “What are some of the ways in which plants and animals have adapted to the heat and dryness of hot deserts? How have they adapted to the extreme cold of cold deserts, such as Canada’s Arctic?” “Why are some ecosystems more fragile than others?”
B3.3 explain how interactions between the components of an ecosystem (e.g., biotic com- ponents such as primary producers, consumers, and decomposers; abiotic components such as climate and soils) contribute to its characteristics and affect its stability
Sample questions: “How do soil conditions determine the type of vegetation found in an ecosystem? How do decomposers contribute to soil production?” “How do predators contribute to the stability of ecosystems?” “How might the loss of sea ice and sea-ice algae as a result of climate change affect seal and polar bear populations in the Arctic?” “How would African savannahs change if elephants were no longer part of the ecosystem?”
B3.4 explain how and why ecosystems change over time
Sample questions: “What do we mean by primary succession and secondary succession?” “What can cause an ecosystem to change?” “What role does a forest fire play in the regener- ation of forest ecology?” “How does a volcanic landscape become repopulated with flora and fauna?”
SPATIAL ORGANIZATION
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The Environment and Resource Management
CGR4M