Page 54 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12: Science, 2008 (revised)

Grade 11, University Preparation
c1. analyse the economic and environmental advantages and disadvantages of an artificial selection technology, and evaluate the impact of environmental changes on natural selection and endangered species;
c2. investigateevolutionaryprocesses,andanalysescientificevidencethatsupportsthetheoryof evolution;
c3. demonstrate an understanding of the theory of evolution, the evidence that supports it, and some of the mechanisms by which it occurs.
C1. Relating Science to Technology, Society, and the Environment
C2. Developing Skills of Investigation and Communication
THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | science
SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS
By the end of this course, students will:
c1.1 analyse, on the basis of research, the economic and environmental advantages and disadvan- tages of an artificial selection technology (e.g., livestock and horticultural breeding) [IP, PR, AI, C]
Sample issue: Selective breeding of agricultural crops can benefit populations in less-developed countries by producing hardier crops, increasing food supplies, and improving the nutritional content of food. However, opponents of artificial selection technology believe that it affects the natural ability of a species to reproduce, which negatively affects biodiversity.
Sample questions: How has selective breeding of specific crops helped to increase the yield
of the crop and decrease the need for chemicals in the fields? How has the introduction of gen- etically engineered species in the horticultural industry affected other species planted in the same areas? In what ways do the characteristics of today’s farm animals, such as cattle, pigs, and chickens, differ from those of earlier farm animals? What are the reasons for the differences?
c1.2 evaluate the possible impact of an environ- mental change on natural selection and on the vulnerability of species (e.g., adaptation to environmental changes can affect reproductive success of an organism) [AI, C]
Sample issue: An increase in forest fires in some areas of North America has affected the repro- ductive success of some species as their food supplies decrease and they are forced to adapt to adverse habitat conditions. Yet, forest fires also naturally promote changes in plant and animal species over time as the environment becomes more suitable for other species.
Sample questions: Why has a decline in the milkweed population, as a result of urbanization and pesticides, affected the migration of monarch butterflies? How has the introduction of bacteria and viruses in inland lakes affected the life cycle of carp? What impact has the loss of bamboo forests to urbanization had on the giant panda’s ability to breed and live?
By the end of this course, students will:
c2.1 use appropriate terminology related to evo- lution, including, but not limited to: extinction, natural selection, phylogeny, speciation, niche, mutation, mimicry, adaptation, and survival of the fittest [C]
c2.2 use a research process to investigate some of the key factors that affect the evolutionary process (e.g., genetic mutations, selective pressures, environmental stresses) [IP, PR]
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c. evolution OVERALL EXPECTATIONS
By the end of this course, students will: