Page 53 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 and 10: Science, 2008 (revised)

B. Developing Skills of Investigation and Communication
By the end of this course, students will:
B2.1 use appropriate terminology related to sus- tainable ecosystems, including, but not limited to: bioaccumulation, biosphere, diversity, ecosystem, equilibrium, sustainability, sustainable use, protec- tion, and watershed [C]
B2.2 interpret qualitative and quantitative data from undisturbed and disturbed ecosystems (terrestrial and/or aquatic), communicate the re- sults graphically, and, extrapolating from the data, explain the importance of biodiversity for all sustainable ecosystems [PR, AI, C]
B2.3 plan and conduct an investigation, involving both inquiry and research, into how a human activity affects soil composition or soil fertility (e.g., changes to soil composition resulting from the use of different compostable materials, or- ganic or inorganic fertilizers, or pesticides), and, extrapolating from the data and information gathered, explain the impact of this activity on the sustainability of terrestrial ecosystems
[IP, PR, AI, C]
B2.4 plan and conduct an investigation, involving both inquiry and research, into how a human activity affects water quality (e.g., leaching of organic or inorganic fertilizers or pesticides into water systems, changes to watersheds resulting from deforestation or land development, diver- sion of ground water for industrial uses), and, extrapolating from the data and information gath- ered, explain the impact of this activity on the sustainability of aquatic ecosystems [IP, PR, AI, C]
B2.5 analyse the effect of human activity on the populations of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems by interpreting data and generating graphs (e.g., data from Statistics Canada, Parks Canada, and other websites on: the concentration in water of chemicals from fertilizer run-off and their effect on the growth of algae; stressors associated with human use of natural areas, such as trampled vegetation, wildlife mortality from motor vehicles, and the removal of plants, animals, and/or natural objects; suburban developments and their impact on the food supply for animals such as foxes and racoons) [PR, AI, C]
B. Understanding Basic Concepts
By the end of this course, students will:
B3.1 compare and contrast biotic and abiotic char- acteristics of sustainable and unsustainable terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems
B3.2 describe the complementary processes of cel- lular respiration and photosynthesis with respect to the flow of energy and the cycling
of matter within ecosystems (i.e., carbon diox- ide is a by-product of cellular respiration and is used for photosynthesis, which produces oxygen needed for cellular respiration), and explain how human activities can disrupt the balance achieved by these processes (e.g., automo- bile use increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere; planting more trees decreas- es the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere)
B3.3 describe the limiting factors of ecosystems (e.g., nutrients, space, water, energy, preda- tors), and explain how these factors affect the carrying capacity of an ecosystem (e.g., the ef- fect of an increase in the moose population on the wolf population in the same ecosystem)
B3.4 identify the earth’s four spheres (biosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, atmosphere), and de- scribe the relationship that must exist between these spheres if diversity and sustainability are to be maintained
B3.5 identify various factors related to human ac- tivity that have an impact on ecosystems (e.g., the introduction of invasive species; shoreline de- velopment; industrial emissions that result in acid rain), and explain how these factors affect the equilibrium and survival of ecosystems (e.g., invasive species push out native species and upset the equilibrium in an ecosystem; shoreline development affects the types of ter- restrial and aquatic life that can live near lake shores or river banks; acid rain changes the pH of water, which affects the type of aquatic life that can survive in a lake)
BIOLOGY: SUSTAINABLE ECOSYSTEMS
1
Science
SNC1D