6b. Develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and the flow of energy among abiotic and biotic components of an ecosystem: producers, autotrophs, consumers, (heterotrophs, i.e., herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, and scavenger), and decomposers (GSE S7L4b) (Clarification statement: Emphasis is on tracing movement of matter (such as carbon-oxygen cycle) and flow of energy (food chain/web), not the biochemical mechanisms of photosynthesis and cellular respiration.)
6a. Construct an explanation to describe the patterns of interactions in different ecosystems in terms of the relationships among and between biotic and abiotic components of ecosystems (GSE S7L4a) (Clarification statement: The interactions include, but are not limited to, predator prey relationships, competition, mutualism, parasitism, and commensalism.)
6d. Plan and carry out investigations to investigate how changes in environmental conditions can affect both individuals and ecosystems.
6c. Engage in argument from evidence to demonstrate that resource availability, disease, and climate, and human activity affect individual organisms, populations, communities, and ecosystems (GSE S7L4c) Extension: ask questions and define problems on the effect of an invasive species on native populations within an ecosystem.
6f. Construct an explanation of how organisms’ adaptations allow them to survive in their specific biome
6e. Ask questions to gather and synthesize information from multiple sources to differentiate between Earth's major terrestrial biomes (i.e., tropical rainforest, savanna, temperate forest, desert, grassland, taiga, and tundra) and aquatic ecosystems (i.e. freshwater, estuaries, and marine) (GSE S7L4d) (Clarification statement: Emphasis is on the factors that influence patterns across biomes such as the climate, availability of food and water, and location.)Extension: analyze and interpret data to identify environmental problems within the world’s biomes.