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Descriptive Statements:
- Demonstrate knowledge of ecological concepts (e.g., niche, population, community, ecosystem, biome), types of biomes, and the characteristics of the flora and fauna of various biomes.
- Analyze the biotic and abiotic factors that influence population dynamics (e.g., carrying capacity, resource availability, limiting factors, competition), including the use of mathematical models.
- Apply knowledge of cause and effect to biodiversity, population sizes, density, and growth rates of species in an ecosystem (e.g., disease, predation, generation length).
- Analyze how individual and group behaviors (e.g., nest building, flocking, schooling, herding, hunting) influence the chances of survival and reproduction for individuals and species.
- Apply knowledge of symbiotic interactions between organisms in an ecosystem (e.g., competition, predation, commensalism, mutualism, parasitism).
- Demonstrate knowledge of scientific practices (e.g., asking questions, analyzing and interpreting data, using mathematics and computational thinking), safety procedures and the proper use of equipment, and the engineering design process (e.g., iterative design, solving problems) related to the relationships between organisms within an ecosystem.
Sample Item:
Use the information below to answer the question that follows.
White-tailed deer in the northern United States are herbivores that feed on a wide range of resources in the spring, summer, and fall months. When winter snows restrict movement, deer often survive by browsing on parts of plants, such as twigs. They also alter their metabolism and activity during the winter and rely on fat stores to provide energy. Female deer mate in the fall, carry the offspring through the winter, and produce one or two fawns in spring through early summer.
Which of the following statements best describes the effect of carrying capacity on white-tail deer population size in an area?
- White-tailed deer population size is limited by the lowest carrying capacity of the environment during the late winter and early spring months.
- The carrying capacity of the environment is irrelevant for white-tailed deer population size since they feed on such a wide variety of resources.
- White-tailed deer population size is limited by the lowest carrying capacity of the environment during the summer and fall when fawns are growing.
- The carrying capacity of the white-tailed deer's environment varies too greatly over the course of a typical year to be relevant to their population size.
Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
A. The population of a species such as the white-tailed deer is limited by the amount of space and food and other resources available to that species in its particular habitat. This limit in population size is referred to as the carrying capacity for that population. When the population density of the species increases, the carrying capacity is met or exceeded, leading to the exhaustion of food, water, and shelter. As a result, the chance of survival decreases because basic needs are no longer available. In this scenario, the white-tailed deer population is limited by the lowest carrying capacity of the environment during the late winter and early spring months because at the time of year, production of available food is at its lowest and the ability to travel is limited.
Descriptive Statements:
- Apply knowledge of the ways in which matter moves through abiotic and biotic reservoirs in an ecosystem (e.g., carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle, water cycle, photosynthesis, cellular respiration), including through the use of models.
- Analyze energy transfer within ecosystems, including through food webs and mathematical models (e.g., pyramid of energy).
- Demonstrate knowledge of trophic levels and relationships in an ecosystem (e.g., primary producers, decomposers).
- Apply knowledge of factors affecting equilibrium, resistance, and resilience in an ecosystem (e.g., biodiversity, functional redundancy, genetic diversity, reproductive rates).
- Apply knowledge of feedback loops promoting stability and change within an ecosystem (e.g., introduction of species, melting of ice sheets, rise in sea level, ocean acidification).
- Demonstrate knowledge of scientific practices (e.g., asking questions, analyzing and interpreting data, using mathematics and computational thinking), safety procedures and the proper use of equipment, and the engineering design process (e.g., iterative design, solving problems) related to how energy and matter pass through ecosystems.
Sample Item:
In a trophic organization of an ecosystem, which of the following organisms is a primary consumer?
- owl
- white pine
- mushroom
- white-tailed deer
Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
D. In a trophic organization in an ecosystem, a primary consumer is an organism, which is often referred to as an herbivore, that eats primary producers, such as plants. The diet of a white-tailed deer consists of plant-based foods such as grass, leaves, nuts, and fruits. Therefore, the white-tailed deer is the primary consumer in this ecosystem.
Descriptive Statements:
- Apply knowledge of the impacts of human activities on changes in climate and the impacts of climate change on species and ecosystems (e.g., ocean chemistry, changes in temperature and precipitation).
- Demonstrate knowledge of renewable resources (e.g., wind, solar) and nonrenewable resources (e.g., natural gas, coal) and their impact on the environment.
- Apply knowledge of the types and sources of environmental pollution; the effects of pollution on natural populations, communities, and ecosystems; and remediation methods.
- Apply knowledge of the ecological consequences of human activities and population growth that lead to a loss in biodiversity (e.g., habitat fragmentation, introduction of invasive species, overharvesting), including the use of models.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the concept of sustainability; its applications to human activities (e.g., agriculture, forestry management, fisheries management, recycling); and its potential for preventing, mitigating, and reversing environmental harm.
- Demonstrate knowledge of scientific practices (e.g., asking questions, analyzing and interpreting data, using mathematics and computational thinking), safety procedures and the proper use of equipment, and the engineering design process (e.g., iterative design, solving problems) related to how humans impact ecosystems.
Sample Item:
Which of the following environmental impacts of the extraction and combustion of fossil fuels is significantly smaller for natural gas than for coal and petroleum?
- reduction of nitrous oxides
- accidental methane release
- greenhouse effects
- atmospheric haze
Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
D. Natural gas is primarily composed of methane and some trace metals. When it undergoes combustion for fuel, it produces carbon dioxide and water vapor. Coal and petroleum are composed primarily of carbon and hydrogen atoms, and contain elements such as sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Combustion of coal and petroleum also introduces carbon dioxide and water vapor into the atmosphere, but due to the added emissions of sulfate and nitrate gases, they contribute significantly to the production of atmospheric haze compared to the combustion of natural gas. Consequently, natural gas has a lower environmental impact.
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