HS.Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

HS-LS2-1.	Use mathematical and/or computational representations to support explanations of factors that affect carrying capacity of ecosystems at different scales. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on quantitative analysis and comparison of the relationships among interdependent factors including boundaries, resources, climate, and competition. Examples of mathematical comparisons could include graphs, charts, histograms, and population changes gathered from simulations or historical data sets.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include deriving mathematical equations to make comparisons.]
HS-LS2-2.	Use mathematical representations to support and revise explanations based on evidence about factors affecting biodiversity and populations in ecosystems of different scales. [Clarification Statement: Examples of mathematical representations include finding the average, determining trends, and using graphical comparisons of multiple sets of data.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to provided data.]
HS-LS2-6.	Evaluate claims, evidence, and reasoning that the complex interactions in ecosystems maintain relatively consistent numbers and types of organisms in stable conditions, but changing conditions may result in a new ecosystem. [Clarification Statement: Examples of changes in ecosystem conditions could include modest biological or physical changes, such as moderate hunting or a seasonal flood; and extreme changes, such as volcanic eruption or sea level rise.]
HS-LS2-7.	Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity.* [Clarification Statement: Examples of human activities can include urbanization, building dams, and dissemination of invasive species.]
HS-LS2-8.	Evaluate evidence for the role of group behavior on individual and species’ chances to survive and reproduce. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on: (1) distinguishing between group and individual behavior, (2) identifying evidence supporting the outcomes of group behavior, and (3) developing logical and reasonable arguments based on evidence. Examples of group behaviors could include flocking, schooling, herding, and cooperative behaviors such as hunting, migrating, and swarming.]
HS-LS4-6.	Create or revise a simulation to test a solution to mitigate adverse impacts of human activity on biodiversity.* [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on testing solutions for a proposed problem related to threatened or endangered species, or to genetic variation of organisms for multiple species.]

The performance expectations above were developed using the following elements from the NRC document A Framework for K-12 Science Education:

Science and Engineering Practices

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Connections to Nature of Science

Scientific Knowledge is Open to Revision in Light of New Evidence

Most scientific knowledge is quite durable, but is, in principle, subject to change based on new evidence and/or reinterpretation of existing evidence. (HS-LS2-2)
Scientific argumentation is a mode of logical discourse used to clarify the strength of relationships between ideas and evidence that may result in revision of an explanation. (HS-LS2-6),(HS-LS2-8)

Disciplinary Core Ideas

LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems

Ecosystems have carrying capacities, which are limits to the numbers of organisms and populations they can support. These limits result from such factors as the availability of living and nonliving resources and from such challenges such as predation, competition, and disease. Organisms would have the capacity to produce populations of great size were it not for the fact that environments and resources are finite. This fundamental tension affects the abundance (number of individuals) of species in any given ecosystem. (HS-LS2-1),(HS-LS2-2)

LS2.C: Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience

LS2.D: Social Interactions and Group Behavior

Group behavior has evolved because membership can increase the chances of survival for individuals and their genetic relatives. (HS-LS2-8)

LS4.C: Adaptation

Changes in the physical environment, whether naturally occurring or human induced, have thus contributed to the expansion of some species, the emergence of new distinct species as populations diverge under different conditions, and the decline–and sometimes the extinction–of some species. (HS-LS4-6)

LS4.D: Biodiversity and Humans

ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions

Crosscutting Concepts

Cause and Effect

Empirical evidence is required to differentiate between cause and correlation and make claims about specific causes and effects. (HS-LS2-8),(HS-LS4-6)

Scale, Proportion, and Quantity

The significance of a phenomenon is dependent on the scale, proportion, and quantity at which it occurs. (HS-LS2-1)

Using the concept of orders of magnitude allows one to understand how a model at one scale relates to a model at another scale. (HS-LS2-2)

Stability and Change

Much of science deals with constructing explanations of how things change and how they remain stable. (HS-LS2-6),(HS-LS2-7)

Connections to other DCIs in this grade-band:

HS.ESS2.D (HS-LS2-7),(HS-LS4-6); HS.ESS2.E (HS-LS2-2),(HS-LS2-6),(HS-LS2-7),(HS-LS4-6); HS.ESS3.A (HS-LS2-2),(HS-LS2-7),(HS-LS4-6); HS.ESS3.C (HS-LS2-2),(HS-LS2-7); HS.ESS3.D (HS-LS2-2),(HS-LS4-6)

Articulation of DCIs across grade-bands:

MS.LS1.B (MS-LS2-8), (HS-LS2-8); MS.LS2.A (HS-LS2-1),(HS-LS2-2),(HS-LS2-6); MS.LS2.C (HS-LS2-1),(HS-LS2-2),(HS-LS2-6),(HS-LS2-7),(HS-LS4-6); MS.ESS2.E (HS-LS1-6); MS.ESS3.A (HS-LS2-1); MS.ESS3.C (HS-LS2-1),(HS-LS2-2),(HS-LS2-6),(HS-LS2-7),(HS-LS4-6); MS.ESS3.D (HS-LS2-7)

Common Core State Standards Connections:

ELA/Literacy -
RST.9-10.8	Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author’s claim or a recommendation for solving a scientific or technical problem. (HS-LS2-6),(HS-LS2-7),(HS-LS2-8)
RST.11-12.1	Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to important distinctions the author makes and to any gaps or inconsistencies in the account. (HS-LS2-1),(HS-LS2-2),(HS-LS2-6),(HS-LS2-8)
RST.11-12.7	Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., quantitative data, video, multimedia) in order to address a question or solve a problem. (HS-LS2-6),(HS-LS2-7),(HS-LS2-8)
RST.11-12.8	Evaluate the hypotheses, data, analysis, and conclusions in a science or technical text, verifying the data when possible and corroborating or challenging conclusions with other sources of information. (HS-LS2-6),(HS-LS2-7),(HS-LS2-8)
WHST.9-12.2	Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical processes. (HS-LS2-1),(HS-LS2-2)
WHST.9-12.5	Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. (HS-LS4-6)
WHST.9-12.7	Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation. (HS-LS2-7),(HS-LS4-6)
Mathematics -
MP.2	Reason abstractly and quantitatively. (HS-LS2-1),(HS-LS2-2),(HS-LS2-6),(HS-LS2-7)
MP.4	Model with mathematics. (HS-LS2-1),(HS-LS2-2)
HSN.Q.A.1	Use units as a way to understand problems and to guide the solution of multi-step problems; choose and interpret units consistently in formulas; choose and interpret the scale and the origin in graphs and data displays. (HS-LS2-1),(HS-LS2-2),(HS-LS2-4),(HS-LS2-7)
HSN.Q.A.2	Define appropriate quantities for the purpose of descriptive modeling. (HS-LS2-1),(HS-LS2-2),(HS-LS2-7)
HSN.Q.A.3	Choose a level of accuracy appropriate to limitations on measurement when reporting quantities. (HS-LS2-1),(HS-LS2-2),(HS-LS2-7)
HSS-ID.A.1	Represent data with plots on the real number line. (HS-LS2-6)
HSS-IC.A.1	Understand statistics as a process for making inferences about population parameters based on a random sample from that population. (HS-LS2-6)
HSS-IC.B.6	Evaluate reports based on data. (HS-LS2-6)

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

HS-LS2-1.	Use mathematical and/or computational representations to support explanations of factors that affect carrying capacity of ecosystems at different scales. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on quantitative analysis and comparison of the relationships among interdependent factors including boundaries, resources, climate, and competition. Examples of mathematical comparisons could include graphs, charts, histograms, and population changes gathered from simulations or historical data sets.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include deriving mathematical equations to make comparisons.]
HS-LS2-2.	Use mathematical representations to support and revise explanations based on evidence about factors affecting biodiversity and populations in ecosystems of different scales. [Clarification Statement: Examples of mathematical representations include finding the average, determining trends, and using graphical comparisons of multiple sets of data.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to provided data.]
HS-LS2-6.	Evaluate claims, evidence, and reasoning that the complex interactions in ecosystems maintain relatively consistent numbers and types of organisms in stable conditions, but changing conditions may result in a new ecosystem. [Clarification Statement: Examples of changes in ecosystem conditions could include modest biological or physical changes, such as moderate hunting or a seasonal flood; and extreme changes, such as volcanic eruption or sea level rise.]
HS-LS2-7.	Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity.* [Clarification Statement: Examples of human activities can include urbanization, building dams, and dissemination of invasive species.]
HS-LS2-8.	Evaluate evidence for the role of group behavior on individual and species’ chances to survive and reproduce. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on: (1) distinguishing between group and individual behavior, (2) identifying evidence supporting the outcomes of group behavior, and (3) developing logical and reasonable arguments based on evidence. Examples of group behaviors could include flocking, schooling, herding, and cooperative behaviors such as hunting, migrating, and swarming.]
HS-LS4-6.	Create or revise a simulation to test a solution to mitigate adverse impacts of human activity on biodiversity.* [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on testing solutions for a proposed problem related to threatened or endangered species, or to genetic variation of organisms for multiple species.]

The performance expectations above were developed using the following elements from the NRC document A Framework for K-12 Science Education:

Science and Engineering Practices

Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking

Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

Design, evaluate, and refine a solution to a complex real-world problem, based on scientific knowledge, student-generated sources of evidence, prioritized criteria, and tradeoff considerations. (HS-LS2-7)

Engaging in Argument from Evidence

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Connections to Nature of Science

Scientific Knowledge is Open to Revision in Light of New Evidence

Most scientific knowledge is quite durable, but is, in principle, subject to change based on new evidence and/or reinterpretation of existing evidence. (HS-LS2-2)
Scientific argumentation is a mode of logical discourse used to clarify the strength of relationships between ideas and evidence that may result in revision of an explanation. (HS-LS2-6),(HS-LS2-8)

Disciplinary Core Ideas

LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems

Ecosystems have carrying capacities, which are limits to the numbers of organisms and populations they can support. These limits result from such factors as the availability of living and nonliving resources and from such challenges such as predation, competition, and disease. Organisms would have the capacity to produce populations of great size were it not for the fact that environments and resources are finite. This fundamental tension affects the abundance (number of individuals) of species in any given ecosystem. (HS-LS2-1),(HS-LS2-2)

LS2.C: Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience

LS2.D: Social Interactions and Group Behavior

Group behavior has evolved because membership can increase the chances of survival for individuals and their genetic relatives. (HS-LS2-8)

LS4.C: Adaptation

Changes in the physical environment, whether naturally occurring or human induced, have thus contributed to the expansion of some species, the emergence of new distinct species as populations diverge under different conditions, and the decline–and sometimes the extinction–of some species. (HS-LS4-6)

LS4.D: Biodiversity and Humans

ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions

Crosscutting Concepts

Cause and Effect

Empirical evidence is required to differentiate between cause and correlation and make claims about specific causes and effects. (HS-LS2-8),(HS-LS4-6)

Scale, Proportion, and Quantity

The significance of a phenomenon is dependent on the scale, proportion, and quantity at which it occurs. (HS-LS2-1)

Using the concept of orders of magnitude allows one to understand how a model at one scale relates to a model at another scale. (HS-LS2-2)

Stability and Change

Much of science deals with constructing explanations of how things change and how they remain stable. (HS-LS2-6),(HS-LS2-7)

Connections to other DCIs in this grade-band:

Articulation of DCIs across grade-bands:

Common Core State Standards Connections:

ELA/Literacy -
RST.9-10.8	Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author’s claim or a recommendation for solving a scientific or technical problem. (HS-LS2-6),(HS-LS2-7),(HS-LS2-8)
RST.11-12.1	Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to important distinctions the author makes and to any gaps or inconsistencies in the account. (HS-LS2-1),(HS-LS2-2),(HS-LS2-6),(HS-LS2-8)
RST.11-12.7	Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., quantitative data, video, multimedia) in order to address a question or solve a problem. (HS-LS2-6),(HS-LS2-7),(HS-LS2-8)
RST.11-12.8	Evaluate the hypotheses, data, analysis, and conclusions in a science or technical text, verifying the data when possible and corroborating or challenging conclusions with other sources of information. (HS-LS2-6),(HS-LS2-7),(HS-LS2-8)
WHST.9-12.2	Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical processes. (HS-LS2-1),(HS-LS2-2)
WHST.9-12.5	Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. (HS-LS4-6)
WHST.9-12.7	Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation. (HS-LS2-7),(HS-LS4-6)
Mathematics -
MP.2	Reason abstractly and quantitatively. (HS-LS2-1),(HS-LS2-2),(HS-LS2-6),(HS-LS2-7)
MP.4	Model with mathematics. (HS-LS2-1),(HS-LS2-2)
HSN.Q.A.1	Use units as a way to understand problems and to guide the solution of multi-step problems; choose and interpret units consistently in formulas; choose and interpret the scale and the origin in graphs and data displays. (HS-LS2-1),(HS-LS2-2),(HS-LS2-4),(HS-LS2-7)
HSN.Q.A.2	Define appropriate quantities for the purpose of descriptive modeling. (HS-LS2-1),(HS-LS2-2),(HS-LS2-7)
HSN.Q.A.3	Choose a level of accuracy appropriate to limitations on measurement when reporting quantities. (HS-LS2-1),(HS-LS2-2),(HS-LS2-7)
HSS-ID.A.1	Represent data with plots on the real number line. (HS-LS2-6)
HSS-IC.A.1	Understand statistics as a process for making inferences about population parameters based on a random sample from that population. (HS-LS2-6)
HSS-IC.B.6	Evaluate reports based on data. (HS-LS2-6)

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

HS-LS2-1.	Use mathematical and/or computational representations to support explanations of factors that affect carrying capacity of ecosystems at different scales. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on quantitative analysis and comparison of the relationships among interdependent factors including boundaries, resources, climate, and competition. Examples of mathematical comparisons could include graphs, charts, histograms, and population changes gathered from simulations or historical data sets.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include deriving mathematical equations to make comparisons.]
HS-LS2-2.	Use mathematical representations to support and revise explanations based on evidence about factors affecting biodiversity and populations in ecosystems of different scales. [Clarification Statement: Examples of mathematical representations include finding the average, determining trends, and using graphical comparisons of multiple sets of data.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to provided data.]
HS-LS2-6.	Evaluate claims, evidence, and reasoning that the complex interactions in ecosystems maintain relatively consistent numbers and types of organisms in stable conditions, but changing conditions may result in a new ecosystem. [Clarification Statement: Examples of changes in ecosystem conditions could include modest biological or physical changes, such as moderate hunting or a seasonal flood; and extreme changes, such as volcanic eruption or sea level rise.]
HS-LS2-7.	Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity.* [Clarification Statement: Examples of human activities can include urbanization, building dams, and dissemination of invasive species.]
HS-LS2-8.	Evaluate evidence for the role of group behavior on individual and species’ chances to survive and reproduce. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on: (1) distinguishing between group and individual behavior, (2) identifying evidence supporting the outcomes of group behavior, and (3) developing logical and reasonable arguments based on evidence. Examples of group behaviors could include flocking, schooling, herding, and cooperative behaviors such as hunting, migrating, and swarming.]
HS-LS4-6.	Create or revise a simulation to test a solution to mitigate adverse impacts of human activity on biodiversity.* [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on testing solutions for a proposed problem related to threatened or endangered species, or to genetic variation of organisms for multiple species.]

The performance expectations above were developed using the following elements from the NRC document A Framework for K-12 Science Education:

Science and Engineering Practices

Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking

Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

Design, evaluate, and refine a solution to a complex real-world problem, based on scientific knowledge, student-generated sources of evidence, prioritized criteria, and tradeoff considerations. (HS-LS2-7)

Engaging in Argument from Evidence

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Connections to Nature of Science

Scientific Knowledge is Open to Revision in Light of New Evidence

Most scientific knowledge is quite durable, but is, in principle, subject to change based on new evidence and/or reinterpretation of existing evidence. (HS-LS2-2)
Scientific argumentation is a mode of logical discourse used to clarify the strength of relationships between ideas and evidence that may result in revision of an explanation. (HS-LS2-6),(HS-LS2-8)

Disciplinary Core Ideas

LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems

Ecosystems have carrying capacities, which are limits to the numbers of organisms and populations they can support. These limits result from such factors as the availability of living and nonliving resources and from such challenges such as predation, competition, and disease. Organisms would have the capacity to produce populations of great size were it not for the fact that environments and resources are finite. This fundamental tension affects the abundance (number of individuals) of species in any given ecosystem. (HS-LS2-1),(HS-LS2-2)

LS2.C: Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience

LS2.D: Social Interactions and Group Behavior

Group behavior has evolved because membership can increase the chances of survival for individuals and their genetic relatives. (HS-LS2-8)

LS4.C: Adaptation

Changes in the physical environment, whether naturally occurring or human induced, have thus contributed to the expansion of some species, the emergence of new distinct species as populations diverge under different conditions, and the decline–and sometimes the extinction–of some species. (HS-LS4-6)

LS4.D: Biodiversity and Humans

ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions

Crosscutting Concepts

Cause and Effect

Empirical evidence is required to differentiate between cause and correlation and make claims about specific causes and effects. (HS-LS2-8),(HS-LS4-6)

Scale, Proportion, and Quantity

The significance of a phenomenon is dependent on the scale, proportion, and quantity at which it occurs. (HS-LS2-1)

Using the concept of orders of magnitude allows one to understand how a model at one scale relates to a model at another scale. (HS-LS2-2)

Stability and Change

Much of science deals with constructing explanations of how things change and how they remain stable. (HS-LS2-6),(HS-LS2-7)

Connections to other DCIs in this grade-band:

Articulation of DCIs across grade-bands:

Common Core State Standards Connections:

ELA/Literacy -
RST.9-10.8	Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author’s claim or a recommendation for solving a scientific or technical problem. (HS-LS2-6),(HS-LS2-7),(HS-LS2-8)
RST.11-12.1	Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to important distinctions the author makes and to any gaps or inconsistencies in the account. (HS-LS2-1),(HS-LS2-2),(HS-LS2-6),(HS-LS2-8)
RST.11-12.7	Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., quantitative data, video, multimedia) in order to address a question or solve a problem. (HS-LS2-6),(HS-LS2-7),(HS-LS2-8)
RST.11-12.8	Evaluate the hypotheses, data, analysis, and conclusions in a science or technical text, verifying the data when possible and corroborating or challenging conclusions with other sources of information. (HS-LS2-6),(HS-LS2-7),(HS-LS2-8)
WHST.9-12.2	Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical processes. (HS-LS2-1),(HS-LS2-2)
WHST.9-12.5	Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. (HS-LS4-6)
WHST.9-12.7	Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation. (HS-LS2-7),(HS-LS4-6)
Mathematics -
MP.2	Reason abstractly and quantitatively. (HS-LS2-1),(HS-LS2-2),(HS-LS2-6),(HS-LS2-7)
MP.4	Model with mathematics. (HS-LS2-1),(HS-LS2-2)
HSN.Q.A.1	Use units as a way to understand problems and to guide the solution of multi-step problems; choose and interpret units consistently in formulas; choose and interpret the scale and the origin in graphs and data displays. (HS-LS2-1),(HS-LS2-2),(HS-LS2-4),(HS-LS2-7)
HSN.Q.A.2	Define appropriate quantities for the purpose of descriptive modeling. (HS-LS2-1),(HS-LS2-2),(HS-LS2-7)
HSN.Q.A.3	Choose a level of accuracy appropriate to limitations on measurement when reporting quantities. (HS-LS2-1),(HS-LS2-2),(HS-LS2-7)
HSS-ID.A.1	Represent data with plots on the real number line. (HS-LS2-6)
HSS-IC.A.1	Understand statistics as a process for making inferences about population parameters based on a random sample from that population. (HS-LS2-6)
HSS-IC.B.6	Evaluate reports based on data. (HS-LS2-6)

Science and Engineering Practices

Connections to Nature of Science

Scientific Knowledge is Open to Revision in Light of New Evidence

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Crosscutting Concepts

Science and Engineering Practices

Connections to Nature of Science

Scientific Knowledge is Open to Revision in Light of New Evidence

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Crosscutting Concepts

Science and Engineering Practices

Connections to Nature of Science

Scientific Knowledge is Open to Revision in Light of New Evidence

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Crosscutting Concepts

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