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Science and Technology/Engineering > Grade 7 > Life Science
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Science and Technology/Engineering | Grade : 7

Discipline - Life Science

Core Idea - Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

[7.LS.2.3] - Develop a model to describe that matter and energy are transferred among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem and that both matter and energy are conserved through these processes. Clarification Statements: Cycling of matter should include the role of photosynthesis, cellular respiration, and decomposition, as well as transfer among producers, consumers (primary, secondary, and tertiary), and decomposers. Models may include food webs and food chains. State Assessment Boundary: Cycling of specific atoms (such as carbon or oxygen), or the biochemical steps of photosynthesis, cellular respiration, and decomposition are not expected in state assessment.

Resources:

Predecessor Standards:

  • 5.LS.2.1
    Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among producers, consumers, decomposers, and the air, water, and soil in the environment to (a) show that plants produce sugars and plant materials, (b) show that animals can eat plants and/or other animals for food, and (c) show that some organisms, including fungi and bacteria, break down dead organisms and recycle some materials back to the air and soil. Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on matter moving throughout the ecosystem. State Assessment Boundary: Molecular explanations, or distinctions among primary, secondary, and tertiary consumers, are not expected in state assessment.
  • 5.PS.3.1
    Use a model to describe that the food animals digest (a) contains energy that was once energy from the Sun, and (b) provides energy and nutrients for life processes, including body repair, growth, motion, body warmth, and reproduction. Clarification Statement: Examples of models could include diagrams and flow charts. State Assessment Boundary: Details of cellular respiration, ATP, or molecular details of the process of photosynthesis or respiration are not expected in state assessment
  • 6.LS.1.2
    Develop and use a model to describe how parts of cells contribute to the cellular functions of obtaining food, water, and other nutrients from its environment, disposing of wastes, and providing energy for cellular processes. Clarification Statement: Parts of plant and animal cells include (a) the nucleus, which contains a cell’s genetic material and regulates its activities; (b) chloroplasts, which produce necessary food (sugar) and oxygen through photosynthesis (in plants); (c) mitochondria, which release energy from food through cellular respiration; (d) vacuoles, which store materials, including water, nutrients, and waste; (e) the cell membrane, which is a selective barrier that enables nutrients to enter the cell and wastes to be expelled; and (f) the cell wall, which provides structural support (in plants). State Assessment Boundary: Specific biochemical steps or chemical processes, the role of ATP, active transport processes involving the cell membrane, or identifying or comparing different types of cells are not expected in state assessment.

Successor Standards:

  • HS.LS.2.4
    Use a mathematical model to describe the transfer of energy from one trophic level to another. Explain how the inefficiency of energy transfer between trophic levels affects the relative number of organisms that can be supported at each trophic level and necessitates a constant input of energy from sunlight or inorganic compounds from the environment. Clarification Statement: The model should illustrate the “10% rule” of energy transfer and show approximate amounts of available energy at each trophic level in an ecosystem (up to five trophic levels).
  • HS.LS.2.5
    Use a model that illustrates the roles of photosynthesis, cellular respiration, decomposition, and combustion to explain the cycling of carbon in its various forms among the biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere. Clarification Statements: The primary forms of carbon include carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons, waste (dead organic matter), and biomass (organic materials of living organisms). Examples of models could include simulations and mathematical models. State Assessment Boundary: The specific chemical steps of respiration, decomposition, and combustion are not expected in state assessment.

Same Level Standards:

  • WCA.6-8.7
    Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.
  • 7.LS.2.2
    Describe how relationships among and between organisms in an ecosystem can be competitive, predatory, parasitic, and mutually beneficial and that these interactions are found across multiple ecosystems. Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on describing consistent patterns of interactions in different ecosystems in terms of relationships among and between organisms.