MYP Biology Unit 4: Ecosystems – Energy & Change
Inquiry Statement: Organisms interact with the natural environment by transferring matter and energy.
Concepts: Relationships, Environment, Interaction, Transformation
Essential Questions:
• How can a keystone species impact the biodiversity of an ecosystem?
• How do limiting factors affect an ecosystem?
• How does energy flow through an ecosystem?
• How is matter recycled through an ecosystem?
• How can environmental disturbance affect the stability of an ecosystem?
• How does natural selection in pests lead to biological resistance?
Unit Overview
Unit Components
Populations & Biodiversity
Concepts/Topics
Carrying Capacity
Populations
Essential Vocabulary
carrying capacity, population density,
exponential growth, logistic growth,
density dependent, density independent,
keystone species, limiting factors
Questions:
What is a population?
What affect do keystone species have on
biodiversity?
What affect do limiting factors have on
ecosystems?
What affect do limiting factors have on
population size in an ecosystem?
Cell Energy
Concepts/Topics
Enzymes / Energy
Photosynthesis
Cellular Respiration
Essential Vocabulary
enzyme, active site, light dependent
reaction, light independent reaction,
glycolysis, Krebs cycle, electron transport
chain (ETC), ATP
Questions:
How do enzymes function?
What are the functions of glycolysis, the
Krebs cycle, and the ETC in cell
respiration?
What are the functions of the light
reactions and Calvin cycle in
photosynthesis?
What is the purpose of photosynthesis
and cell respiration?
Food Webs, Energy & Matter
Concepts/Topics
Food Web
Energy Pyramid
Nutrient Cycling
Essential Vocabulary
food chain, food web, energy flow,
nutrient cycling, biomagnification
Questions:
What is a food web?
What is an energy pyramid?
How does the quantity of energy change
in the steps of an energy pyramid?
How does matter cycle through an
ecosystem?
How does energy flow through an
ecosystem?
Succession & Human Impact
Concepts/Topics
Succession
Adaptation
Climate Change
Essential Vocabulary
succession, plant adaptations, animal
adaptations, climate change, human
impact, natural selection, biological
resistance
Questions:
What is succession?
What is an adaptation?
How do human activities impact the
environment?
How do adaptations influence an
organism’s survival when environmental
conditions change?
How can human impact on the
environment be reduced?
How does natural selection in pests lead
to biological resistance?
At the end of this Unit, I Can…
• Describe the characteristics of a population
• Describe limiting factors and carrying capacity
• Use a graph to determine the carrying capacity of a population
• Explain how limiting factors can affect the biodiversity in an ecosystem
• Analyze data to support explanations about factors affecting biodiversity and populations in ecosystems
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• Describe the function of an enzyme
• Describe how an active site works on a substrate to form products
• Explain how an enzyme functions to increase the rate of a reaction and how different environmental factors can impact the function of an enzyme in a cell
• Construct an argument supported by evidence to relate the structure of an enzyme to its interaction in carrying out cellular processes
• Describe the overall functions of cellular respiration and photosynthesis
• Describe how cellular respiration and photosynthesis are related to each other
• Describe how cellular respiration and photosynthesis are related to the flow of energy in the cell
• Explain how the processes of cellular respiration and photosynthesis work to provide energy for the cell
• Explain how the reactants and products are cycled between cellular respiration and photosynthesis
• Explain the role of photosynthesis and cellular respiration in the cycling of matter and flow of energy within a single-celled alga
• Construct a food web
• Use arrows within a food web to show the flow of energy through it
• Compare the quantity of energy between different steps of an energy pyramid
• Explain how and why the amount of energy changes between levels of a food web
• Explain how the major biochemical elements are cycled through an ecosystem
• Explain how biomagnification impacts a food web
• Use a model to analyze the cycle of matter and flow of energy within an ecosystem
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• Describe succession
• Describe adaptation
• Explain how succession can impact an ecosystem
• Explain how plants and animals have certain adaptations to allow them to survive in a particular ecosystem
• Construct an argument to predict the impact of environmental change on the stability of an ecosystem
• Describe climate change
• List the factors that contribute to excess CO2 in the atmosphere that contributes to climate change
• Explain the impact of climate change on ecosystem stability
• Interpret data from a graph that shows evidence of increased CO2 and its sources
• Design a solution to reduce the impact of human activity on the environment
• Use a graph to determine how a population is impacted by environmental change
• Determine the range of conditions an organism can survive based on data
• Explain how adaptations allow an organism to survive in changing conditions
• Construct an explanation to predict an organism’s ability to survive within changing environmental limits