This reference is adapted from a Syllabus of the IB. In no way is it intended to replace parts of that syllabus, it is intended only to enhance your links with racerocks.com references to such syllabus objectives . .
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References in a box like this include a direct link to racerocks.com
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www.racerocks.com |
The following syllabus is not complete, only those sections with objectives with direct relationship to the resources at Race Rocks have been included here. Refer to the IBO Syllabus Guide for the COMPLETE ENVRONMENTAL SYSTEMS SYLLABUS
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| Topic1: |
Systems and Models |
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Outline the concept and characteristics of a system. |
| 1.1.5 |
Define and explain the principles of positive feedback and negative feedback. |
| 1.1.7 |
Distinguish between flows (inputs and outputs) and storages (stock) in relation to systems.
---Identify flows through systems and describe their direction and magnitude. |
| 1.1.8 |
Construct and analyse quantitative models involving flows and storages in a system.
Natural storages, yields and outputs should be included in the form of clearly constructed diagrammatic and graphical models.
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| Topic 2: |
The Ecosystem |
| 2.1 |
Structure (10h)
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| 2.1.1 |
Distinguish between biotic and abiotic (physical) components of an ecosystem. |
| 2.1.2 |
Define the term trophic level.
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| 2.1.3 |
Identify and explain trophic levels in food chains and food webs selected from the local environment
Relevant terms (eg producers, consumers, decomposers, herbivores, carnivores, top carnivores) should be applied to local, named examples and other food chains and food webs.
.http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/F/FoodChains.html
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Define the terms species, population, community, niche and habitat with reference to local examples.
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| 2.1.10 |
Describe and explain population interactions using examples of named species.
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| 2.2 |
Function (10h)
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| 2.2.1 |
Explain the role of producers, consumers and decomposers in the ecosystem. |
| 2.2.4 |
Define the terms gross productivity, net productivity, primary productivity, secondary productivity, gross primary productivity and net primary productivity
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Productivity is production per unit time. Gross productivity (GP) is the total gain in energy or biomass per unit time, which could be through photosynthesis in primary producers or absorption in consumers.
Net productivity (NP) is the gain in energy or biomass per unit time remaining after allowing for respiratory losses (R). Other metabolic losses may take place, but these may be ignored when calculating and defining net productivity for the purpose of this course.
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| 2.3 |
Changes (10h) |
| 2.3.1 |
Explain the concepts of limiting factors and carrying capacity in the context of population growth.
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Defining an organisms ecological niche as determined by limiting factors of the environment |
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| 2.3.2 |
Describe and explain "S" and "J" population growth curves
.Explain changes in both numbers and rates of growth in standard S and J population growth curves. Population curves should be sketched, described, interpreted and constructed from given data.
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Describe the concept and processes of succession in a named habitat.
See the lab on Succession
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| 2.3.7 |
Describe factors affecting the nature of climax communities. |
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| Topic 3: |
Global Cycles and Physical Systems |
| 3.1 |
The Atmosphere (4h)
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| 3.4 |
The Issue of Global Warming (4h)
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| 3.4.3 |
Outline three global and three local ways that emissions of greenhouse gases can be reduced.
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| 3.6 |
The Hydrosphere (5h) |
| 3.6.4 |
Outline the role of ocean currents in the regulation of climate.The rate at which water absorbs and releases heat relative to the land, and the consequent moderating effect on climate, should be understood. The transport of heat by ocean currents and the influence on climate should also be understood, eg the North Atlantic Drift moderating the climate of north-western Europe which, in the absence of this current, would otherwise have a sub-arctic climate; the Humbolt current off Peru and the Benguela current off Namibia.
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| 3.6.5 |
Describe the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon and its impacts.
NOAA's El NINO resource
http://www.elnino.noaa.gov/
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| 3.7 |
The Lithosphere (3h) |
| 3.7.1 |
Describe the structure of the Earth's internal zones and the theory of plate tectonics.
Plate tectonics , the Cause of Earthquakes
http://www.seismo.unr.edu/ftp/pub/louie/class/100/plate-tectonics.html
Glossary of terms
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/image_glossary/lithosphere.html
Include the crust, mantle and core, as well as convection cells and mantle plumes in the asthenosphere. The terms constructive margins, destructive margins, subduction and mid-oceanic ridge should be understood. Students will be expected to draw and label diagrams showing the interactions between plates, and the formation and destruction of crust.
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| 3.8 |
The Soil System (5h) |
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| 3.8.2 |
Describe three stages of soil formation.
Consider:
- initial mechanical and chemical weathering processes resulting in the inorganic component
- introduction of living organisms—the biotic component
- decomposition and the formation of an organic component.
Note the time required for soil formation (hence, soil is a non-renewable resource).
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| 4.1 |
Population Dynamics (7h) |
| 4.2 |
Resources—Natural Capital (5h)
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| 4.2.1 |
Explain the concept of resources in terms of natural capital.
Ecologically minded economists describe resources as "natural capital". If properly managed, renewable and replenishable resources are forms of wealth that can produce "natural income" indefinitely in the form of valuable goods and services. This income may consist of marketable commodities such as timber and grain (goods) or may be in the form of ecological or life-support services such as the flood and erosion protection provided by forests (services). Similarly, non-renewable resources can be considered in parallel to those forms of economic capital that cannot generate wealth without liquidation of the estate.
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| 4.2.2 |
Define the terms renewable, replenishable and non-renewable natural capital.
There are three broad classes of natural capital.
- Renewable natural capital, such as living species and ecosystems, is self-producing and self-maintaining and uses solar energy and photosynthesis. This natural capital can yield marketable goods such as wood fibre, but may also provide unaccounted essential services when left in place, eg climate regulation.
- Replenishable natural capital, such as groundwater and the ozone layer, is non-living but is also often dependent on the solar "engine" for renewal.
- Non-renewable forms of natural capital, such as fossil fuel and minerals, are analogous to inventories: any use implies liquidating part of the stock.
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| 4.2.3 |
Distinguish between natural capital and natural income.
Natural capital can be explained in terms of standing stocks and income flows. The stock is the present accumulated quantity of natural capital and the income is any sustainable rate of harvest. For example, forests and fish stocks are forms of natural capital and the sustainable yields or harvests from such stocks are natural income.
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| 4.2.4 |
Explain the concept of sustainability in terms of natural capital and natural income.
The term "sustainability" has been given a precise meaning in this syllabus. The term "sustainable development", however, is not used because of the wide variation in the way that it is defined in different disciplines, by the public and in the media. Furthermore, the concept of sustainable development involves value judgments which fall outside the scope of a science course such as this.
Students should understand that any society that supports itself in part by depleting essential forms of natural capital is unsustainable. If human well-being is dependent on the goods and services provided by certain forms of natural capital, then long-term harvest (or pollution) rates should not exceed rates of capital renewal. Sustainability means living, within the means of nature, on the "interest" or sustainable income generated by natural capital
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| 4.2.6 |
Identify various values associated with natural capital and evaluate how these values influence this capital's appraisal and use. |
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Examples include ecological, economic and aesthetic values. In industrial societies people tend to emphasize monetary or economic valuations of nature. In some cases the economic value of a natural capital stock can be determined from the market price of the goods or services it produces. However, there are no formal markets for many valuable ecological processes such as waste assimilation, flood and erosion control, nitrogen-fixation, photosynthesis, etc. These ecological services may be essential for human existence, but we have tended to take them for granted.
Furthermore, organisms or ecosystems that are valued on aesthetic or intrinsic grounds may not provide commodities identifiable as either goods or services, and so remain unpriced or undervalued from an economic viewpoint. Organisms or ecosystems regarded as having intrinsic value, for instance from an ethical, spiritual or philosophical perspective, are valued regardless of their potential use to humans. Therefore diverse perspectives may underlie the evaluation of natural capital.
Attempts are being made to acknowledge diverse valuations of nature so that they may be weighed more rigorously against more common economic values. However, some argue that these valuations are impossible to quantify and price realistically. Not surprisingly, much of the sustainability debate hinges around the problem of how to weigh conflicting values in our treatment of natural capital.
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| Option A: |
Analysing Ecosystems |
| A.1 |
Measuring Physical Components of the System (2h) |
| A.1.1 |
List the significant abiotic (physical) factors of an ecosystem.
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Our Data page which provides some real time and historical data on various physical factors at Race Rocks. |
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| A.1.2 |
Describe and evaluate methods for measuring at least three abiotic factors within an ecosystem.
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Investigations into different Abiotic Factors and their effects on organisms at Race Rocks. Measuring and quantifying the physical factors at Race Rocks |
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Students should know methods for measuring any three significant abiotic factors and how these may vary in a given ecosystem with depth, time or distance. For example:
- marine—salinity, pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, wave action
- freshwater—turbidity, flow velocity, pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen
- terrestrial—temperature, light intensity, wind speed, particle size, slope, soil moisture, drainage, mineral content.
This activity may be carried out effectively in conjunction with an examination of related biotic components.
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| A.2 |
Measuring Biotic Components of the System (5h)
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| A.2.1 |
Construct simple keys and use published keys for the identification of organisms.See thei
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Students could practise with keys supplied and then construct their own keys for up to eight species. |
| A.2.2 |
Describe and evaluate methods for estimating abundance of organisms.
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Methods should include capture/mark/release/recapture (Lincoln index) and quadrats for measuring population density, percentage frequency and percentage cover. |
| A.2.3 |
Describe and evaluate methods for estimating the biomass of trophic levels in a community.
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Dry weight measurements of quantitative samples could be extrapolated to estimate total biomass. |
| A.2.4 |
Define the term diversity. |
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Diversity is often considered as a function of two components: the number of different species and the relative numbers of individuals of each species. |
| A.2.5 |
Apply Simpson's diversity index and outline its significance. |
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where:
D = diversity index
N = total number of organisms of all species found
n = number of individuals of a particular species
D is a measure of species richness. A high value of D suggests a stable and ancient site and a low value of D could suggest pollution, recent colonization or agricultural management. The index is normally used in studies of vegetation but can also be applied to comparisons of animal (or even all species) diversity.
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| A.3 |
Measuring Productivity of the System (4h) |
| A.3.1 |
Describe and evaluate a method for measuring gross and net primary productivity in an ecosystem. |
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For marine and freshwater ecosystems, the light and dark bottle technique should be used for measuring gross and net productivity of aquatic plants. While methods for measuring primary productivity in vegetation for terrestrial ecosystems might not be feasibly carried out as student investigations, possible methods should be described and evaluated (eg measuring changes in biomass of covered and uncovered quadrats of grassland, and measuring absorption of CO2 in enclosed communities).
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Describe and evaluate a method for measuring gross and net secondary productivity in an ecosystem.
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Gross secondary productivity might be simply estimated as food eaten minus feces produced.
As a laboratory investigation, an aquarium population of invertebrate herbivores (eg brine shrimps) or a terrarium population of invertebrate herbivores (eg silkworms) might be fed on a known producer biomass for a period of time. The remaining food material and feces are collected, dried and weighed. Net productivity might be measured as the increase in biomass of a consumer population over time. As a laboratory or field investigation, biomass might be estimated as a fixed percentage of wet weight to avoid the killing of organisms for dry weight measurements. Alternatively, secondary data could be used.
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| A.4 |
Measuring Changes in the System (4h) |
| A.4.1 |
Describe and evaluate methods for measuring changes in abiotic and biotic components of an ecosystem along an environmental gradient or over time.
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| A.4.2 |
Outline methods for assessing changes in abiotic and biotic components of an ecosystem due to a specific human activity |
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Methods and changes should be selected appropriately for the human activity chosen. Suitable human impacts for study might include toxins from mining activity, landfills, eutrophication, effluent, oil spills and overexploitation. |
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| Option B: |
Impacts of Resource Exploitation |
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Link to PC Student File on Alternate Energy
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/eco/altenergy.htm
| The Integrated Energy Project at RR |
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| B.1.1 |
Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of five sources of energy. |
| B.2 |
Exploitation of Food Resources |
| B.3 |
Environmental Demands of Human Populations |
| B.3.1 |
Explain the concept of an ecological footprint as a model for assessing the demands human populations make on their environment
| The mitigation efforts in the Tidal Current Power Project |
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The ecological footprint of a population is the area of land in the same vicinity as the population that would be required to provide all the population's resources and assimilate all its wastes. As a model, it is able to provide a quantitative estimate of human carrying capacity. It is, in fact, the inverse of carrying capacity. It refers to the area required to sustainably support a given population rather than the population that a given area can sustainably support. |
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Conservation and Biodiversity |
| C.1 |
Biodiversity in Ecosystems |
| C.1.1 |
Define the terms biodiversity, genetic diversity, species diversity and habitat diversity. |
| C.1.2 |
Outline the mechanism of natural selection as a possible driving force for speciation.
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Speciation is the process by which change in the frequency of genetic traits in the population occurs in response to environmental pressure. The concept of fitness should be understood. The history of the development of the modern theory of evolution is not expected, neither is a detailed knowledge of genetics (including allele frequency). |
| C.1.3 |
State that isolation can lead to different species being produced that are unable to interbreed to yield fertile offspring. |
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Isolation of populations, behavioural differences that preclude reproduction and the inability to produce fertile offspring (leading to speciation) should all be examined, with examples. |
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| C.3 |
Conservation of Biodiversity |
| C.3.1 |
State the arguments for preserving species and habitats. |
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Students should appreciate arguments based on ethical, aesthetic, genetic resource and commercial (including opportunity cost) considerations. They should also appreciate life support/ecosystem support functions (see 4.2.6).
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| C.3.4 |
State and explain the criteria used to design reserves. |
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In effect, protected areas may become "islands" within a country and will normally lose some of their diversity. The principles of island biogeography might be applied to the design of reserves. Appropriate criteria are discussed in the World Conservation Strategy. |
| C.3.5 |
Evaluate the success of a named protected area.
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The granting of protected status to a species or ecosystem is no guarantee of protection without community support, adequate funding and proper research. Consider a specific local example. |
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The above is not the official syllabus of the International Baccalaureate. It is presented here to reflect the connection of certain sections of the Environmental Systems Syllabus to the many resources at Race Rocks.
Send comments to: Garry Fletcher |
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