SYLLABUS for BASIC SCIENCE
Topic:
Objectives: Students -
15. Ecology:
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The nature of ecology; notions of ecosystem,
community, population and habitat;
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Simple introduction to taxonomy; the five kingdom
classification of living organisms; the notion of
hierarchical classification by kingdom, phylum/
division, class, order, family, genus and species; the
notion of the binomial naming system.
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Adaptation of an organism to its habitat; simple
treatment of the role of natural selection in
adaptation, referring to natural variation, ‘survival of
the fittest’ and inheritance.
The inter-dependence of organisms: symbiosis as
mutualism, commensalism or parasitism; producers,
consumers and decomposers, food chains and webs,
awareness of aquatic (marine and fresh-water),
grassland and forest ecosystems and pyramids of
numbers; the transfer of energy in an ecosystem and
pyramids of biomass; the recycling of carbon and
oxygen in the air, and of nitrogen and other elements
as minerals in the soil.
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1
identify ecology as the study of how living organisms
interact with one another and with their environment.
explain and use correctly the words ecology, ecosystem,
community, population and habitat, and the other
words/phrases in italics below.
state that taxonomy refers to the classification and naming
of living organisms.
name the five kingdoms of living organisms as plants,
animals, fungi, monera and protists and list a few
characteristics and examples of each.
list kingdom, phylum or division, class, order, family,
genus and species as a hierarchy (but without definitions)
and explain how this works as a classification system.
define species as a group of organisms that can produce
fertile offspring.
list the main phyla of plants as mosses, ferns, conifers and
flowering plants; with monocots and dicots as classes
under flowering plants.
list the main phyla of animals as molluscs, annelid worms,
arthropods and vertebrates1; with classes of arthropods as
insects, arachnids, crustaceans and myriapods, and
classes of vertebrates as fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds
and mammals.
are aware that biologists name organisms using the genus
and species names and can list a few familiar examples.
describe some adaptations of particular familiar plants
and animals to their respective habitats.
explain simply how adaptation occurs through natural
selection, referring to natural variation, survival of the
fittest, and inheritance.
are aware of symbiosis and can describe examples of
mutualism, commensalism and parasitism.
describe the roles of producers, consumers and
decomposers in an ecosystem and give examples of each.
classify consumers as primary consumers (herbivores),
secondary consumers (carnivores) and tertiary consumers
(or top carnivores) and give examples of each.
explain, and use correctly, the terms omnivore, predator
and scavenger and give examples of each.
identify the main substances (foods) made by producers,
needed by consumers ,and broken down by decomposers,
as carbohydrates, lipids and proteins.
list some of the important elements required by living
organisms.
are aware of aquatic (marine and fresh-water), grassland
and forest ecosystems and of some of the main producers,
and consumers and top carnivores in their food webs.
show feeding relationships using diagrams of simple food
chains and food webs and interpret such diagrams.
describe and explain some examples of how the
population numbers of different species in a food web
may depend on one another.
explain pyramids of numbers relating to particular food
chains or food webs.
describe the flow of energy in an ecosystem referring to
(i) the conversion of light energy from the sun, into stored
Vertebrates are strictly regarded as a sub-phylum of the phylum Cordates, however this is a confusing and unnecessary
complication for Basic Science students at Middle School level.
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chemical energy in carbohydrates, during photosynthesis
in producers; (ii) the passing along of carbohydrates in
food chains; and (iii) the release of the energy stored in
the carbohydrates during respiration.
explain pyramids of biomass with reference to the flow of
energy in an ecosystem and are aware of the low
efficiency of energy transfer for one level to the next.
explain how ecosystems recycle oxygen and carbon in the
air and recycle carbon, nitrogen and other elements
through the soil, referring to the roles of scavengers,
decomposers and minerals.