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Learning Targets and Vocabulary
Organisms and the Environment - Environmental Changes/Ocean Systems
TEK 8.11C - Explore how short and long term environmental changes affect organisms and traits in
subsequent populations.
Pg.#
Identify short term environmental changes and explain how they affect organisms.
Environmental changes that have a sudden impact on populations and their surroundings such as weather
and natural disasters.
Identify long term environmental changes and explain how they affect organisms.
Environmental changes that occur slowly over time and may affect populations over generations such as
climate change and global warming.
Describe how long term environmental changes affect traits of species in subsequent populations.
Traits of a population may become more common over time because of natural selection.
Identify natural causes of environmental changes.
Weather and natural disasters.
Identify human causes of environmental changes.
Agriculture (farming), urban development, logging/deforestation, building dams, commercial fishing and
harvesting, burning fossil fuels, pollution.
TEK 7.11C – Identify some changes in genetic traits that have occurred over generations through
natural selection and selective breeding.
Define and explain natural selection.
A population’s ability to survive and reproduce based on favorable inherited traits.
Define and explain selective breeding.
The intentional breeding of organisms with desirable traits to produce offspring with those desirable
traits.
Identify how genetic traits are affected by environmental changes over time.
Genetic traits may become more common through natural selection.
Identify what traits are likely to be passed on in subsequent populations.
Natural selection – Organisms that have traits that better enable them to survive due to an environmental
change will pass on that trait to future generations.
TEK 7.11A – Examine organisms or their structures such as insects or leaves and use dichotomous
keys for identification.
Explain what a dichotomous key is and how it is used to identify organisms and their structures.
A key for the identification of organisms based on a series of choices between alternative characters.
TEK 7.10C – Observe, record, and describe the role of ecological succession such as in a microhabitat
of a garden with weeds.
Define and explain ecological succession.
Natural, gradual changes in the types of organisms that live in an area.
Differentiate between primary and secondary succession.
Primary succession begins in a place without any soil such as volcanic islands or bare rock and starts
with a pioneer species such as lichen that helps break down rock into soil. Secondary succession begins
in a place that already has soil and organisms grow back faster such as after a forest fire, landslide, flood
or plowing fields.
Explain what a pioneer species is and give examples.
Learning Targets and Vocabulary
A hardy species which are the 1st to grow in an ecosystem, beginning a chain of ecological succession.
In primary succession, the pioneer species are lichen and moss. In secondary succession, the pioneer
species are grass and weeds.
Define biodiversity and sustainability and explain how they relate.
Biodiversity is the differences in living organisms within an ecosystem. Sustainability is the ability of
organisms to survive in their environment. The more biodiversity the greater the sustainability of an
ecosystem.
TEK 8.11D – Recognize human dependence of ocean systems and explain how human activities such as
runoff, artificial reefs, or use of resources have modified these systems.
Explain how humans depend on ocean systems.
Food, transportation, recreation, natural resources such as minerals and oil, medicines and vitamins,
regulating Earth’s temperature, and organisms that produce oxygen and removes CO2
Define runoff and explain how it affects our oceans.
Runoff can be polluted by humans and run into surface waters, ground water and oceans. The pollution
can harm and or kill marine life and disrupt marine ecosystems.
Explain what an algae bloom is, what causes it and how it affects our water.
An excessive growth of algae in water that can occur naturally or as a result of organic pollution such as
fertilizers. They can produce toxins that can kill marine life.
Describe what coral reefs and artificial reefs are and their positive effects on our ocean systems.
Both have a positive impact on ocean systems because they act as real and artificial reefs that promote
marine life and helps marine ecosystems thrive.
Explain how humans have modified ocean systems.
Humans have used too much or over harvested marine life (over fishing)
Explain what commercial harvesting is and how over fishing affects our ocean ecosystems.
Over fishing harms marine ecosystems because it reduces the population of large predatory fish which
causes an imbalance in marine food webs.
Explain what urban development is and how it affects our ecosystems.
Urban or “Coastal” Development is the construction of roads and buildings by humans that causes more
siltation and pollution that can have a negative effect on ocean systems.
Explain how humans can minimize negative impacts on ocean systems.
Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle; Do more to reduce global warming, don’t pollute, construct artificial reefs,
enforce laws that restrict over fishing…etc.
Vocabulary
Short Term Environmental Changes
Long Term Environmental Changes
Climate Change
Organisms
Species
Natural Selection
Selective Breeding
Dichotomous Key
Ecological Succession
Primary Succession
Secondary Succession
Pioneer Species
Climax Community
Biodiversity
Native Species
Invasive Species
Alien Species
Extinct
Endangered
Migration
Adaptation
Subsequent Populations
Pollution
Interdependence
Sustainability
Ocean systems
Runoff
Algae Bloom
Coral Reefs
Artificial Reefs
Tidal Power
Commercial Harvesting
Urban Development
Learning Targets and Vocabulary