USGS Education
| Biology/Life Sciences Grades Nine Through Twelve Science Content Standards USGS Education Home / California Education Standards / California Resources |
The high school Biology/Life Science content standards focus on cell biology, genetics, ecology, evolution, and physiology. Below are USGS resources that best match the "ecology" and "evolution" components of the high school biology/life science content standards. |
Ecology6. Stability in an ecosystem is a balance between competing effects. As a basis for understanding this concept:a. Students know biodiversity is the sum total of different kinds of organisms and is affected by alterations of habitats. b. Students know how to analyze changes in an ecosystem resulting from changes in climate, human activity, introduction of nonnative species, or changes in population size. c. Students know how fluctuations in population size in an ecosystem are deter-mined by the relative rates of birth, immigration, emigration, and death. d. Students know how water, carbon, and nitrogen cycle between abiotic resources and organic matter in the ecosystem and how oxygen cycles through photosynthesis and respiration. e. Students know a vital part of an ecosystem is the stability of its producers and decomposers. f. Students know at each link in a food web some energy is stored in newly made structures but much energy is dissipated into the environment as heat. This dissipation may be represented in an energy pyramid. g.* Students know how to distinguish between the accommodation of an individual organism to its environment and the gradual adaptation of a lineage of organisms through genetic change. |
http://biology.usgs.gov/contam/index.htm The USGS Contaminant Biology Program investigates the effects and exposure of environmental contaminants (such as mercury) to the Nation's living resources, particularly those under the stewardship of the Department of the Interior. Redwood Field Station Research http://www.werc.usgs.gov/redwood/research.htm Studies concerning restoration of the physical and biological landscapes in Redwood National and State Parks. The studies include inventory and monitoring of erosion, sediment transport, and stream temperatures; evaluating the effectiveness of various strategies for watershed restoration; and determining the influence of timber harvest and floods on riparian areas. Investigating Climate Change of Western North America http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/climate-change/index.html Deserts: Geology and Resources http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/deserts/ Discovery for Recovery http://www.werc.usgs.gov/pinsat/ 4-year study using satellite telemetry to follow the spring migration of northern pintails; has maps that show the migration of individual birds, and overall map of the migration routes documented in study; background material about pintails and this study; how satellite tracking works; summaries of 4 years, each with maps, biologist's journal, and forum (Q&A with biologists); pintail voice on study home page can be played. Migration of Surf Scoters Along the Pacific Coast http://www.werc.usgs.gov/scoter/ In this study on surf scoters, scientists are capturing and marking scoters with radio transmitters in San Francisco Bay to determine their late winter, spring migration, and breeding distribution. Sea ducks are under investigation because of evidence indicating widespread population declines in this group. Sea Otters http://www.werc.usgs.gov/otters/ Sea Otter Research at WERC [main web page for WERC sea otter research, good for various ages, especially where classes are studying threatened species] A Field Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Coastal Southern California http://www.werc.usgs.gov/fieldguide/ The highly developed and urbanized area of coastal Southern California is host to one of the richest herpetofaunas in the United States and includes several species with State and Federal protected status. Synopsis of conservation information on the desert tortoise http://www.werc.usgs.gov/hq/synopsis.htm Habitat Conservation Planning Support http://www.werc.usgs.gov/hcp/ Habitat Conservation Plans, particularly the growing number of plans that cover large geographic areas and multiple species and habitats, address a complex array of ecological issues. USGS scientists are making important contributions to the scientific foundations upon which HCPs are developed and analyzed. Fire Ecology Research http://www.werc.usgs.gov/fire/ This is the portal page to fire ecology studies at WERC; research is in Sierra Nevada forests, California shrublands, and Mojave and Sonoran deserts, and Great Basin. Fire and Invasive Annual Grasses in Western Ecosystem http://www.werc.usgs.gov/fire/lv/fireandinvasives/index.htm Research on ways to prevent invasive annual grass invasions and restore invaded habitats; this particular study has a nice photo gallery of field work on prescribed burning and monitoring. Fire and Fire Surrogate Study Sequoia National Park Site http://www.werc.usgs.gov/fire/seki/ffs/ Evaluating the ecosystem impacts of different fire hazard reduction treatment in forests that historically experienced short-interval, low- to moderate-severity fire regimes. Effects of Fuel Management Treatments in Piñon Juniper Vegetation at a Site on the Colorado Plateau http://www.werc.usgs.gov/fire/lv/pj/lakemead/index.htm Study on the cost-effectiveness and ecological effects of various combinations of thinning, seeding, and burning to restore sagebrush steppe vegetation |
Evolutiond. Students know variation within a species increases the likelihood that at least some members of a species will survive under changed environmental conditions.e.* Students know the conditions for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in a population and why these conditions are not likely to appear in nature. f.* Students know how to solve the Hardy-Weinberg equation to predict the frequency of genotypes in a population, given the frequency of phenotypes. 8. Evolution is the result of genetic changes that occur in constantly changing environments. As a basis for understanding this concept: a. Students know how natural selection determines the differential survival of groups of organisms. b. Students know a great diversity of species increases the chance that at least some organisms survive major changes in the environment. c. Students know the effects of genetic drift on the diversity of organisms in a population. d. Students know reproductive or geographic isolation affects speciation. e. Students know how to analyze fossil evidence with regard to biological diversity, episodic speciation, and mass extinction. f.* Students know how to use comparative embryology, DNA or protein sequence comparisons, and other independent sources of data to create a branching diagram (cladogram) that shows probable evolutionary relationships. g.* Students know how several independent molecular clocks, calibrated against each other and combined with evidence from the fossil record, can help to estimate how long ago various groups of organisms diverged evolutionarily from one another. |
Paleontology -- Selected Online Resources http://geology.er.usgs.gov/paleo/paleonet.shtml This page provides a selection of links to other World Wide Web sites dealing with Paleontology and related disciplines. Education Resources for Paleontology http://geology.er.usgs.gov/paleo/eduinfo.shtml This website provides links to paleontological resources available from the USGS and elsewhere for teachers, students, scientists, and others who are interested in paleontology and related earth and biological science disciplines. |
U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://education.usgs.gov/california/high_school_biology.htm
Page Contact Information: USGS Education Web Team
Page Last Modified: Tuesday, 22-Jul-2008 17:20:38 EDT
