Ecology & Environmental Systems

Understanding living systems, ecosystems, and the interdependence of all life with its environment.

K–12 objective ladder

• K D10.S3.K.01 Observe and name a living thing and something it needs to live (sun, water, food).
• 1 D10.S3.01.01 Tell the difference between a living thing and a nonliving thing, and give an example of each.
• 1 D10.S3.01.02 Name two things a plant and an animal both need to live, such as water, food, light, or air.
• 2 D10.S3.02.01 Describe a habitat and name one plant and one animal that live there and why it suits them.
• 2 D10.S3.02.02 Explain that animals get energy from eating plants or other animals, and give one example.
• 3 D10.S3.03.01 Build or draw a simple food chain with a plant and an animal and show the direction energy moves.
• 3 D10.S3.03.02 Explain that green plants make their own food using sunlight, and that all living things depend on plants or on animals that eat them.
• 4 D10.S3.04.01 Describe an ecosystem as living and nonliving parts that depend on each other, and name two of its parts.
• 4 D10.S3.04.02 Explain the jobs of producers, consumers, and decomposers in an ecosystem, with an example of each.
• 5 D10.S3.05.01 Trace the path of energy or matter, such as water, through a simple cycle or food web, and explain why it cycles.
• 5 D10.S3.05.02 Explain how living things in an ecosystem depend on one another and what can happen when one part changes.
• 6 D10.S3.06.01 Explain the difference between a population and a community, and describe one relationship among organisms, such as predator and prey.
• 6 D10.S3.06.02 Explain what biodiversity means and why a variety of living things can help an ecosystem stay healthy.
• 7 D10.S3.07.01 Explain how matter and energy move through an ecosystem, such as the carbon in a forest, and are reused rather than created new.
• 7 D10.S3.07.02 Describe a symbiotic relationship, such as pollination, and explain how both organisms benefit or are affected.
• 8 D10.S3.08.01 Explain how an ecosystem responds to a disturbance, such as fire or flooding, and what helps it recover (resilience).
• 8 D10.S3.08.02 Compare two biomes or climate zones and explain how the living things there are adapted to their conditions.
• 9 D10.S3.09.01 Explain the greenhouse effect and how the carbon cycle connects living things, oceans, atmosphere, and rock over time.
• 9 D10.S3.09.02 Explain what a feedback loop is and give one example of how warming can speed up more warming.
• 10 D10.S3.10.01 Explain what ecosystem services are, such as pollination, clean water, and soil, and how biodiversity underpins them.
• 10 D10.S3.10.02 Explain what a tipping point is and why crossing one in an ecosystem or climate can be hard to reverse.
• 11 D10.S3.11.01 Trace a global cycle (carbon, nitrogen, or water) through its parts and explain how human activity has altered it.
• 11 D10.S3.11.02 Explain the idea of the more-than-human world and why some traditions treat land, water, and other species as beings owed care.
• 12 D10.S3.12.01 Explain Earth as one interconnected system and how human activity is pushing against the planetary boundaries that sustain all life.
• 12 D10.S3.12.02 Reflect on their place within the living world and how understanding interdependence shapes how they choose to live.

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