Students learn how the living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem interact and how habitats, niches, populations, and communities are related. Students learn about the roles of producers and consumers in ecosystems. Students learn about food chains, food webs, and energy pyramids and how they relate to energy glow in ecosystems.
Students learn how carbon dioxide and oxygen, nitrogen, and water cycle through ecosystems.
By the end of eighth grade, students will develop an understanding of populations and ecosystems. Students estimate the number of organisms in a population by simulating an ant population. Students observe the exterior and interior of an owl pellet. Students then infer the types of prey on which the owl fed. Students use scientific methods to find how light affects the ability of a plant to carry out photosynthesis.