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6 Dimension 3: Disciplinary Core Ideas - Life Sciences
Pages 139-168

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From page 139...
... Although living organisms respond to the physical environment or geosphere, they have also fundamentally changed Earth over evolutionary time. Rapid advances in life sciences are helping to provide biological solutions to societal problems related to food, energy, health, and environment.
From page 140...
... The second core idea, LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics, explores organisms' interactions with each other and their physical environment. This includes how organisms obtain resources, how they change their environ ment, how changing environmental factors affect organisms and ecosystems, how social interactions and group behavior play out within and between species, and how these factors all combine to determine ecosystem functioning.
From page 141...
... . In developing these core ideas, the committee also drew on the established K-12 science education literature, including National Science Education Standards and Benchmarks for Science Literacy [4, 5]
From page 142...
... BOX 6-1 CORE AND COMPONENT IDEAS IN THE LIFE SCIENCES Core Idea LS1: From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes LS1.A: Structure and Function LS1.B: Growth and Development of Organisms LS1.C: Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms LS1.D: Information Processing Core Idea LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems LS2.B: Cycles of Matter and Energy Transfer in Ecosystems LS2.C: Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience LS2.D: Social Interactions and Group Behavior Core Idea LS3: Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits LS3.A: Inheritance of Traits LS3.B: Variation of Traits Core Idea LS4: Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity LS4.A: Evidence of Common Ancestry and Diversity LS4.B: Natural Selection LS4.C: Adaptation LS4.D: Biodiversity and Humans A Framework for K-12 Science Education 142
From page 143...
... Organisms range in composition from a single cell (unicellular microorganisms) to multicellular organisms, in which different groups of large numbers of cells work together to form systems 143 Dimension 3: Disciplinary Core Ideas -- Life Sciences
From page 144...
... All cells contain genetic information, in the form of DNA. Genes are specif ic regions within the extremely large DNA molecules that form the chromosomes.
From page 145...
... In multicellular organisms, cell division is an essential component of growth, development, and repair. Cell division occurs via a process called mitosis: when a cell divides in two, it passes identical genetic material to two daughter cells.
From page 146...
... The organism begins as a single cell (fertilized egg) that divides successively to produce many cells, with each parent cell passing identical genetic material (two variants A Framework for K-12 Science Education 146
From page 147...
... In sexual reproduction, a specialized type of cell division called meiosis occurs that results in the production of sex cells, such as gametes in animals (sperm and eggs) , which contain only one member from each chromosome pair in the parent cell.
From page 148...
... Animals obtain food from eating plants or eating other animals. Within individual organisms, food moves through a series of chemical reactions in which it is broken down and rearranged to form new molecules, to support growth, or to release energy.
From page 149...
... , some receptors respond by transmitting impulses that travel along nerve cells. In complex organisms, most such inputs travel to the brain, which is divided into several distinct regions and circuits that serve primary roles, in particular functions such as visual perception, auditory perception, interpretation of perceptual information, guidance of motor movement, and decision making.
From page 150...
... Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics Core Idea LS2 How and why do organisms interact with their environment and what are the effects of these interactions? Ecosystems are complex, interactive systems that include both biological com munities (biotic)
From page 151...
... Organisms are related in food webs in which some animals eat plants 151 Dimension 3: Disciplinary Core Ideas -- Life Sciences
From page 152...
... All living systems need matter and energy. Matter fuels the energy releasing chemical reactions that provide energy for life functions and provides the A Framework for K-12 Science Education 152
From page 153...
... As matter cycles and energy flows through living systems and between living systems and the physical environment, matter and energy are conserved in each change. The carbon cycle provides an example of matter cycling and energy flow in ecosystems.
From page 154...
... The chemical elements that make up the molecules of organisms pass through food webs and into and out of the atmosphere and soil and are com bined and recombined in different ways. At each link in an ecosystem, matter and energy are conserved; some matter reacts to release energy for life func tions, some matter is stored in newly made structures, and much is discarded.
From page 155...
... Moreover, 155 Dimension 3: Disciplinary Core Ideas -- Life Sciences
From page 156...
... LS2.D: SOCIAL INTERACTIONS AND GROUP BEHAVIOR How do organisms interact in groups so as to benefit individuals? Group behaviors are found in organisms ranging from unicellular slime molds to ants to primates, including humans.
From page 157...
... Thus sexual reproduction gives rise to a new combi nation of chromosome pairs with variations between parent and offspring. Very 157 Dimension 3: Disciplinary Core Ideas -- Life Sciences
From page 158...
... Genes are located in the chromosomes of cells, with each chromosome pair containing two variants of each of many distinct genes. Each A Framework for K-12 Science Education 158
From page 159...
... 159 Dimension 3: Disciplinary Core Ideas -- Life Sciences
From page 160...
... Some changes are beneficial, others harmful, and some neutral to the organism. A Framework for K-12 Science Education 160
From page 161...
... 161 Dimension 3: Disciplinary Core Ideas -- Life Sciences
From page 162...
... Evidence for common ancestry can be found in the fossil record, from comparative anatomy and embryology, from the similarities of cellular processes and structures, and from comparisons of DNA sequences between species. The understanding of evolutionary relationships has recently been greatly accelerated by using new molecular tools to study developmental biology, with researchers dissecting the genetic basis for some of the changes seen in the fossil record, as well as those that can be inferred to link living species (e.g., the armadillo)
From page 163...
... 163 Dimension 3: Disciplinary Core Ideas -- Life Sciences
From page 164...
... This process is called adaptation. Adaptation can lead to organisms that are better suited for their environment because individuals with the traits adaptive to the environmental change pass those traits on to their off spring, whereas individuals with traits that are less adaptive produce fewer or no A Framework for K-12 Science Education 164
From page 165...
... That is, the differential survival and 165 Dimension 3: Disciplinary Core Ideas -- Life Sciences
From page 166...
... A Framework for K-12 Science Education 166
From page 167...
... Sustaining biodiversity also aids humanity by preserving landscapes of recreational or inspirational value. 167 Dimension 3: Disciplinary Core Ideas -- Life Sciences
From page 168...
... National Committee for Science Education Standards and Assessment. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.


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