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SB5: Ecology

6 dot points across 6 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

Why does greater biodiversity make an ecosystem more stable?

Evaluate the factors that affect biodiversity and the stability of ecosystems, including keystone species, the effects of removing species, and symbiotic relationships (GSE SB5.c).
A Georgia Milestones Biology EOC answer on biodiversity and stability: why diverse ecosystems are more stable, the role of keystone species, the effects of removing a species, and the three types of symbiosis (mutualism, commensalism, parasitism).
12 min answer →

How do carbon, nitrogen, and water cycle through an ecosystem so that matter is reused?

Analyze the cycling of matter through ecosystems, including the carbon, nitrogen, and water cycles, and the roles of photosynthesis, respiration, and decomposers (GSE SB5.b).
A Georgia Milestones Biology EOC answer on the cycling of matter: the carbon cycle (photosynthesis and respiration), the nitrogen cycle (fixation by bacteria), and the water cycle, and how decomposers recycle nutrients, contrasted with the one-way flow of energy.
13 min answer →

How does energy flow through an ecosystem, and why does so little reach the top?

Analyze the flow of energy through ecosystems using food chains, food webs, and energy pyramids, including the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers and the ten percent rule (GSE SB5.b).
A Georgia Milestones Biology EOC answer on energy flow: producers, consumers, and decomposers, trophic levels, food chains and food webs, the ten percent rule, and why energy pyramids narrow toward the top.
13 min answer →

How do ecosystems change over time and recover after a disturbance?

Predict the impact of environmental change on the stability of an ecosystem, including ecological succession (primary and secondary) and the effects of natural and human-induced disturbances (GSE SB5.d).
A Georgia Milestones Biology EOC answer on environmental change: ecological succession (primary versus secondary), pioneer and climax communities, and how natural and human-induced disturbances affect the stability of an ecosystem.
12 min answer →

How do human activities affect ecosystems, and how can we reduce the damage?

Evaluate the impact of human activities on ecosystems (habitat destruction, pollution, invasive species, climate change) and design solutions to reduce that impact (GSE SB5.c, SB5.e).
A Georgia Milestones Biology EOC answer on human impact: habitat destruction, pollution, invasive species, and climate change, their effects on biodiversity and ecosystem stability, and conservation solutions to reduce the impact.
12 min answer →

What controls how big a population can grow in an ecosystem?

Analyze data on population growth, including exponential and logistic growth, carrying capacity, and limiting factors (density-dependent and density-independent) (GSE SB5.a).
A Georgia Milestones Biology EOC answer on population growth: exponential versus logistic growth, carrying capacity, density-dependent and density-independent limiting factors, and how to read a population growth curve.
12 min answer →