NY Science Standards (HS - Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems)

Use a model to illustrate how photosynthesis transforms light energy into stored chemical energy. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on illustrating inputs and outputs of matter and the transfer and transformation of energy in photosynthesis by plants and other photosynthesizing organisms. Examples of models could include diagrams, chemical equations, and conceptual models.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include specific biochemical steps.]

Construct and revise an explanation based on evidence for how carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen from sugar molecules may combine with other elements such as nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus to form amino acids and other carbon-based molecules. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on using evidence from models and simulations to support explanations for the synthesis of lipids, starches, proteins, and nucleic acids.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include the details of the specific chemical reactions or identification of structural and molecular formulas for macromolecules.]

Use a model to illustrate that aerobic cellular respiration is a chemical process whereby the bonds of food molecules and oxygen molecules are broken and the bonds in new compounds are formed resulting in a net transfer of energy. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on the conceptual understanding of the inputs and outputs of the process of aerobic cellular respiration.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment should not include identification of the steps or specific processes involved in aerobic cellular respiration.]

Construct and revise an explanation based on evidence for the cycling of matter and flow of energy in ecosystems. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on conceptual understanding of the role of aerobic and anaerobic respiration and photosynthesis within ecosystems.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include the specific chemical processes of aerobic respiration, anaerobic respiration, and photosynthesis.]

Use mathematical representations to support claims for the cycling of matter and flow of energy among organisms in an ecosystem. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on using a mathematical model such as a pyramid of biomass/energy to describe the transfer of energy from one trophic level to another and that matter and energy are conserved as matter cycles and energy flows through ecosystems. Emphasis is on atoms and molecules such as carbon, oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen being conserved as they move through an ecosystem.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to proportional reasoning to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy.]

Develop a model to illustrate the role of various processes in the cycling of carbon among the biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere. [Clarification Statement: Examples of models could include simulations, diagrams, and mathematical models of the carbon cycle (photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, and combustion).] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include the specific chemical steps of photosynthesis and respiration.]