Standard 2: Students will understand that the features of Earth’s evolving environment affect living systems, and that life on Earth is unique in the solar system.

Objective 2: Analyze how ecosystems differ from each other due to abiotic and biotic factors.
a. Observe and list abiotic factors (e.g., temperature, water, nutrients, sunlight, pH, topography) in specific ecosystems.
b. Observe and list biotic factors (e.g., plants, animals, organic matter) that affect a specific ecosystem (e.g., wetlands, deserts, aquatic).
c. Predict how an ecosystem will change as a result of major changes in an abiotic and/or biotic factor.
d. Explain that energy enters the vast majority of Earth's ecosystems through photosynthesis, and compare the path of energy through two different ecosystems.

Objective 3: Examine Earth's diversity of life as it changes over time.
b. Compare the diversity of life in various biomes specific to number of species, biomass, and type of organisms.