Significant Ideas:

• A species interacts with its abiotic and biotic environments, and its niche is described by these interactions.
• Populations change and respond to interactions with the environment.
• Any system has a carrying capacity for a given species.
• The interactions of species with their environment result in energy and nutrient flows.
• Photosynthesis and respiration play a significant role in the flow of energy in communities.
• The feeding relationships of species in a system can be modeled using food chains, food webs and ecological pyramids.
• Ecosystems are linked together by energy and matter flows.
• The Sun’s energy drives these flows, and humans are impacting the flows of energy and matter both locally and globally.
• Climate determines the type of biome in a given area, although individual ecosystems may vary due to many local
  abiotic and biotic factors.
• Succession leads to climax communities that may vary due to random events and interactions over time. This leads to a
  pattern of alternative stable states for a given ecosystem.
• Ecosystem stability, succession and biodiversity are intrinsically linked.
• The description and investigation of ecosystems allows for comparisons to be made between different ecosystems
  and for them to be monitored, modelled and evaluated over time, measuring both natural change and human impacts.
• Ecosystems can be better understood through the investigation and quantification of their components.