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In this lab, students explore a decomposition in a mini-ecosystem.

Stable ecosystems are complex and dynamic systems that rely on the interconnectedness between organisms and between organisms and their environment. In this sequence, students explore the components and organization of ecosystems, how energy flows through food chains and webs, and how nutrients are cycled to maintain life.

In this lab, students explore how the changing population of one species affect the population of another.

In this task, students read case studies of different examples of ecological succession; describing the important events in a sequence chart.

Ecosystems can return to dynamic equilibrium after a natural or human-caused disruption. After a disruption, ecosystems proceed through a process that may return them to their initial state or to a new equilibrium based on the complexity of the ecosystem and the nature of the disturbance. In this sequence, students explore different examples of disturbances and how ecosystems recover and change from these events.

Energy flows and matter cycles among organisms, and between organisms and their environment, creating dynamic interconnected systems. In this unit, students learn about the biotic and abiotic factors in a river ecosystem, using the Hudson River as a case study. They then investigate the impact of an invasive species (zebra mussels) on this ecosystem, using teaching case materials created by scientists at the American Museum of Natural History.

Students use an online graphing tool to explore the ecological impacts of the introduction of the zebra mussel in the Hudson River.

How does the invasion of zebra mussels in the Hudson River affect one biotic or abiotic factor in the river ecosystem? To answer this question, students write a scientific explanation using evidence from texts, videos, and secondary data sources, along with sound scientific reasoning and logic, in order to support their claim.

New species may be introduced into ecosystems by accident or for a specific purpose. Some of these introduced species will become invasive, others cause little disruption or fail to establish themselves. Due to increased competition or predation some invasive species may have devastating effects on ecosystems. In this instructional sequence, students explore a data set in order investigate the impacts of the introduction of the zebra mussel on the Hudson River.

In stable ecosystems, populations are often in a state of dynamic equilibrium; following cycles of increasing and decreasing based on feeding relationships and resource availability. In this sequence, students explore how predator-prey and symbiotic relationships highlight the interdependence of living things and between living things and their environment.

In this task, students collaboratively interpret a predator prey graph based on the Hudson River ecosystem

The Regents Item Bank provides questions from past Regents exams aligned with the content of this unit.