(B) practice soil and plant evaluation as it applies
to agricultural and urban settings.
(7) The student develops scenarios for advances in
plant and soil science. The student is expected to:
(A) design, conduct, and complete research in a laboratory
or field investigation to solve problems in plant and soil science;
(B) use charts, tables, and graphs to prepare written
summaries of results and data obtained in a laboratory or field investigation;
(C) organize, analyze, evaluate, make inferences, and
predict trends from data obtained in a laboratory or field investigation;
and
(D) communicate valid outcomes and solutions.
(8) The student explains the relationship of biotic
and abiotic factors within habitats and ecosystems. The student is
expected to:
(A) identify native and introduced plants, assess their
role in an ecosystem, and compare them to plants in other ecosystems;
(B) make observations and compile data about fluctuations
in abiotic cycles and evaluate their effects on local ecosystems;
(C) evaluate the impact of human activity such as pest
control, hydroponics, and sustainable agriculture on ecosystems; and
(D) predict how the introduction, removal, or re-introduction
of an organism may affect the food chain and existing populations.
(9) The student analyzes soil science as it relates
to food and fiber production. The student is expected to:
(A) explain soil formation;
(B) evaluate the properties and nature of soils;
(C) recognize the importance of conservation of soil
and agencies involved in conservation;
(D) recognize the application of soil mechanics to
engineering and excavation operations;
(E) perform soil management practices such as tillage
trials and sustainable soil management practices; and
(F) practice soil evaluations related to experiential
activities such as land judging.
(10) The student describes the relationship between
resources within environmental systems. The student is expected to:
(A) summarize methods of land use and management;
(B) identify sources, use, quality, and conservation
of water;
(C) explore the use and conservation of renewable and
non-renewable resources;
(D) analyze and evaluate the economic significance
and interdependence of components of the environment;
(E) evaluate the impact of human activity and technology
on soil fertility and productivity;
(F) analyze and describe the effects on environments
of events such as fire, hurricanes, deforestation, mining, population
growth, and urban development; and
(G) explain how regional changes in the environment
may have a global effect.
(11) The student describes the origin and use of water
in a watershed. The student is expected to:
(A) identify sources and calculate the amount of water
in a watershed, including ground and surface water;
(B) research and identify the type of water used in
a watershed;
(C) analyze water quality in a watershed; and
(D) identify and use methods to evaluate water quantity
available in a watershed.
(12) The student maps the process of soil formation
influenced by weathering, including erosion processes due to water,
wind, and mechanical factors influenced by climate. The student is
expected to:
(A) illustrate the role of weathering in soil formations;
(B) distinguish chemical weathering from mechanical
weathering; and
(C) identify geological formations that result from
differing weathering processes.
(13) The student describes the dynamics of a watershed.
The student is expected to:
(A) identify the characteristics of a local watershed
such as average annual rainfall, runoff patterns, aquifers, location
of water basins, and surface reservoirs; and
(B) analyze the impact of floods, drought, irrigation,
urbanization, and industrialization in a watershed.
(14) The student explains how petroleum energy resources
affect agriculture. The student is expected to:
(A) research and describe the origin of fossil fuels
such as coal, oil, and natural gas;
(B) analyze issues regarding the use of fossil fuels
and other non-renewable energy sources or alternative energy sources;
and
(C) analyze the significance and economic impact of
the use of fossil fuels and alternative energy sources.
(15) The student evaluates components of plant science
as they relate to crop production. The student is expected to:
(A) analyze plant physiology, genetics, and reproduction
of various crops;
(B) recognize characteristics related to seed quality
such as mechanical damage, viability, and grade;
(C) identify plant pests and diseases and their causes,
prevention, and treatment;
(D) perform plant management practices such as germination
tests, plant spacing trials, and fertilizer tests; and
(E) measure trends in crop species and varieties grown
locally in Texas and the United States and how they affect agriculture
and consumers.
(16) The student identifies how plants grow and how
specialized cells, tissues, and organs develop. The student is expected
to:
(A) compare cells from different parts of the plant,
including roots, stems, and leaves, to show specialization of structures
and functions; and
(B) sequence the levels of organization in multicellular
organisms that relate the parts to each other and the whole.
(17) The student diagrams the structure and function
of nucleic acids in the mechanism of genetics. The student is expected
to:
(A) describe components of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
and illustrate how information for specifying the traits of an organism
is carried in DNA;
(B) identify and illustrate how changes in DNA cause
phenotypic or genotypic changes;
(C) compare and contrast genetic variations observed
in plants and animals; and
(D) compare the processes of mitosis and meiosis and
their significance.
(18) The student demonstrates skills related to the
human, scientific, and technological dimensions of crop production
and the resources necessary for producing domesticated plants. The
student is expected to:
(A) describe the growth and development of major crops;
(B) apply principles of genetics and plant breeding;
(C) examine the development of crop varieties through
the origin of agriculture; and
(D) design and conduct investigations to support known
principles of genetics.
(19) The student explains the chemistry involved in
plants at the cellular level. The student is expected to:
(A) compare the structures and functions of different
types of organic molecules such as carbohydrates, lipids, proteins,
and nucleic acids;
(B) compare the energy flow in photosynthesis to the
energy flow in cellular respiration; and
(C) investigate and identify the effect of enzymes
on plant cells.
(20) The student identifies the sources and flow of
energy through environmental systems. The student is expected to:
(A) summarize forms and sources of energy;
(B) explain the flow of energy in an environment;
(C) investigate and explain the effects of energy transformations
in an ecosystem; and
(D) investigate and identify energy interaction in
an ecosystem.
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