Detailed Notes on
Section A: EcologyCSEC Biology
Introduction to Section A
Section A serves as an introduction to the CSEC Biology syllabus, focusing on ecological principles. Students
are expected to work in groups outside the classroom to study interrelationships between organisms and their
environment, developing an appreciation for ecological diversity and complexity.
General Objectives
Upon completion, students should:
1. Recognize both diversity and similarity in living organisms
2. Understand the importance of abiotic factors to organisms
3. Understand interdependence between organisms and environment
4. Understand energy flow through organisms in ecosystems
5. Appreciate resource limitations and natural recycling significance
6. Be aware of human impacts on the environment
7. Apply ecological knowledge to identify population survival problems
Specific Objectives and Content
1. Classification and Taxonomy
1.1 Grouping Organisms
● Content: Group organisms based on visible characteristics (hairiness, color, shape, venation, legs,
wings, body segmentation)
● Practical Activities: Nature walks, group observations of organisms in natural habitats
● Skills: Observation, Recording, Reporting (ORR); Drawing (Dr)
1.2 Taxonomic Classification
● Content: Five kingdoms classification (Plantae, Animalia, Fungi, Prokaryotae, Protoctista)
● Content: Further subdivision into phyla (e.g., Chordata) and classes (fish, reptiles, insects, birds,
mammals)
● Content: Modern classification using DNA sequences
● Practical Activities: Making drawings and constructing tables to record observations
● Skills: Drawing (Dr)
● Interrelationships: Continuity and Variation
2. Ecological Studies
2.1 Ecological Study Methods
● Content: Study of terrestrial and aquatic habitats (trees, walls, ponds)
● Content: Habitat features and organism adaptations
● Content: Relationship between equipment and habitat/species
● Practical Activities: Using quadrats, calculating density, using various collection methods (pooters,
bottles, nets, transects, mark-release-recapture)
● Skills: Observation, Recording, Reporting (ORR); Measurement and Manipulation (MM); Drawing
(Dr); Planning and Design (PD)
● Interrelationships: Mathematics (statistical analysis, data collection/presentation)
2.2 Ecological Terminology
● Content: Definitions of key terms:
○ Ecology: study of living organisms in their environment
○ Ecosystem: community of living organisms sharing an environment
○ Environment: abiotic and biotic factors
○ Habitat: place where an organism lives
○ Niche: role of an organism in an ecosystem
○ Species: group of common ancestry capable of interbreeding
○ Population: members of a species in a particular habitat
○ Community: all populations in a particular habitat
● Skills: Observation, Recording, Reporting (ORR)
2.3 Abiotic Factors
● Content: Importance of soil (water, minerals, oxygen), air (oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen), light,
and temperature
● Practical Activities: Studying soil components (air, water capacity, minerals, pH, salinity)
● Skills: Observation, Recording, Reporting (ORR); Measurement and Manipulation (MM)
● Interrelationships: Chemistry (elements, compounds, oxidation, decomposition, recycling);
Homeostasis
3. Food Relationships
3.1 Food Chains
● Content: Positions of producers and consumers in food chains
● Practical Activities: Constructing food chains and simple pyramids
● Interrelationships: Interdependence of living organisms
3.2 Habitat Food Chains
● Content: Food chains in terrestrial (arboreal, edaphic) and aquatic (marine, freshwater) habitats
● Practical Activities: Constructing food chains using organisms from each habitat
● Interrelationships: Energy relations
3.3 Feeding Types
● Content: Identification of herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores (beyond familiar domestic animals)
3.4 Predator-Prey Relationships
● Content: Predator-prey relationships in various habitats
● Content: Applications like biological controls
● Interrelationships: Predator/Prey Relationships, Natural Selection
3.5 Food Webs
● Content: Construction of food webs with different trophic levels
● Practical Activities: Identifying trophic levels in food webs
● Interrelationships: Energy Flow in Ecosystems
3.6 Decomposers
● Content: Role of fungi and bacteria in converting complex compounds to simple substances
● Practical Activities: Observing mold on bread, biogas production from organic waste
● Interrelationships: Chemistry (Hydrolysis), Enzymes, Nutrient cycling
3.7 Symbiotic Relationships
● Content: Parasitism, commensalism, mutualism with local examples (lice/ticks on mammals,
epiphytes on trees, nitrogen-fixing bacteria in legume root nodules)
● Practical Activities: Observations from large trees, examining root nodules on peanut plants
● Skills: Observation, Recording, Reporting (ORR)
● Interrelationships: Evolution, Interdependence of organisms and environment
4. Energy Flow
4.1 Energy Flow in Ecosystems
● Content: Simple diagram of non-cyclic energy flow from the sun
● Interrelationships: Different forms of energy
5. Recycling in Nature
5.1 Natural Material Recycling
● Content: Impact of continual re-use of materials in nature
● Content: Role of decomposers in the Carbon Cycle
● Interrelationships: Nutrient cycling
5.2 Manufactured Material Recycling
● Content: Biodegradable vs. non-biodegradable materials
● Content: Collection, transport, storage, and economic factors
● Practical Activities: Interpreting data on waste management and pollution in the Caribbean
● Interrelationships: Chemistry and Social Sciences
6. Human Impact on Environment
6.1 Impact on Natural Resources
● Content: Effects on energy, minerals, forests, marine resources
● Content: Overpopulation and overfishing
● Practical Activities: Alternative energy sources
6.2 Negative Environmental Impacts
● Content: Pollution from agricultural chemicals, industrialization, improper garbage disposal
● Content: Impacts on eco-tourism, habitat loss, species loss, human health
● Practical Activities: Research projects (e.g., data collection on agricultural chemical use)
6.3 Marine and Wetland Pollution
● Content: Impacts on ecosystem health, aesthetic and economic benefits to small island states
● Practical Activities: Research and interpret data on marine pollution in the Caribbean (e.g., coral
reefs)
6.4 Climate Change
● Content: Greenhouse gases, rising temperatures, rising sea levels, ocean acidification
● Content: Vulnerability of small island states (Barbados Action Plan)
● Interrelationships: Chemistry (Natural vs. synthetic), Social Science (Human impact)
6.5 Environmental Conservation
● Content: Changes in practices (natural materials in agriculture, conservation methods)
● Content: Education, monitoring strategies, organic agriculture
● Practical Activities: Research projects on conservation strategies
7. Population Dynamics
7.1 Population Growth and Survival Factors
● Content: Competition for food and space
● Content: Effects of disease, pests, invasive species, natural disasters
● Practical Activities: Research projects, analyzing graphical data on natural populations
● Skills: Analysis and Interpretation (AI)
Skills Legend
● ORR: Observation, Recording, Reporting
● Dr: Drawing
● MM: Measurement and Manipulation
● PD: Planning and Design
● AI: Analysis and Interpretation
This section provides a comprehensive foundation in ecological principles that will be built upon throughout the
rest of the CSEC Biology syllabus, with particular emphasis on practical activities and real-world applications.
