§-Environmental Science syllabus
TAS · TASC← Environmental Science
Environmental Science syllabus, dot point by dot point
Every dot point in the TAS Environmental Science syllabus, with a focused answer for each. Click any dot point for a worked explainer, past exam questions and links to related points.
Ecological Processes
Module overview →How do the structure of ecosystems and the biodiversity they contain keep the natural world functioning?
Describe the structure of ecosystems and explain why biodiversity at gene, species and ecosystem levels matters for ecological function.
How does energy move through ecosystems and how are nutrients recycled to sustain life?
Explain energy flow through trophic levels and the cycling of carbon, nitrogen and water, and interpret food webs and ecological pyramids.
What controls the size of populations and the way species interact within a community over time?
Explain the factors that regulate population size and describe the main interactions between species, including competition, predation, mutualism and succession.
Human Dependence and Impact on Ecosystems
Module overview →How do agriculture and food production both depend on and degrade the ecosystems that support them?
Explain how agriculture, aquaculture and food production depend on ecosystem processes, and describe the environmental impacts of intensive land and water use.
How do human societies depend on ecosystems, and how does using their resources change them?
Describe the ecosystem services humans rely on and explain how resource use such as forestry, fishing and agriculture affects Tasmanian ecosystems.
How does the growth and consumption of the human population determine its impact on ecosystems?
Explain how human population growth and patterns of consumption drive environmental impact, and describe how the ecological footprint measures the demand humans place on the biosphere.
How does pollution move through ecosystems, and how can waste be managed to reduce harm?
Describe the main types and sources of pollution, explain how pollutants such as nutrients, plastics and toxins affect ecosystems, and evaluate waste management strategies.
Local and Global Changes to Ecosystems
Module overview →Why is biodiversity declining, and what role do introduced species and habitat change play in Tasmania?
Explain the major causes of biodiversity loss, including habitat change, introduced species and disease, and describe their effects on Tasmanian ecosystems.
How is the enhanced greenhouse effect changing the climate, and what does it mean for Tasmanian ecosystems?
Explain the greenhouse effect and the enhanced greenhouse effect, and describe the observed and projected impacts of climate change on Tasmanian and global ecosystems.
How does clearing and fragmenting land change ecosystems locally and globally?
Explain the causes and consequences of land clearing, deforestation and habitat fragmentation for biodiversity, carbon and ecosystem function.
How did human chemicals damage the ozone layer, and how was the problem addressed?
Explain the role of the ozone layer, how human-made chemicals cause ozone depletion, and how international action has begun to reverse it.
Principles for Ecologically Sustainable Management
Module overview →How do laws, policies and stakeholders shape decisions about managing the environment?
Describe the roles of law, policy and stakeholders in environmental management, and explain how evidence-based decisions about contemporary issues are made.
How do scientists monitor environments and collect reliable field data to inform management decisions?
Describe environmental monitoring methods and fieldwork techniques, and explain how reliable, valid data is collected, analysed and used in environmental decision-making.
What principles guide decisions that balance environment, economy and society over the long term?
Explain the principles of ecologically sustainable development, including the precautionary principle, intergenerational and intragenerational equity, and conservation of biodiversity, and apply them to environmental decisions.
What does ecologically sustainable development mean, and how is it used to manage and conserve Tasmanian environments?
Explain the principles of ecologically sustainable development and evaluate conservation and management strategies used to protect Tasmanian ecosystems.