Year 7 Science · Unit 1 · Lesson 17
Challenge Worksheet
Learning Goals
Design a mini-experiment
A scientist wants to test: "Does the number of native plant species in an area affect the number of native insect species that can survive there?" Plan the investigation below.
| What I will change (independent variable) | |
| What I will keep the same (controlled variables — list 3) | |
| What I will measure (dependent variable) | |
| My prediction (use an "if… then…" format) | |
| How I would know if my prediction is wrong (falsification) | |
| One limitation of this experiment |
1. Is genetic diversity or species diversity more important for ecosystem resilience? Use evidence and examples from the lesson to justify your position. Your answer should acknowledge the other side before explaining why your chosen level matters more.
2. Australia is called a "megadiverse" country, yet it also has one of the world's worst records for mammal extinctions. Using the concepts of genetic diversity, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and ecosystem services, explain how both of these statements can be true at the same time, and what the consequences might be.
Wrap Up
In one sentence, what was the main idea of this lesson?