Year 8 Science · Unit 1 · Lesson 15

What Happens When a System is Disrupted?

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Learning Goals

Warm Up

Because… chain

Fill in the missing effects in the right-hand cells. Each cause leads to the next step. This chain traces what happens when a plant's roots are severely damaged.

Roots are badly damaged by digging
→
Less water and minerals are taken in from the environment
→
Stems and leaves receive less of what they need
→
The whole plant is affected
→

Overall outcome for the plant:

Your Turn

Real-world context

During Australian bushfire season, smoke inhalation can reduce gas exchange in the lungs of firefighters and wildlife. Even though the skin may not be burned, the whole body can be affected. This is because the respiratory structures are compromised, less gas exchange occurs, so less oxygen reaches the circulatory system, and body cells then receive less of what they need.

(a) Using the lesson's animal example and the passage above, write a four-step cause-and-effect chain showing how reduced gas exchange affects the wider body. Use the terms "component," "disruption" and "system effect" in your answer.

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(b) Compare the plant and animal examples from this lesson. What do they both show about how living systems behave when one component is disrupted?

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Show What You Know

1. Explain in your own words why a disruption to one component of a living system almost never stays contained within that component. Use the term "interaction" in your answer.

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2. A student writes: "If a leaf falls off a plant, the whole plant will die immediately." Is this a strong or weak explanation of system disruption? Explain why, using cause-and-effect reasoning from the lesson.

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Wrap Up

In one sentence, what was the main idea of this lesson?

HSCScience · Year 8 Science · Unit 1 · Lesson 15 · Apply Worksheet