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  • Organisms and environments

Science.8.12.B

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The student is expected to describe how primary and secondary ecological succession affect populations and species diversity after ecosystems are disrupted by natural events or human activity; and

A student expectation is directly related to the knowledge and skills statement, is more specific about how students demonstrate their learning, and always begins with a verb. Student expectations are further broken down into their component parts, often referred to as “breakouts.”

  • Overview
  • Alignments
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SCIENCE.8.12.B — Vertical Alignment

Vertical alignment shows student expectations in the same subject area at different grade levels that are related to or build upon one another.

Previous grade
S.3.12.C

describe how natural changes to the environment such as floods and droughts cause some organisms to thrive and others to perish or move to new locations; and

S.6.13.C
describe how variations within a population can be an advantage or disadvantage to the survival of a population as environments change.
S.8.11.C
describe the carbon cycle.
S.8.12.B
describe how primary and secondary ecological succession affect populations and species diversity after ecosystems are disrupted by natural events or human activity; and
S.8.12.C
describe how biodiversity contributes to the stability and sustainability of an ecosystem and the health of the organisms within the ecosystem.
BIO.13.A
investigate and evaluate how ecological relationships, including predation, parasitism, commensalism, mutualism, and competition, influence ecosystem stability;
BIO.13.C
explain the significance of the carbon and nitrogen cycles to ecosystem stability and analyze the consequences of disrupting these cycles; and
BIO.13.D
explain how environmental change, including change due to human activity, affects biodiversity and analyze how changes in biodiversity impact ecosystem stability.
AQUA.9.A
identify the role of carbon, nitrogen, water, and nutrient cycles in an aquatic environment, including upwellings and turnovers;
ENVIR.6.D
identify how changes in limiting resources such as water, food, and energy affect local ecosystems;
ENVIR.8.A
compare exponential and logistical population growth using graphical representations;
ENVIR.8.B
identify factors that may alter carrying capacity such as disease; natural disaster; available food, water, and livable space; habitat fragmentation; and periodic changes in weather;
ENVIR.8.C
calculate changes in population size in ecosystems; and
ENVIR.9.A
analyze and describe how natural events such as tectonic movement, volcanic events, fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, flooding, and tsunamis affect natural populations;
ENVIR.9.C
examine how natural processes such as succession and feedback loops can restore habitats and ecosystems;
Next grade

Recurring themes and concepts — Connections to the content

Recurring themes and concepts provide a connective structure for scientific ideas across disciplines. The connection(s) below show some ways that teachers can help students understand how the content they are learning fits into the broader understanding of science. These connections do not represent all possible connections that might be made but highlight some that are appropriate for this grade level.
Patterns

Patterns are regular sequences that can be found throughout nature.

Succession follows a pattern of increasing species diversity.

Cause-and-effect relationships

Cause-and-effect relationships are relationships between two or more variables or phenomena whereby one variable or event leads to a predictable response. Events have causes—sometimes simple, sometimes multi-faceted.

Disruptions such as a fire or volcanic eruption (causes) lead to ecological devastation (effect), after which succession can occur in an environment.

Stability and change

Stability describes a system that does not change at the observed scale. In a stable system, a small disturbance will die out and the system will return to a stable state. Change in the system can come from modifying a factor or condition.

Succession is the process of constantly changing species diversity in an environment until it reaches a stable and sustainable state.

Cross-curricular Connections

The cross-curricular connections are designed to help educators make content connections between the science TEKS and math, English language arts and reading, social studies, and technology applications. The standards below illustrate alignment between grade level content areas which may help educators develop cross-curricular lessons. These connections do not represent all possible connections that might be made.
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Math

Math.8.11.A construct a scatterplot and describe the observed data to address questions of association such as linear, non-linear, and no association between bivariate data

Math.8.11.C simulate generating random samples of the same size from a population with known characteristics to develop the notion of a random sample being representative of the population from which it was selected

Social Studies

SS.8.10.B compare places and regions of the United States in terms of physical and human characteristics

SS.8.11.A analyze how physical characteristics of the environment influenced population distribution, settlement patterns, and economic activities in the United States

English Language Arts and Reading

ELAR.8.5.D create mental images to deepen understanding

ELAR.8.5.E make connections to personal experiences, ideas in other texts, and society

ELAR.8.5.F make inferences and use evidence to support understanding

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