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Flexed Biceps

Unit 3 - Biodiversity & Conservation

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Globe Showing Europe Africa

Unit 1 - Foundations Of Environmental Systems & Societies

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Herb

Unit 2 - Ecosystems & Ecology

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Writing Hand

Unit 4 -Water & Aquatic Food Production Systems & Societies

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Deciduous Tree

Unit 5 - Soil Systems & Terrestrial Food Production Systems & Societies

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Cloud

Unit 6 - Atmospheric Systems & Societies

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Thermometer

Unit 7 - Climate Change & Energy Production

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Briefcase

Unit 8 - Human Systems & Resource Use

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Bar-Chart

Internal Assessment

Key terms: Biodiversity, habitat degradation, fragmentation and loss, agricultural practices, non-native species, pollution, hunting, collecting and harvesting.

Here&#39;s a quick summary! We humans are like the house guests who just can&#39;t clean up after themselves. We&#39;re responsible for a bunch of stuff that causes loss of biodiversity, including:

Imagine your house suddenly shrinking or breaking apart, or worse, disappearing altogether! That&#39;s how animals feel when we destroy their habitats.

Like a kid who only wants to eat potatoes, we often grow just one type of crop (monocultures) in large areas. Not to mention, the bug-killing stuff (pesticides) we use harms more than just bugs.

hink of that kid who always comes in and ruins your game because they don&#39;t know the rules. That&#39;s what happens when new species get introduced into an ecosystem&mdash;they disrupt the balance.

Litter, chemicals, and oil spills are like the flu for Mother Nature. It damages habitats and decreases species numbers.

Some of us are getting too grabby with wild animals, reducing their numbers. For example, hunting tigers for illegal trade or catching too many fish.

<ul>
	<li>The grey squirrel from North America taking over Europe and causing a decrease in the red squirrel population.</li>
	<li>The cane toad in Australia, introduced to control the cane beet beetle, but ended up spreading everywhere!</li>
</ul>

As our population grows (exponentially, meaning really fast!), we&#39;re putting a lot more demand on natural resources. This means more land clearance, more habitat loss, and a decline in biodiversity.

<ul>
	<li>Overfishing in the North Atlantic during the 1960s and 70s led to a serious decrease in cod populations.</li>
	<li>People hunting wild animals for food or to sell the meat (known as bush meat) is causing a decrease in those species&#39; numbers.</li>
</ul>

Invasive species - An invasive species is an organism that&#39;s not native to a specific location and has a tendency to spread, which is believed to cause damage to the environment, economy, or even human health.

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Invasion Routes - These uninvited guests (invasive species) can arrive in new areas through different means, like being brought in for agricultural purposes, stowing away on ships, or even being released as pets that owners can&#39;t care for anymore.

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Invasive Species Impact - Invasive species can outcompete native species for resources, disrupt ecosystems, and even lead to the extinction of native species.

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Example of an Invasive Species - The cane toad in Australia was introduced to control the cane beet beetle, but it spread widely and began to affect native species.

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Managing Invasive Species - It&#39;s hard to completely control invasive species once they&#39;ve established themselves, but methods like physical removal, biological control (introducing their natural predators), or habitat management can be used.

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Human Actions on Diversity - In the Amazon rainforest, logging and farming activities have resulted in habitat loss and decreased biodiversity. In the North Atlantic, overfishing has led to a significant decline in the cod population.

Unit 3 - Biodiversity & Conservation

Vanishing Acts: Humans & Extinction

Table of content

Chapter - reasons behind loss of diversity

Habitat degradation, fragmentation, & loss

Agricultural practices

Introduction of non-native species

Unlock the Full Content!

Unit 3 - Biodiversity & Conservation

Vanishing Acts: Humans & Extinction

Table of content

Chapter - reasons behind loss of diversity

Habitat degradation, fragmentation, & loss

Agricultural practices

Introduction of non-native species

Unlock the Full Content!