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Year 11
Edexcel
Foundation

Examples of human interactions with ecosystems, including fish farming

I can describe examples of human interactions with ecosystems, including fish farming, eutrophication, and the introduction of non-indigenous species.

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New
New
Year 11
Edexcel
Foundation

Examples of human interactions with ecosystems, including fish farming

I can describe examples of human interactions with ecosystems, including fish farming, eutrophication, and the introduction of non-indigenous species.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Growing food helps feed the increasing human population, but can have negative impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity.
  2. Fish farming and animal welfare as examples of positive and negative impacts.
  3. Eutrophication as an example of a negative impact.
  4. The introduction of non-indigenous species as an example of a negative impact.
  5. Ways of mitigating some of these negative impacts.

Common misconception

A common misconception is that the excessive growth of the plants in eutrophication is the cause of a reduction in biodiversity as a result of the plants using up the oxygen in the water.

Steps in eutrophication are outlined. Increased minerals cause the growth of plants at the surface resulting in the death and decomposition of the plants. Decomposing dead organic matter results in micro-organisms using oxygen and biodiversity loss.

Keywords

  • Biodiversity - Biodiversity is the range of different living organisms that live in a place.

  • Fertiliser - Fertiliser are minerals that are added to the soil to help plants to grow.

  • Eutrophication - Eutrophication is the process in which a body of water is overly enriched with plant nutrients. This leads to excessive growth of simple plants such as algae.

  • Indigenous species - Indigenous species are a species that occurs naturally in an ecosystem. They are sometimes referred to as native species.

Pupils can research several invasive species and present how the species has impacted an ecosystem. As an extension, pupils could research how some organisms have been introduced to support successful and unsuccessful attempts to control invasive species numbers.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What does an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide cause?
Increased pollution
Urbanisation
Deforestation
Correct answer: Global warming
Q2.
Which of the following reduces the land available for other organisms and therefore reduces biodiversity?
Correct answer: Urbanisation
Correct answer: Farming
Correct answer: Quarrying
Replanting of forests
Creating nature reserves
Q3.
Why does deforestation increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?
Trees filter oxygen out of the air
Less trees give out large amounts of carbon dioxide
Correct answer: Less trees take in less carbon dioxide to photosynthesise
Crops grown on deforested land take in more carbon dioxide
Q4.
Some species migrate. What impact does global warming have on these species?
Correct answer: Migration patterns are being disrupted as the seasons change.
Animals are migrating in the same way as they always have.
Almost all species now have to migrate as the climate changes.
Q5.
Methane is one of the greenhouse gases. What human activities are leading to a rise in atmospheric methane levels?
Deforestation
Production of building materials
Mining of fossil fuels
Correct answer: Burying waste in landfill.
Q6.
A long term shift in weather patterns is known as...
Correct Answer: climate change

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What does the term overfishing mean?
Fishing that does not reduce the population size of fish species
Fishing that does not reduce the plant species in a habitat
Correct answer: Fishing that causes a significant reduction in fish population sizes.
Fishing that only catches large fish due to large net sizes.
Q2.
Why do the populations of invasive species often grow so quickly?
They are native to the area.
Correct answer: They have no natural predators in the area.
They are eaten by many animals in the area.
They have no food to eat.
Q3.
What happens when eutrophication in a pond takes place?
Algae and other plants use up all the carbon dioxide.
Fish grow quickly due to all the plant food available.
Correct answer: Algae grows on the surface and blocks out all of the light.
The water becomes less polluted as it is cleaned by the plants.
Q4.
Which of the following is NOT a consequence of declining fish populations?
Correct answer: Food security (the amount of food) for humans will improve.
Populations of fish are at risk of extinction.
Other organisms in food chains are affected.
Fishermen struggle to make a living.
Q5.
When taken to a new habitat, non-native plants often threaten native plants of the new habitat. Why do they do this?
Non-native plants are able to adapt quickly.
Non-native plants cause native animals to move to other habitats.
Correct answer: Non-native plants compete with native plants for resources.
Non-native plants are eaten more by native animals.
Q6.
How do humans cause eutrophication of aquatic habitats?
They use too much pesticide in farming.
Correct answer: Fertiliser from farming is washed into rivers and ponds.
Pollution from chemical spills.
Introduction of new species from other parts of the world.