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New
New
Year 11
Edexcel
Foundation

Negative human interactions with ecosystems and impacts on biodiversity

I can describe negative impacts of humans on biodiversity in different ecosystems.

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New
New
Year 11
Edexcel
Foundation

Negative human interactions with ecosystems and impacts on biodiversity

I can describe negative impacts of humans on biodiversity in different ecosystems.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Increasing human population size requires increased land use for resources (including food and fuels) and urbanisation.
  2. Increased land use by humans leads to habitat destruction, e.g. deforestation and biodiversity loss.
  3. Increasing human population size increases production of waste and pollution, leading to biodiversity loss.
  4. Release of greenhouse gases contributes to climate change, including global warming, leading to biodiversity loss.
  5. There is very strong evidence linking human release of greenhouse gases to global climate change.

Common misconception

A common misconception is that a small increase in greenhouse gases and a small rise in Earth's temperature will not have much impact on organisms on Earth beyond polar ice melting.

The lesson outlines how human activities increase the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and how this links to climate change. The lesson also outlines how climate change impacts life on Earth.

Keywords

  • Urbanisation - Urbanisation is the increase in the number of people living in towns and cities (urban areas).

  • Deforestation - Deforestation is the removal of trees; often to use for timber or fuel or to repurpose land for houses or farming.

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

  • Greenhouse gas - Greenhouse gases are gases that are responsible for the greenhouse effect by absorbing infrared radiation and trapping ‘heat’ in the atmosphere.

  • Climate change - Climate change is a long term shift in weather patterns.

Satellite images can be used to demonstrate how the world has changed as a result of human activities. For example, pupils can measure the growth of a city or the shrinking of a glacier or the ice caps.
Teacher tip

Equipment

None required.

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 term can be used to describe the mass of biological material in an ecosystem?
ecology
Correct answer: biomass
biotic
food web
consumer
Q2.
What is the definition of biodiversity?
The number of individual organisms in a specific area.
Correct answer: The number of different species in a specific area.
The number of food webs in a specific area.
The non-living factors in a specific area.
Q3.
Which of the following is a main reason that humans carry out deforestation?
Correct answer: To create more land for crops and livestock.
To reduce the number of harmful animals (e.g. pests).
To increase the biodiversity of an area.
To have better access to other areas of forest.
Q4.
In which of the following habitats is there likely to be the greatest biodiversity?
a puddle
a rock pool
Correct answer: a tropical rainforest
the arctic
Q5.
Which of these is a way of increasing biodiversity?
Correct answer: Planting hedgerows around crop fields.
Increasing the size of crop fields.
Deforestation of land.
Clearing habitats to process human waste materials.
Q6.
Burning trees that have been chopped down as part of deforestation will release which gas into the atmosphere?
oxygen
nitrogen
Correct answer: carbon dioxide
methane

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
The number of different species in an area is known as .
Correct Answer: biodiversity
Q2.
Which of the following gases found in the atmosphere is not a greenhouse gas?
carbon dioxide
water vapour
Correct answer: nitrogen
methane
Q3.
What does the term urbanisation mean?
Humans moving to live in the countryside.
Correct answer: Increasing numbers of humans living in towns and cities.
Creating nature reserves to increase biodiversity in built up areas.
Creating more space for landfill and processing of waste.
Decreasing numbers of humans living in towns and cities.
Q4.
The destruction of habitats ...
causes biodiversity to increase.
causes biodiversity to stay the same.
Correct answer: causes biodiversity to decrease.
Q5.
Listed below are some human activities. Match the activities with the impact they have on the ecosystem.
Correct Answer:growing rice,increases methane in the atmosphere

increases methane in the atmosphere

Correct Answer:digging a new quarry,destroys habitats

destroys habitats

Correct Answer:deforestation,destroys habitats and stops carbon dioxide being taken up by producers

destroys habitats and stops carbon dioxide being taken up by producers

Correct Answer:combustion of fuels,increases the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

increases the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

Q6.
Which of the following is not a consequence of continued global warming?
Increased rainfall in some areas as more water is evaporated from the seas.
Melting of land ice, raising sea levels.
Habitat loss for some animals as a result of climate change.
Correct answer: Increased speed of fossil fuels being regenerated.
Changes in the pattern/times of year of migration of birds.