Biodiversity and Human Threat
Biodiversity- variety of all the different species on earth or within an ecosystem
➔ A great biodiversity ensures the stability of an ecosystem by reducing the dependence of
one species on another for food, shelter and the maintenance of the physical
environment ( if one species goes extinct the ecosystem can still survive)
➔ Future of human species relies on us having good biodiversity
● Microorganisms enrich the soil used to grow crops
● Insects that pollinate to give us fruits and nuts
➔ Biodiversity is higher at the equator and decreases the further you get from the equator
➔ Biodiversity is beginning to decline for reasons such as:
● Anthropogenic (caused by humans)
○ Human population increasing (2015-7 billion 2023-8 billion)
● We can grow food not rely on the wild
● No natural predators
● Medicine has developed to cure a lot of the
diseases
○ Destruction, degradation or fragmentation of habitats
● Agriculture- destroys habitats for land
● Urbanisation- roads could split up habitats
● Fishing- reducing stock
● Factories
○ Pollution
● Toxic waste ( from fertilisers from farms or toxic
chemicals in industries) leaks into sea and can kill
aquatic animals or hinder their ability to reproduce
● Landfill although buried underground the toxic
chemicals can still seep into the ground, Farming
(uses of pesticides and herbicides) can pollute the
ground also
○ Introduction of alien species
○ Climate change
● Burning of fossil fuels could directly harm
organisms or even causes acid rain
● Release of greenhouse gases contributes to global
warming which is destroying habitats
● Invasive species
● Hybridisation
● Over harvesting
How to maintain biodiversity
➔ Set up breeding programmes to save endangered species
➔ Protect or regenerate rare habitats to save species e.g. coral reefs
Biodiversity- variety of all the different species on earth or within an ecosystem
➔ A great biodiversity ensures the stability of an ecosystem by reducing the dependence of
one species on another for food, shelter and the maintenance of the physical
environment ( if one species goes extinct the ecosystem can still survive)
➔ Future of human species relies on us having good biodiversity
● Microorganisms enrich the soil used to grow crops
● Insects that pollinate to give us fruits and nuts
➔ Biodiversity is higher at the equator and decreases the further you get from the equator
➔ Biodiversity is beginning to decline for reasons such as:
● Anthropogenic (caused by humans)
○ Human population increasing (2015-7 billion 2023-8 billion)
● We can grow food not rely on the wild
● No natural predators
● Medicine has developed to cure a lot of the
diseases
○ Destruction, degradation or fragmentation of habitats
● Agriculture- destroys habitats for land
● Urbanisation- roads could split up habitats
● Fishing- reducing stock
● Factories
○ Pollution
● Toxic waste ( from fertilisers from farms or toxic
chemicals in industries) leaks into sea and can kill
aquatic animals or hinder their ability to reproduce
● Landfill although buried underground the toxic
chemicals can still seep into the ground, Farming
(uses of pesticides and herbicides) can pollute the
ground also
○ Introduction of alien species
○ Climate change
● Burning of fossil fuels could directly harm
organisms or even causes acid rain
● Release of greenhouse gases contributes to global
warming which is destroying habitats
● Invasive species
● Hybridisation
● Over harvesting
How to maintain biodiversity
➔ Set up breeding programmes to save endangered species
➔ Protect or regenerate rare habitats to save species e.g. coral reefs
