7.3.1: Biodiversity
Not started yet — this one needs some love.
Biodiversity: the variety of all the different species of organisms on earth, or within an ecosystem.
A great biodiversity ensures the stability of ecosystems by reducing the dependence of one species on another for food, shelter and the maintenance of the physical environment.
The future of the human species on Earth relies on us maintaining a good level of biodiversity.
Many human activities are reducing biodiversity.
Measures have been taken to try to stop the reduction in biodiversity.
Waste can reduce biodiversity because pollution kills plants and animals.
Deforestation can reduce biodiversity by removing habitats.
Global warming can reduce biodiversity by changing habitats and species distributions.
Common exam mistakes
Do not confuse biodiversity with abundance; biodiversity is about variety, not just the number of individuals.
A habitat can have many organisms but low biodiversity if they are mostly the same species.
When explaining stability, link biodiversity to reduced dependence on one species.
Do not write only "humans reduce biodiversity"; name the activity and how it affects species.