Biodiversity and the human impact on the environment

A type of organism that is the basic unit of classification . They cannot interbreed

All members of a single species that live within a certain geographical area

A sequence of feeding relationships between organisms, showing which organisms eat what and the movement of energy through trophic levels

The living organisms of a particular area along with the non-living organisms in the environment

Areas like tropical rainforests have millions of species and are very biodiverse. Other areas such as polar regions have fewer species and are less biodiverse. The increase in human population and the waste it produces, such as deforestation and climate change, are all reducing biodiversity.

If the numbers of one species are affected, there are always knock-on consequences. Ecosystems with a higher biodiversity are more stable and easier to adjust to changes as fewer species will depend on only one food or shelter.

Breeding programs to help endangered species Protection and development of new endangered habitats Recycling and reducing deforestation

The larger the human population gets, the more land we require for things like shelter and resources. This often means less space and fewer resources for animals and plants. Biodiversity is reduced when land is cleared for human uses, for example the reduction in biodiversity when an area in a rainforest is cut down to grow crops.