Biodiversity And Maintaining Biodiversity
Laura Armstrong & Joe Wolfensohn
Teachers
Recall Questions
This topic requires prior knowledge of biodiversity.
What does endangered mean?
A species at risk of becoming extinct.
What is extinction?
When there are no living individuals of a species left anywhere on Earth.
What is biodiversity?
The variety of all the different species of organisms on Earth or within an ecosystem.
Topic Explainer Video
Check out this @JoeDoesGCSEBiology video that explains biodiversity and maintaining biodiversity, then read the study notes. Once you’ve gone through them, don’t forget to try the practice questions!
Biodiversity And Maintaining Biodiversity
What Is Biodiversity?
- Biodiversity means the variety of all the different species of plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms on Earth or in an ecosystem.
- High biodiversity makes ecosystems more stable because:
- It reduces dependence on just one species for food or shelter.
- It helps maintain the physical environment (e.g. soils, water cycles).
Why does this matter?
- The future of humans depends on biodiversity - for food, medicine, clean air and water.
- If biodiversity is damaged, ecosystems can collapse.
Human Impacts on Biodiversity
Negative human activities:
- Deforestation: Cutting down forests destroys habitats and reduces biodiversity.
- Pollution: Dumping waste, chemicals, or plastic harms animals and plants.
- Hunting and overfishing: Can lead to species becoming endangered or extinct.
- Climate change: Burning fossil fuels adds CO₂ to the atmosphere, leading to global warming, which can destroy habitats.
Positive actions to maintain biodiversity:
Scientists and governments have made programmes to reduce these effects, such as:
- Breeding programmes for endangered species (e.g. pandas, rhinos).
- Protecting and regenerating rare habitats, like wetlands, coral reefs, or ancient woodlands.
- Reintroducing field margins and hedgerows around farmland to provide habitats and food sources for insects, birds and mammals.
- Reducing deforestation and cutting CO₂ emissions to slow climate change.
- Recycling resources to reduce waste and save habitats from landfill sites.
Why Must We Act?
- Once a species goes extinct, it’s gone forever.
- Maintaining biodiversity protects ecosystem services humans rely on: food supply, clean water, pollination, and climate regulation.
Key Terms & Definitions
Biodiversity - The variety of different species on Earth or in an ecosystem.
Endangered - A species at risk of extinction.
Extinction - When a species no longer exists anywhere on Earth.
Conservation - Steps taken to protect species and habitats.
No answer provided.
Exam Tips:
You must be able to explain why it is important that species do not become extinct. You can give reasons such as:
- Organisms may produce substances useful to humans, such as medicines.
- We have a duty to preserve organisms for future generations.
- If an organism becomes extinct, this will have a knock on effect to other organisms, e.g. the food chain will be impacted.
No answer provided.
Practice Question
Describe two ways humans can help maintain biodiversity and explain how each helps. (4 marks)
Model Answer:
- Breeding programmes help endangered species reproduce and increase their population, reducing the risk of extinction.
- Protecting rare habitats means species have safe places to live and breed, and will be able to find food, maintaining biodiversity.
More Practice
Try to answer the practice question from the TikTok video on your own, then watch the video to see how well you did!