Habitat destruction Revision Notes

Biodiversity refers to the variety of different species living in a particular area.

It includes all living organisms such as plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms.

Biodiversity focuses on species variety, not just the number of individuals.

• Variety of species in a specific area.
• Includes all types of organisms.
• Measures species diversity, not population size.

High biodiversity often indicates a healthy, balanced ecosystem.

Diverse species interactions support ecosystem stability and resilience.

Biodiversity helps ecosystems adapt to environmental changes.

• Indicates ecosystem health.
• Supports stability and resilience.
• Enables adaptation to change.

Biodiversity can be assessed in any area, from small habitats to large regions.

Comparing species numbers between habitats helps evaluate biodiversity levels.

Monitoring biodiversity is important for conservation and environmental management.

• Measured by species variety in an area.
• Used to compare habitats.
• Important for ecosystem management and conservation.

Humans need more land for housing, agriculture, and livestock farming. To meet these needs, natural habitats like forests and grasslands are cleared or converted. This process removes the homes and resources that plants and animals depend on, leading to habitat destruction.

• Housing development requires clearing natural areas.
• Agriculture converts wild land into farmland.
• Livestock farming needs large grazing areas, reducing natural habitats.

Activities such as mining, logging, and drilling physically remove or damage habitats. Extracting minerals, timber, or fossil fuels disrupts ecosystems by destroying the environment where organisms live.

• Mining removes soil and rock, destroying habitats.
• Logging cuts down trees, reducing forest areas.
• Drilling can pollute and disturb land and water habitats.

Pollution from chemicals, waste, and runoff contaminates water bodies. This harms aquatic plants and animals by degrading their habitats and reducing water quality, which can lead to population declines and loss of biodiversity.

• Chemical pollutants poison aquatic organisms.
• Waste materials reduce oxygen levels in water.
• Pollution damages coral reefs and wetlands.

Food chains and food webs show how energy and nutrients pass between organisms through feeding. Each species depends on others for food, creating interconnected relationships that maintain ecosystem balance.

• Food chains are linear feeding sequences.
• Food webs show multiple feeding connections.
• Stable feeding relationships support healthy habitats.

Activities like deforestation, pollution, and overfishing remove or reduce species populations. This breaks feeding links, causing declines in species that rely on affected organisms for food.

• Deforestation removes food sources and shelter.
• Pollution kills or weakens organisms.
• Overfishing reduces fish populations, affecting predators and prey.

Disrupted food chains lead to population declines and loss of biodiversity. This destabilizes ecosystems, reducing habitat quality and resilience.

• Loss of species reduces biodiversity.
• Ecosystem imbalance harms habitat stability.
• Reduced biodiversity weakens ecosystem functions.

Deforestation destroys habitats needed by many species. Without these habitats, species may decline in number or become extinct if they cannot adapt or relocate.

• Habitat destruction reduces species variety.
• Some species cannot survive habitat loss.
• Extinction occurs when species disappear completely.

Tree roots hold soil in place, preventing erosion. Removing trees causes soil to erode and lose nutrients. Without trees to absorb rainfall, more water runs off quickly, increasing flood risk.

• Soil becomes less stable and fertile.
• Erosion removes topsoil essential for plants.
• Flooding risk rises due to reduced water absorption.

Trees store carbon dioxide through photosynthesis. Cutting them down releases stored CO2 and reduces the number of trees absorbing CO2, increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide and contributing to climate change.

• Deforestation releases stored carbon dioxide.
• Fewer trees reduce CO2 absorption.
• Higher CO2 levels contribute to global warming.