Starter Activity: On a show me board describe this

picture:

Biodiversity

Learning Intention: Identify, describe and explain factors that can affect biodiversity and the distribution of living things.

Success Criteria: •Define the term biodiversity.•Describe what makes up an ecosystem.•Identify non-living factors that can affect biodiversity.•Identify living factors that can affect biodiversity.•Explain the impact of human activity on global ecosystems.

You are about to become an Ecologist like me, but what does that mean?

What are you going to be studying?

Sir David Attenborough

Sir David Attenborough

Ecology is a branch of biology which studies how organisms interact with

one another and with their environment. Ecologists study the

feeding relationships within habitats, the flow of energy through and the

cycling of nutrients within ecosystems, how ecosystems change over time and

much more.

A full understanding of ecosystems is very important so that we can

appreciate how they might change over time, how we can manage them,

and how we can conserve the resources within them.

What is an Ecosystem?

• Watch the following Glow video clip:What is an ecosystem?

• Note down key words on your show me board.

• Try the advanced quiz for the film.

Ecosystems

• An ecosystem is a living community of organisms interacting with their physical environment.

• Ecosystems rely on abiotic and biotic factors, the non-living and living parts, which are organised into niches.

Ecosystem Key Words

Key Word Meaning Example

Ecosystem A living community of organisms interacting with their physical environment.

Habitat

Niche

Community

Species

Population

Abiotic factor

Biotic factor

Biodiversity

Use one piece of A4 paper or one page of your notebook to create a word bank of key words. You will keep adding to this throughout the

topic.

Think back to the S2 Biodiversity topic and discuss any words you know already.

What does biodiversity mean?

• Watch the following Glow video clip:What is biodiversity?

• Note down key words on your show me board.

Q1. What is biodiversity?Q2. Why is biodiversity important?

Think Pair Share

Biodiversity• Biodiversity is the

range of different species and the variety between species.

• High biodiversity is important for healthy sustainable ecosystems.

Ecosystem Key Words

Key Word Meaning Example

Ecosystem A living community of organisms interacting with their physical environment.

Habitat

Niche

Community

Species

Population

Abiotic factor

Biotic factor

Biodiversity The range of different species and the variety between species.

Use one piece of A4 paper or one page of your notebook to create a word bank of key words. You will keep adding to this throughout the

topic.

What can affect biodiversity?

The range and variety of species within an ecosystem can be decreased.

What sort of things could cause this decrease in number and variety of species?

Think Pair Share

What can affect biodiversity?

The following things can affect levels of biodiversity:•Abiotic factors•Biotic factors•Human activity

What do they mean to you?Think Pair Share

Watch the following Glow video clips and add any further information to your show me board:

Abiotic Factors Biotic Factors

Factors affecting biodiversity

Biodiversity can be affected by:•Abiotic (non-living) factors e.g temperature, pH or rainfall.•Biotic (living) factors e.g predators, new species or bacteria causing disease.•Human influences e.g pollution or habitat destruction.

Investigating Human Activity

1. Choose one example of how human activity can influence biodiversity.

2. Find information from at least two different sources and say what they are.

3. Find some statistics about your chosen human activity and present them in an appropriate way.

4. Summarise your findings in 50 to 100 words.5. Present your investigation on A4 paper.

Biodiversity

Learning Intention: Identify, describe and explain factors that can affect biodiversity and the distribution of living things.

Success Criteria: •Define the term biodiversity.•Describe what makes up an ecosystem.•Identify non-living factors that can affect biodiversity.•Identify living factors that can affect biodiversity.•Explain the impact of human activity on global ecosystems.