using land to raise farm animals and grow crops to feed humans and farm animals

the removal of trees, often to use the land for agriculture or building

the place where an organism lives, which provides the organism with food, shelter and a place to reproduce

the range of different living organisms (species) in an ecosystem

all the living organisms in a place interacting with each other and their non-living surroundings

Agriculture and habitat loss

Science

Deforestation affects the carbon and water cycles

Impacts of climate change on biodiversity

Climate change and food production

Advantages and disadvantages of plastic food packaging

Pupils will learn about biomass transfer including calculating the efficiency of transfers between trophic levels. They will learn about human impacts on the environment, food security and biotechnology to help maintain biodiversity and achieve food security.

In the Climate change and greenhouse gases unit, pupils learnt about greenhouse gas emissions from transport and industry, and the use of renewable energy resources and changes to transport infrastructure that could reduce emissions.

In this unit pupils learn about the impact of agriculture and deforestation on biodiversity, and to more thoroughly consider the effects of climate change on biodiversity and food production.

Climate change and biodiversity

a set of processes that transfer carbon between the atmosphere, organisms and Earth

having reliable access to enough safe and nutritious food to meet the needs of the human population

a set of processes that transfer water between the atmosphere, organisms and Earth

a feature that organisms have to help them live and survive in a particular place

the characteristics of species gradually change over time, sometimes forming new species; this process is called evolution

an increase in Earth’s average surface temperature

gases in the atmosphere that keep it warmer than it would be without them

releases of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere

the calculated total amount of greenhouse gases emitted by an activity

a man-made material, usually made from fossil fuels

a substance that can harm living organisms when it is released into an ecosystem

can be broken down by living organisms, including microorganisms

can be carried out over a long period of time with little or no negative impact on the environment

Climate change and biodiversity

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