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
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.
Sir David Attenborough
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
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.
Key Word
Ecosystem
Meaning
Example
A living community of organisms
interacting with their physical
environment.
Habitat
Niche
Community
Species
Population
Abiotic factor
Biotic factor
Biodiversity
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
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.
Key Word
Ecosystem
Meaning
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.
Example
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.