Year 9 - Geography
The human impact on ecosystems
Anthropocene: What is the impact of humans on the world?
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Study Guides
This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit teaches pupils about how humans have affected our world by looking at environmental issues such as plastic pollution and the impact of fossil fuel use. The unit leads pupils to question whether we are in a new geological epoch.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain how human activity changes ecosystems and reduces biodiversity.
Key Notes
- Deforestation reduces habitats and threatens species survival.
- Pollution from agriculture and industry harms ecosystems.
- Climate change alters ecosystems and species distributions.
- Invasive species introduced by humans disrupt native ecosystems.
- Biodiversity loss reduces ecosystem resilience and services.
Vocabulary To Learn
- deforestation: the complete removal of trees
- invasive species: plants, animals, or other organisms that are brought into a new environment, usually by humans, where they don't naturally belong
- biodiversity: all the living things in an ecosystem or area
- ecosystem: a natural environment where the plants and animals interact within it
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Invasive species are always introduced by humans intentionally.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this geography topic using two clear key points.
Deforestation reduces habitats and threatens species survival. Pollution from agriculture and industry harms ecosystems.
2. Define this geography term and use it in an example. 'deforestation'
the complete removal of trees.
3. Correct this common geography misunderstanding.
Mistake: Invasive species are always introduced by humans intentionally. Correction: While some introductions are intentional (e.g. for pest control or landscaping), many invasive species are introduced accidentally, such as via ballast water in ships or hitchhiking on imported goods.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Alternative energy supplies Study Guide
- An introduction to the Anthropocene Study Guide
- Evidence of the Anthropocene Study Guide
- Fieldwork: Analysing, concluding and evaluating air pollution data Study Guide
- Fieldwork: Planning an air pollution enquiry and collecting data Study Guide
- Fieldwork: Presenting air pollution data Study Guide
- Global governance Study Guide
- Our future climate Study Guide
- Phasing out fossil fuels Study Guide
- Plastic pollution Study Guide
- Sustainability: A new way of living Study Guide
- The impact of consumption Study Guide
- Threats to oceans Study Guide
Browse all guides in the Year 9 Geography guide library.