Year 9 - Science
Agriculture and habitat loss
Climate change and biodiversity
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
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.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain how growing crops for food is linked to the loss of habitats and a decrease in biodiversity.
Key Notes
- Growing crops to feed animals and humans requires significant land use
- Converting land for agricultural use is one of the major causes of deforestation
- Deforestation results in habitat loss for many species
- Conversion of land for agriculture is a major cause of habitat loss and biodiversity loss
- Mitigation strategies include changing diets and positive land use change (e.g. reforestation and rewilding)
Vocabulary To Learn
- agriculture: using land to raise farm animals and grow crops to feed humans and farm animals
- deforestation: the removal of trees, often to use the land for agriculture or building
- habitat: the place where an organism lives, which provides the organism with food, shelter and a place to reproduce
- biodiversity: the range of different living organisms (species) in an ecosystem
- ecosystem: all the living organisms in a place interacting with each other and their non-living surroundings
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Thinking that agriculture just means growing crops.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the scientific idea in this lesson using two key points.
Growing crops to feed animals and humans requires significant land use. Converting land for agricultural use is one of the major causes of deforestation.
2. Define this scientific word and use it in context. 'agriculture'
using land to raise farm animals and grow crops to feed humans and farm animals. Include the word in a full scientific explanation, not as a single label.
3. Correct this common scientific misunderstanding.
Mistake: Thinking that agriculture just means growing crops. Correction: The lesson explores the idea that agriculture also includes using land to rear animals, and that this has destroyed more habitat than using land to grow crops.
More Lessons In This Unit
Browse all guides in the Year 9 Science guide library.