GCSE Biology Revision — Biodiversity
Revise Biodiversity for GCSE Biology with a topic explanation, worked example and common mistakes. Check the board notes for specification differences.
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Go to Cycles in EcosystemsTopic explanation
What is Biodiversity?
Biodiversity is the variety of all the different species of organisms on Earth, or within an ecosystem. A high level of biodiversity ensures the stability of ecosystems, making them more resilient to change. It also provides humans with essential resources like food, oxygen, and potential new medicines.
Board notes: Covered by all major boards (AQA, Edexcel, OCR). The importance of biodiversity and the negative impact of human activity are key themes.
Step-by-step explanationWorked examples
Worked example
A tropical rainforest has extremely high biodiversity, with millions of different species of plants, animals, and insects. A wheat field, on the other hand, has very low biodiversity, as it is a monoculture dominated by a single species. The rainforest is a much more stable ecosystem than the wheat field.
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Common mistakes
- 1Confusing biodiversity with population size. An ecosystem can have a large population of a few species, but this would be low biodiversity. High biodiversity means having a wide range of different species.
- 2Thinking that all species are equally important. While all species have a role, keystone species have a disproportionately large effect on their environment relative to their abundance.
- 3Underestimating the human impact. Human activities such as pollution, deforestation, and global warming are the main drivers of the current rapid decline in biodiversity.
Biodiversity exam questions
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Frequently asked questions
Why is biodiversity important?
High biodiversity makes ecosystems more stable and able to recover from droughts, floods, or diseases. It also provides humans with vital resources, including food, raw materials, and new medicines.
How can we protect biodiversity?
We can protect biodiversity through conservation programmes, such as breeding programmes for endangered species, protecting and regenerating rare habitats like coral reefs and mangroves, and reducing deforestation and carbon emissions.