Habitat Destruction
Key Stage 4
Meaning
Habitat destruction is when the physical and biological conditions of a habitat are changed so much that organisms in a community can no longer survive there.
About Habitat Destruction
- Habitat destruction can be the result of killing organisms, particularly producers in an ecosystem or it can be changing the physical conditions so much that the organisms in a community can no longer survive.
There are several causes of habitat destruction you may know:
- Deforestation - In which humans cut down large numbers of trees.
- Desertification - In which humans cause the soil to be unable to hold as much water or nutrients causing it to become too arid and infertile to support plants.
- Damming Rivers - In which humans block the flow of rivers causing large areas of land to be flooded by fresh water.
- Building Tidal Barrages - In which humans block the flow of the tide at coastal locations killing organisms that rely on the changes of the tides.
- Global Warming - In which the average temperature of Earth increases changing weather patterns in many different ecosystems possibly causing drought, flooding, temperature rises or temperature falls depending on the location.