Contents
Key Stage 3
Meaning
Biodiversity is the amount of genetic variation within species and between different species. The more genetic variation, the greater the biodiversity.
About Biodiversity
- Biodiversity between different species is important to maintain complex food webs. When one species in a food web becomes extinct it can cause many others to become extinct.
- Biodiversity within a species is important to help a species produce healthy and fertile offspring. If a species is reduced to close family members their offspring can be deformed or inherit genetic conditions.
- To help preserve biodiversity scientists have created gene banks where sperm, eggs and seed from many different species are stored.
Examples
- Most Labradors have bad hips because they are all descended from a small number of dogs. They don't have enough biodiversity to inherit better hips.
- There are so few pandas left in China there is very little biodiversity. That means if one of them has a genetic condition that makes them unhealthy, this condition will be passed on to most of the pandas in the next few generations, making it even harder for them to survive.
Key Stage 4
Meaning
Biodiversity is the amount of genetic variation within species and between different species. The more genetic variation, the greater the biodiversity.
About Biodiversity
- Biodiversity within a species is important to help a species produce healthy and fertile offspring.
- Greater biodiversity in a species means there will be greater variation in that species. If the ecosystem changes then a species with greater variation can evolve more quickly and the species is more likely to survive.
- If a species is reduced to close family members their offspring can be deformed or inherit genetic conditions.