Habitat

Ecosystem cycles

Habitat change or destruction

Pollution and conservation

Overexploitation

Mitigation of adverse effects

MYP Biology Habitat Change or Destruction Notes

What Causes a Habitat to Change?

Definition

Habitat change

Any alteration to the environmental conditions of a habitat that affects the organisms living there.

A habitat changes when the physical or biological conditions that support life are altered.

When these conditions shift, the resources, niches, and interactions that species rely on are affected.

Even small changes can force organisms to move, adapt, or decline.

Habitat change can involve shifts in:

Temperature
Moisture
Soil structure
Vegetation cover
Available space
Interactions among species

Note

Human-driven pollution and exploitation are covered later; this section focuses on ecological causes of change.

Why Do Small Habitat Changes Cause Large Ecological Effects?

Ecosystems function as interdependent networks.

Changing one factor ripples outward.

Organisms rely on narrow tolerance ranges

Each species survives only within specific limits of temperature, light, moisture, and space.

Small shifts can:

Restrict feeding or breeding areas
Slow growth
Increase stress and reduce survival

Species interactions magnify changes

When habitat conditions shift, food webs destabilize.

For instance:

A slight drop in moisture reduces seed germination → fewer herbivores → fewer predators
Reduced canopy cover changes shade levels → insect populations shift → affects bird nesting success

Keystone species amplify effects

Definition

Keystone species

A species with an unusually large influence on its ecosystem.

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(on a website) an arrangement whereby access is restricted to users who have paid to subscribe to the site.

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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris.
Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum.

MYP Biology Habitat Change or Destruction Notes

What Causes a Habitat to Change?

Why Do Small Habitat Changes Cause Large Ecological Effects?

Organisms rely on narrow tolerance ranges

Species interactions magnify changes

Keystone species amplify effects

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

Unlock the rest of this chapter with a free account

What Causes a Habitat to Change?

Why Do Small Habitat Changes Cause Large Ecological Effects?

Organisms rely on narrow tolerance ranges

Species interactions magnify changes

Keystone species amplify effects

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

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Cells7 subtopics

Organisms7 subtopics

Processes10 subtopics

Metabolism4 subtopics

Evolution7 subtopics

Interactions with environment6 subtopics

Interactions between organisms5 subtopics

Human interactions with environments3 subtopics

Biotechnology3 subtopics

MYP Biology Habitat Change or Destruction Notes

Cells7 subtopics

Organisms7 subtopics

Processes10 subtopics

Metabolism4 subtopics

Evolution7 subtopics

Interactions with environment6 subtopics

Interactions between organisms5 subtopics

Human interactions with environments3 subtopics

Biotechnology3 subtopics

What Causes a Habitat to Change?

Why Do Small Habitat Changes Cause Large Ecological Effects?

Organisms rely on narrow tolerance ranges

Species interactions magnify changes

Keystone species amplify effects

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

Unlock the rest of this chapter with a free account

What Causes a Habitat to Change?

Why Do Small Habitat Changes Cause Large Ecological Effects?

Organisms rely on narrow tolerance ranges

Species interactions magnify changes

Keystone species amplify effects

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

Unlock the rest of this chapter with a free account