Biodiversity in Cold Environments
Geography: AQA GCSE, topic 2.4.5
Biodiversity in Cold Environments
Like hot deserts, cold environments (tundra and polar regions) have low biodiversity.
Is there biodiversity in cold environments?
- Antarctica, in particular, has very low biodiversity.
- Tundra has slightly more biodiversity than polar regions.
Why is biodiversity low?
- The extreme temperatures make biodiversity low.
- Because biodiversity is so low, the system is also very fragile.
- 1 species being hunted could destroy the whole ecosystem. This means biodiversity is vulnerable to fall even further.
Threats to biodiversity
- Global warming is a particular threat to polar biomes. Polar ice caps are melting at an increasing rate, changing the ecosystem and the lives of the animals and wildlife living in these areas.
Test yourself on Biodiversity in Cold Environments
Which of the following regions has the lowest overall biodiversity?
Which of the following regions has the lowest overall biodiversity?
How would you describe levels of biodiversity in cold environments?