Biodiversity
Understand that biodiversity — the variety of different species in an ecosystem — is essential for healthy ecosystems, and that keystone species (like wolves in Yellowstone, sea otters in kelp forests, or bees as pollinators) have an outsized impact on their ecosystem, so that losing one key species can cause a cascade of changes affecting many others
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If your child learns about how wolves were brought back to Yellowstone and the whole ecosystem changed, can they explain what a 'keystone species' is and why having many different species in an area matters?
Understand that biodiversity — the variety of different species in an ecosystem — is essential for healthy ecosystems, and that keystone species (like wolves in Yellowstone, sea otters in kelp forests, or bees as pollinators) have an outsized impact on their ecosystem, so that losing one key species can cause a cascade of changes affecting many others
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Check understanding
- Defines biodiversity as the variety of species in an ecosystem
- Explains why biodiversity matters (stability, resilience, ecosystem services)
- Defines keystone species and gives at least 2 examples
- Describes a trophic cascade or chain reaction from removing/adding a species
“If your child learns about how wolves were brought back to Yellowstone and the whole ecosystem changed, can they explain what a 'keystone species' is and why having many different species in an area matters?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Conceptual
- Subject
- Science
- Domain
- Animals of the World
- Age range
- Ages 9–11