Science·Ecosystems & Habitats·conceptual
Species Distribution & Change
Explain how environmental change (climate change, habitat loss, pollution) affects the distribution of species, including range shifts, local extinction, and invasive species
Suggested ages 12–13
Evidence of understanding
- Describes at least two ways environmental change can affect species distribution
- Gives a real example of a species whose range has shifted due to climate change
- Explains what an invasive species is and how environmental change can enable invasions
- Discusses why some species are more vulnerable to environmental change than others
Assessment prompt
If Species Distribution & Change heard that wild plants in the UK are now flowering weeks earlier than they did 50 years ago, could they explain why that happens and what problems it might cause for the other animals that depend on those plants?
Standards alignment
MS-LS2-4US · ngss-ms
MS-LS2-4
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Middle School
KS3.Sci.Bio.Ecosystem.6GB · uk-nc-2013
Environmental change and species distribution
The national curriculum in England: Key stages 1 and 2 framework document · KS3