Environments can change. Some changes are natural, such as floods, droughts and fires. Others are caused by people, such as cutting down forests, building roads or dropping litter. When a habitat changes, some plants and animals move away, some adapt, and some die out.
People can also help. Nature reserves protect habitats. Planting trees and hedges gives birds and insects new homes. Bird boxes and ponds in gardens help wildlife. Picking up litter keeps animals from getting trapped or eating plastic. When a whole kind of living thing dies out everywhere, it is extinct and can never come back.
Worked example
A wood is cut down to build houses. What happens to the squirrels that lived there?
- They lose their food (nuts) and shelter (trees).
- Some may move to another wood.
Answer:Others may not survive, so the number of squirrels falls.
Key words
- extinct
- died out for ever, with none left anywhere
- endangered
- in danger of becoming extinct
- nature reserve
- a protected place for wildlife
- pollution
- harmful things added to air, water or land
New questions every time.
NGSS-referenced: 3-LS4-4