← Environmental Science syllabus

EnglandEnvironmental Science

3.1 The living environment

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

What does biodiversity actually measure, and why does it matter at the genetic, species and habitat levels?

The meaning of biodiversity at the genetic, species and habitat levels, how species and habitat diversity are measured and estimated, and the value of biodiversity to humans and ecosystems.
A focused answer to AQA A-Level Environmental Science 3.1.2, covering the three levels of biodiversity, the index of diversity, sampling and estimation, and the ecological and economic value of biodiversity.
12 min answer →

What conditions made the Earth suitable for life, and how did life change the planet in return?

The conditions that allowed life to develop on Earth, the role of liquid water and an oxygen atmosphere, the changing of conditions by living organisms, and the Gaia hypothesis of self-regulation.
A focused answer to AQA A-Level Environmental Science 3.1.1, covering the physical conditions that allow life on Earth, the role of liquid water and the oxygen atmosphere, how organisms changed the planet, and the Gaia hypothesis.
11 min answer →

Why is biodiversity declining, and which conservation methods actually work to protect it?

The reasons biodiversity should be conserved, the causes of biodiversity loss, and the range of in-situ and ex-situ conservation methods used to protect species and habitats.
A focused answer to AQA A-Level Environmental Science 3.1.4, covering reasons to conserve biodiversity, the causes of species loss, and in-situ and ex-situ conservation methods including reserves, captive breeding, seed banks and legislation.
12 min answer →

How does energy flow and matter move through the living systems of the biosphere?

The flow of energy through ecosystems via food chains and trophic levels, the inefficiency of energy transfer, productivity, and the cycling of matter that supports life in the biosphere.
A focused answer to AQA A-Level Environmental Science 3.1.5, covering energy flow through food chains, trophic levels, the inefficiency of transfer, productivity, and how matter cycles through the biosphere.
11 min answer →

How do carbon and nitrogen cycle between organisms, the atmosphere, the oceans and the rocks?

The processes that move carbon and nitrogen through the biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere, including photosynthesis, respiration, nitrogen fixation, nitrification, denitrification and decomposition.
A focused answer to AQA A-Level Environmental Science 3.1.3, covering the carbon cycle and nitrogen cycle, the key biological and physical processes that drive them, and how human activity disrupts each cycle.
11 min answer →