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IB Environmental Systems Revision

Ecosystems & Biodiversity

Ecosystem structure and function, biodiversity, and conservation.

Learn itInteractive mini-lessons for your exam boardPLAYQuick game on Ecosystems & BiodiversityVelvet RevisionYour IB Environmental Systems & Societies course mapFree PDFs100 AI prompts per subject
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What does biodiversity measure?

Ecosystems & Biodiversity is a core part of IB Environmental Systems. Revise the key concepts and common mistakes below, then lock them in with the free games.

Key concepts

BiomeLarge geographic region with characteristic climate, vegetation, fauna; e.g., tropical rainforest, tundra.
ProducersAutotrophs (mostly plants/algae) converting solar to chemical energy via photosynthesis.
Trophic pyramidStepped diagram of energy/biomass at each level; pyramid of energy always upright.
Gross/Net productivityGPP = total energy fixed; NPP = GPP minus respiration; available to higher trophic levels.
Carbon cycleC moves through atmosphere, oceans, biomass, soils; fluxes altered by fossil fuel combustion.
Nitrogen cycleN2 fixation (Rhizobium), nitrification (Nitrosomonas), denitrification (Pseudomonas); fluxes doubled by Haber-Bosch.
BiodiversityVariety of life: genetic, species, ecosystem (term popularised by Wilson 1988).
IUCN Red ListCategorises species: LC, NT, VU, EN, CR, EW, EX; founded 1964 by International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Edward O. WilsonHarvard biologist; theory of island biogeography (with MacArthur 1967); biophilia hypothesis 1984.
Habitat fragmentationContinuous habitat divided into smaller patches; reduces connectivity, edge effects, genetic flow.
Sixth mass extinctionCurrent human-driven extinction crisis; recent vertebrate extinction rates up to 100 times background (Ceballos et al., 2015).
Convention on Biological Diversity1992 Rio treaty; targets in Aichi 2010 and Kunming-Montreal 2022 (30x30 by 2030).

What your exam board covers

Where Ecosystems & Biodiversity sits in each exam board's specification. Tap a board to see what it lists.

HLTopic 3 — Biodiversity and conservation
  • 3.1 Biodiversity and evolution
  • 3.2 Human impact on biodiversity
  • 3.3 Conservation and regeneration

Source: IB Diploma Environmental Systems and Societies guide, accessed 23 June 2026.

SLTopic 3 — Biodiversity and conservation
  • 3.1 Biodiversity and evolution
  • 3.2 Human impact on biodiversity
  • 3.3 Conservation and regeneration

Source: IB Diploma Environmental Systems and Societies guide, accessed 23 June 2026.

Learn Ecosystems & Biodiversity step by step

Free interactive mini-lessons: short screens, worked examples and quick checks. Pick your exam board:

Common mistakes to avoid

Questions where students often pick the tempting wrong answer — make sure you know the right one:

What does biodiversity measure?✗ Only the number of animals.   ✓ The variety of all living things and their genes in an area.
Is protecting one species enough to save an ecosystem?✗ Yes, saving one species protects everything.   ✓ No — ecosystems depend on many interacting species and habitats.

Practise Ecosystems & Biodiversity — free games

Test yourself with these quick revision games for this topic:

▶ Two Truths, One Lie▶ Reveal Race▶ Connections Grid▶ Falling Words▶ Word Web

See all 22 games in the Revision Arcade →

More IB Environmental Systems topics

Foundations of Environmental SystemsAtmospheric SystemsClimate Change & EnergyWater & Aquatic SystemsSoil & Terrestrial SystemsHuman Systems & Resource UseEthics, Law & Economics
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