Aim

To explore patterns of biodiversity and consider why species are present in some places and not in others.

National Curriculum themes

• KS4 Sc2 4a - "how the distribution and relative abundance of organisms in habitats can be explained using ideas of interdependence, adaptation, competition and predation." 
• KS4 Sc1 2m,n - "use observations, measurements or other data to draw conclusions and explain to what extent these conclusions support any prediction made, and enable further predictions to be made." 

Strategy

• Use the Exploring distribution activity to investigate the factors influencing the UK distribution of different plants and animals. 
• Use the Comparing areas activity to explore the differences in floras between two postal districts, and examine the clues that the plants provide about environmental conditions in the two areas (environmental indicators). Could environmental factors be influencing the plant distributions? 
• Ask pupils to pick a local plant species (Comparing areas). Find the UK environmental conditions with which it is usually associated (environmental indicators). Could environmental factors be influencing its UK distribution? Look at the environmental maps to help decide. How could other organisms be influencing the distribution? Ask students to predict parts of the country in which they think it will not occur, and explain why. Use the Comparing areas activity to see if the evidence matches their predictions.