AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Habitat alteration is a change in land use or land cover that has an impact on local ecosystems. Plants and animals live in specific places that have the conditions of climate and food resources needed for survival. Habitats vary from forest and grassland to urban areas, streams, ponds, and oceans.

Detailed explanation-2: -Habitat loss, especially removal of plants and trees which stabilize soil, increases erosion, and reduces the nutrient levels in terrestrial ecosystems. This, in turn, can decrease agricultural productivity. In turn, increasing erosion decreases water quality by increasing sediment and pollutants in rivers and streams.

Detailed explanation-3: -Habitats are altered in many ways by human activities. Forests and other natural environments are cleared to make agricultural land or urban areas. Climate change due to rising emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide will influence some regions by, for example, increasing periods of drought.

Detailed explanation-4: -Anthropogenic habitat alterations such as deforestation, fragmentation and conversion generally result in biodiversity loss6.

Detailed explanation-5: -Habitat destruction is currently considered the primary cause of species extinction worldwide. Environmental factors can contribute to habitat destruction more indirectly. Geological processes, climate change, introduction of invasive species, ecosystem nutrient depletion, water and noise pollution are some examples.