2a. Daily Article - More Tree Species Than First Thought - UKS2 (9-11).pdf

1、Click Here for Support with using Interactive PDFsDaily NewsMore Tree Species Than First ThoughtScientists have estimated that the world is home to 14%more tree species than had previously been thought!A scientific study used 140 researchers from 100 different countries around the world.They used a

2、database of around 35 million trees in more than 100,000 sites.They think that there are 73,300 tree species.It is thousands more than they used to think existed.Of these,they think that 9,200 of the species have yet to even be discovered.Some of the tree species we dont know about yet could be very

3、 rare.To protect these rare tree species,scientists have been trying to target areas where they should focus their help most.They think that most of these missing species come from South America.The fact that most of the species might come from South America is not a surprise.It is home to the Amazo

4、n rainforest.Its the largest forest in the world.The forest is 600,000 square km.That is 17 times larger than the whole of the UK and Ireland!However,it is also one of the areas most at risk of deforestation.Scientists suggest that more must be done to combat deforestation in the Amazon.They think i

5、t will help protect undiscovered species,protect animals habitats and fight climate change.The worlds forests are able to absorb one-third of all the carbon dioxide created by fossil fuels.However,according to the UK government,an area the size of 27 football pitches of the forest is lost every minu

6、te.So,with plenty of reasons to conserve these trees,lets hope they manage to.Who knows what they might find!Photo:A forest.Glossarydatabase A large store of information.speciesA group of living things which share similar characteristics.E.g.dogs are a species.habitats The natural homes of animals.f

7、ossil fuelsNon renewable energy,such as coal oil and gas.Science World News 3rd February 2022What is deforestation?Deforestation is the loss of large areas of forest.Some of this happens naturally because of things such as forest fires.Humans also cause deforestation by clearing large areas for farm

8、ing cattle or to grow crops,such as palm oil which is used in lots of everyday products.visit Questions1.How many tree species are thought to be undiscovered?2.In the first sentence of the article,what is meant by the word estimated.3.Tick to show whether the statement is true or false according to

9、the article.TrueFalseThere are fewer tree species than first thought.Most undiscovered trees are thought to be in Europe.The team used 140 researchers.Trees are chopped down to make space to grow palm oil.4.Name two reasons mentioned in the article why trees are important.5.How do you think scientists might have felt when they discovered there are more types of trees than first thought.6.Summarise the key information from the article in 15 words or fewer.More Tree Species Than First Thoughtvisit