Biodiversity and HIPPO

Vocabulary Review Ecosystem- A community of organisms interacting with a particular environment. Habitat- The environment in which a population or individual lives; includes not only the place where a species is found, but also the particular characteristics of the place (e.g., climate or the availability of suitable food and shelter) that make it especially well suited to meet the life cycle needs of that species. Niche- The ecological role of a species; the set of resources it consumes and habitats it occupies. Species- Population of organisms that live in an area that mate and produce fertile offspring

What is Biodiversity? A measure of the variety of life, biodiversity is often described on three levels. 1. Ecosystem diversity- describes the variety of habitats present; 2. Species diversity- is a measure of the number of species and the number of individuals of each species present; 3. Genetic diversity- refers to the total amount of genetic variability present.

HIPPO Activity Read the Student page: Prairie Chicken Problem. Divide into groups of three and pick up one set of Prairie Chicken cards. Take turns reading the cards aloud in your group. Organize the cards into 4 or 5 major categories of threats to the prairie chicken. Name each category and record what cards were placed into each category. Come up with possible solutions to the different categories of threats to the population.

HIPPO H- Habitat Loss I- Invasive or Introduced Species P- Population (Human and the Species) P- Pollution O- Over-consumption

Ways to Protect Biodiversity Legal Action –Endangered Species Act of 1973 –Clean Water Act –Montreal Protocol Wildlife Sanctuaries and Preserves Corporate Stewardship National Parks and National Forests Habitat Restoration & Preservation Zoos- Captive Breeding Population Management Plans Seed Banks Scientific Research

Quick Quiz The Eastern sand darter is declining due to poor water quality. Drainage of wetlands for agriculture have caused the Illinois mud turtle’s numbers to decline. The multiflora rose, a non-native species, now covers areas once inhabited by native plants. The human population is currently over 6.4 billion. Bison were the first large animals to be killed off following European settlement of Illinois. Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, and Osprey numbers declined dramatically in the 1960’s because pesticides used on crops caused the birds to lay thin eggs. There are currently 200 California Condors. The spotted owl is declining due to logging of old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest. The Lake Trout out-competes with the native Cutthroat Trout in Yellowstone Lake causing Cutthroat numbers to decline. The wolf was hunted to extinction in the western U.S. in 1926.