1. Warm Up and
Four friends visited an island. The island was far away from the mainland. No humans lived on the island. The friends talked about what would happen if all the plants disappeared on the island. This is what they said:
Juan: “I think all the animals on the island would eventually die.”
Stephanie: “I think the animals that eat plants would eventually die but the animals that eat both plants and animals would live.”
Carlos: “I think only the predators on the island would live.”
Christina: “I think eventually all the animals on the island will become meat eaters, and they will survive without plants.”
QUESTION: Which friend do you agree with the most? Explain why you agree.

2. Where have we been? Where are we going?
We have talked about so many different interactions and how they really keep ecosystems balanced…
Organisms with organisms
Organisms with environments
But why is this even important? Why do we care?
Can you think of any reasons why protecting and conserving as many plants AND animals is important? g

3. Objective: I will be able to analyze data and use evidence to explain how humanity can protect and conserve Biodiversity as evidenced by completing a scientific explanation.
Biodiversity
and
Pg. 77

4. Let’s try and figure out what this Biodiversity thing is all about…
Station Work Pg. 76
You will visit 4 stations
Some stations may ask you to watch videos, use the internet, use my website, go to Juno, etc.
Complete your handout on pg. 76
15 minutes per station

5. Now that you have a little more background on Biodiversity and it’s importance, lets go over the main points and what is happening to Biodiversity lately…. Pg. 77

6. What is Biodiversity?
Biodiversity is the variety or richness of life at all structural levels (molecular/genetic, species, ecosystem).
It is an essential resource. 6

7. Why is Biodiversity Important?
Biodiversity provides us with:
1) Natural Resources
Food, water, wood, energy, and medicines
2) Natural (Ecosystem) Services including:
Air and water purification
Soil fertility
Waste disposal
Pest control
3) Aesthetic pleasure (looks nice)

8. Decline of Earth’s Biodiversity
H Habitat loss
I Invasive species
P Pollution
P Population
O Overharvesting, Overuse
**Unintended consequence of factors that have been enhanced by human activity. The acronym HIPPO describes these factors, with the order of the letters corresponding to their rank in destructiveness.”**

9. Habitat loss/destruction
Habitat loss is the greatest
reason for biodiversity loss.
Habitat loss is due to:
Conversion of natural areas to farms, houses, etc
Fragmentation of ecosystems by human activities, housing, transportation, agriculture etc.
Climate change

10. Invasive / Exotic Species
Invasive/exotic species may are introduced from elsewhere and may include predators, diseases, and competitors that displace native species
They outcompete native species because they:
Have no natural predators
Colonize disturbed habitats quickly
Have a high biotic potential (r-species)

11. Pollution
Pollution such as oil spills, human agricultural waste, fertilization, pesticides, acid deposition, greenhouse gases, etc. caused by human activities has a negative effect on biodiversity

12. Population, Human overpopulation that is
6.8 Billion and counting. The expansion of human population and affluence, especially in the developing world harms natural ecosystems.

13. Overharvesting, Overuse, Overexploitation
Overhunting, overfishing, destructive harvesting practices (cyanide, dynamite), illegal trade, exotic pet industry

14. Characteristics shared by many endangered species include:
Low reproductive rate (biotic potential)
Feed at high trophic levels (apex predator)
Large body size
Specialist
Specialized feeding habits
Specialized nesting and/or breeding areas
Fixed migratory patterns
Found in one place or region
Rare
Commercially valuable
Negative human interactions including attacks on people or livestock

15. Sara Abdulla, Chief Commissioning Editor, Nature March 2010
The rich variety of the natural world that Charles Darwin memorably imagined as an "entangled bank", and that E. O. Wilson labeled "biodiversity", is in crisis. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) calculates that one-fifth of mammals and nearly one-third of amphibians are threatened with extinction. Some estimate that only half of the species alive today will survive to Others describe the pace of biodiversity loss as 100 times the rate of natural extinctions. Less-diverse ecosystems are less productive, less stable and less robust. So loss of biodiversity may weaken ecosystems and make them more fragile, especially in the face of climate change, with grave consequences for food security, among other things.
Sara Abdulla, Chief Commissioning Editor, Nature
March 2010 15