1. Plant Science Lessons Unit 1, Lesson 11 Understanding Biodiversity

2. What is biodiversity?

3. We have observed biodiversity! Biodiversity is the variety of life in any given area. Biodiversity varies according to many factors including the climate, environment and land mass. The simplest and most common measure of biodiversity is the number of species that live in a certain area (just as we observed).

4. Where would you expect the greatest biodiversity to be located? Why?

5. Why is biodiversity important? Organisms are adapted to live together in communities. Complex relationships exist amongst organisms. Remember that life depends on life. Living creatures create niches for other living organisms. Should one species become extinct, then another may also be in danger. Biodiversity also brings stability to ecosystems. Biodiversity is good for humans. Humans depend on other organisms for their well-being from their diet to the oxygen that they breathe.

6. What happens when biodiversity is threatened? When biodiversity is threatened there are three impacts… Extinction: the disappearance of a species when the last of its members die. It is estimated that since 1980 40 species of plants and animals in the United States have become extinct. Threatened Species: when the population of a species begins to decline rapidly, it is said to be threatened. Endangered Species: when a species numbers becomes so low that extinction is possible, it is said to be endangered.

7. Solutions…. Balance! There is always a fine line between cultivation, hunting, conservation, habitat loss and pollution and human existance! Let’s brainstorm solutions that exist to allow for diverse populations to co-exist!

8. Biodiversity… Can is coexist with agriculture? Can it coexist with urban development? How can biodiversity be promoted in agriculture communities? How can your FFA chapter contribute to expanding the diversity of biological life?