Download Introducing Biodiversity

Introducing Biodiversity
Essential Question(s):
What does biodiversity mean?
At a Glance: Learners develop a definition for biodiversity.
Background Information:
Location: inside the
classroom
Objectives: Learners will
1) Understand what
biodiversity means
Skills: communication,
observation, listening
Biodiversity refers to the variety of life forms. It includes
every
living thing. Also, biodiversity refers to more than individual
Supplies:
species. It includes the genes they contain, and the ecosystems
dictionaries
and
pencils
habitats of which they are a part of. Biodiversity can be
paper
considered at three levels:
1. Variety of genes – The differences between the genes
of
Subjects: science
particular species. Blue jays, pigeons, and
woodpeckers are all birds, but they are not the same
Time: 10-15 minutes
because their genes are different. It’s the difference in
our
genes that makes us all different.
2. Variety among species – A particular variety of animal or plant may occur in many different
shapes, sizes, and colors. Scientists group living things into distinct kinds of species. For
example, dogs, grasshoppers, and pansies are all different species.
3. Variety of ecosystems – Deserts, coral reefs, and tropical rain forests are all ecosystems. Each
one is different, with its own unique species living in it. Contains a number of species that
depend on each other. An ecosystem is where a habitat contains a number of species which
depend on each other.
Genes, species, and ecosystems working together make up Earth’s biodiversity. Biodiversity is
necessary for life and that species preservation is important to all of us. Every species is linked with
a multitude of others in an ecosystem. All animals are part of food webs that include plants and
animals of other species. Minor disruptions in a particular ecosystem tend to lead to changes that
eventually restore the system. But large disturbances of living populations or their environments may
result in irreversible changes. Maintaining diversity increases the likelihood that some varieties will
have characteristics suitable to survival under changed conditions.
Procedure:
1. Ask students: What do the following have in common: cats, grasshoppers, daffodils, students,
plankton, bluebirds, squid, wheat, toads, giraffes, and mice? [The common thread is that they are all
living organisms. In spite of their diversity, they all share the characteristics that distinguish living
from nonliving.]
2. Ask: What are some characteristics of living things? [Living things grow, respond to stimuli, adapt
to changes in their environment, reproduce, and carry on respiration.]
3. Ask: How do organisms differ? [size, shape, color, mobility, body covering, habitat, food, behavior]
4. Ask student to use all this information to come to a simple definition of biodiversity. Have them
record what they understand of the concept.
5. Then have students share their definition with a partner.
6. After partners have shared their definition, have them use a dictionary to find the meaning of the
word “biodiversity.” The word may need to be separated into individual parts (bio + diversity).
Explain that biodiversity is actually a contraction of the words “biological” and “diversity.” Bio = a
prefix meaning life and Diversity = a variety. Biodiversity is often used as a measure of the health of
biological systems. The rainforest ecosystem, for instance, has a lot of biodiversity. There are a lot of
different living organisms in this one area.