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Biodiversity Trail
What is biodiversity?
The term biodiversity refers to the great variety of life there is on the Earth.
Biodiversity refers to the variety of all living organisms, from microscopic bacteria to
giant redwood trees. It includes the variety of genetic information available within a
species. The interrelationships between organisms are also an integral part of
biodiversity. Organisms have evolved over time to develop different adaptations to
survive in their habitats and niches. These adaptations contribute to the diversity of life
on earth.
There are many biodiversity hotspots across the globe which include ecosystems such as
rainforests, coral reefs and seamounts. These ecosystems contain the greatest proportion
of the Earth’s species although we only know about a small proportion of them.
Biodiversity trail
This trail will take you on a
tour of the diversity of life
here at Marwell and allow
you to discover more
about biodiversity and its
importance to us.
Use the map provided to
help you follow this trail.
You will need to look for
signs near the enclosures
to help find the
information you need. You
may also need to use your
own knowledge or
observational skills to work
out some answers.
1. HUMBOLDT PENGUIN
Humboldt penguins are named after the Humboldt
Current which runs past the coasts of Chile and Peru
where these birds live.
Whilst the most familiar penguin species are found in
colder climates, the Humboldt penguin originates from
a more temperate climate.
1. a) Which hemisphere are these flightless birds usually found in?
1. b) What adaptations do Humboldt penguins have which allow them to be
successful in the ocean environments they spend most of their time in? (Choose 2).
Adaptation 1:
Helps by:
Adaptation 2:
Helps by:
2. GREATER FLAMINGO
Greater flamingos live in highly saline water (high concentrations
of salt) and alkaline habitats such as estuarine lagoons and
mangrove swamps.
2. a) What level of biodiversity would you expect to find in
such harsh conditions? Why?
2. b) What adaptations can you see that might help greater
flamingos to survive in these environments?
2. c) Why do you think there are mirrors and sounds in the
flamingo enclosure?
3. CHEETAH
About 10,000 years ago, all but one species of cheetah
(Acinonyx jubatus) died out. Only a few individuals
survived, from which all of today’s cheetah are
descended.
The breeding of close relatives in this founder
population has resulted in today’s cheetah sharing
approximately 99% of their genetic information, compared
to about 80% for most species.
This means that there are very few alleles (different
forms of the same gene) within the remaining global
cheetah population.
3. a) What problems do you think this lack of genetic diversity within the cheetah
population could cause?
4. HEART OF AFRICA
As you enter Heart of Africa, on the right hand side you will notice a board showing the
huge diversity of antelopes that there are.
4. a) What factors have determined the huge variety of shapes and
sizes of antelope that have evolved?
If you walk over to the other side of Heart of Africa you can see a range of antelope
horns, which further illustrate the diversity of antelope.
Now look at the cichlid fish from Lake Malawi (back wall of Heart of Africa).
4. b) How are so many different species of cichlid fish able to
survive in the same lake?
5. AMUR LEOPARD
Many species are threatened by human activities – the Amur leopard is one of these
threatened species.
5. a) What is the conservation status of the Amur leopard?
5. b) Identify 2 threats to the Amur leopard in the wild.
Conservation efforts to try to protect Amur leopards from extinction
include anti-poaching patrols, education, and captive breeding
programmes.
5. c) Amur leopards are also listed under CITES (Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species) Appendix I.
What do you think this means?
6. OKAPI
(Please be quiet in the okapi house)
The okapi is a large mammal (almost 2
metres tall!) and lives in the Ituri Forest of the
Democratic Republic of Congo, central Africa.
The okapi was not known to European scientists until
1901 because it is such a shy and elusive animal.
6. a) What does this tell you about our current
knowledge of the biodiversity of life on earth?
6. b) What activity is currently threatening the forest habitat in which the okapi live?
What is the product of this activity used for?
6. c) For which forest are the okapi the ‘flagship’ species? Why have a flagship
species?
7. CHAPMAN’S ZEBRA
Different species have different social structures.
Whilst some species live in herds, for example
giraffes, other species prefer to lead a mostly
solitary lifestyle, for example tigers.
7. a) What is the social structure for Chapman’s
zebras?
7. c) How is this social structure useful for the
zebras’ survival?
8. PARTULA SNAILS
The Polynesian partula tree snail species are currently
under threat.
Since 1970, 50 species of partula snail have become
extinct and some are now extinct in the wild.
Therefore many of the remaining species are part of a
conservation breeding programme.
8. a) What has caused the massive decrease in numbers of these snails?
8. b) Why is it important that Marwell is part of the breeding programme for partula
snails?
9. WORLD OF LEMURS
If a species is endemic it means that it is only found in a particular habitat or location
and it is not found anywhere else in the world.
9. a) Where are fossas endemic to and what is their current conservation status?
Endemic to:
Conservation status:
9. b) Why is it important to conserve the habitats where these endemic animals are
found?
Although lemurs all belong to the same family (Lemuridae), there is much diversity
between different species.
9. c) Write down some of the key features of Alaotran gentle lemurs.
Distribution:
Habitat:
Diet:
Conservation status:
Colour:
Other key features:
9. d) Compare the Alaotran gentle lemur to one of the other lemur species we have
here at Marwell. What are the similarities and differences between these two lemur
species? Try to explain some of the reasons for these similarities/differences.
10. TROPICAL WORLD
On your way around Tropical World answer the following questions.
Please read
through the questions 10.a) – 10.c) before you start so that you are
aware of what you are looking for.
Although rainforests cover only 6% of the Earth’s land area, they contain over half of
the world’s plant and animal species!
Rainforests have the highest level of biodiversity of all the ecosystems on Earth and
humans have found ways to exploit this.
10. a) As you look around Tropical World complete the blank spaces in the table
below for 5 rainforest plants that humans use.
COMMON NAME
Joseph’s coat
LATIN NAME
ORIGIN
USE
Musa cavendishii
Canary Islands
Food
Codiaeum
variegatum ‘Petra’
Japanese banana
Japan
Caladium x
hortulanum
Dressing wounds
Rosy periwinkle
PTO for more Tropical World questions
10. b) i) Which different species would be affected if a parrot flower (Heliconia
psittacotum) is killed?
10. b) ii) Try to draw a partial food chain or food web for some of the species that are
part of the parrot flower ecosystem.
The niche of an organism is its role or function within an ecosystem. For example, the
role of some birds may be to eat fruits and disperse the seeds.
10. c) Which fish in Tropical World fulfils a
similar role to these birds?
11. PYGMY HIPPOPOTAMUS
Pygmy hippos are semi-aquatic mammals which inhabit
rivers and swamps in forested areas in western Africa.
11. a) What adaptations do the
pygmy hippos have to help them
survive in their habitat?
11. b) What is threatening the habitat of the pygmy hippos?
12. CAPYBARA
Capybara are the world’s largest rodents and lead a partially aquatic lifestyle.
12. a) How are capybara similar to the pygmy
hippos you saw earlier in terms of their
adaptations for this lifestyle?
12. b) i) How is the growing of single crops on large grassland areas in South America
affecting capybara?
12. b) ii) What could you do to help? How does this help?
13. GIANT ANTEATER
Giant anteaters are unusual looking animals with
a diet consisting mostly of ants and termites.
13) What adaptations do giant anteaters have to
help them obtain food?
14. SUMMARY
On your journey around Marwell you have looked at just a small sample of the millions
of plant and animal species that exist on earth.
14. a) Why do you think it is so important for humans to take steps to preserve the
biodiversity of our planet?
14. b) What steps could we take to help preserve biodiversity?
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Biodiversity trail
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Humboldt penguin
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Greater flamingo
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Cheetah
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Heart of Africa
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Amur leopard
10 Tropical world
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Okapi
11 Pygmy hippopotamus
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Chapman’s zebra
12 Capybara
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Partula snails
13 Giant anteater
World of lemurs
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