Download Biodiversity

Warmup
 Name three biomes on Earth.
 How are they different?
Honors Warmup
 Draw a diagram of relative precipitation and
temperature of the world’s biomes.
Biodiversity
2.7.2B EXPLAIN BIODIVERSITY AS
INCLUDING GENETIC VARIATIONS WITHIN
POPULATIONS AND VARIATION OF
POPULATIONS WITHIN ECOSYSTEMS THAT
MAKEUP THE BIOSPHERE.
2.7.2D EXPLAIN THE GLOBAL IMPACT OF
LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY.
Biodiversity
 Definition: the number of different species in a given
area
 However, we can look deeper into the diversity of
different types of areas...
 Biodiversity of the biosphere

All the species on Earth
 …biome
 All species in similar areas on Earth
 …ecosystem/community
 All species in a smaller area on Earth
 …population
 All the individuals of one species in an area on Earth
Genetic Diversity
 The total number of genetic characteristics in a given
population
 These variations serve as a way for a population to
adapt to changing environment.
 Greater variation increases the chance that some
individuals of that population will possess variations
that are suited to the new environment.

They’ll live and pass on those traits to the next generation,
preventing extinction of their species!
Imagine:
 One individual has a mutation that makes it darker
color than the rest of the population.
 After a volcanic eruption, so the cover is no longer
pale yellow, but a dark.
 The darker individual will then survive in the new
environment and reproduce more than the other
individuals, passing on “dark color” genes to the next
generation.
Variation in an Ecosystem
 Every organism has a role to
play in its environment.
 This role, which includes
where it lives in the
environment, what it uses,
what it eats, and who eats it,
is called its niche.
 No two species can ever share
the SAME niche.
Variation in an Ecosystem
 When a species is lost in a
diverse ecosystem, then
another species may take
over its role…
 Or all the organisms that
depend on it may die if there
is not a diversity of
organisms already in that
ecosystem.
 But it takes a LONG time.
Loss of Biodiversity
 The greatest threat to biodiversity is habitat loss.
 Habitats (places where organisms live) are “lost” due
to land use changes


Agriculture
Urbanization
Habitat Fragmentation
 Fragmentation is the process that divides large
ecosystems into smaller, isolated parts.
 As a habitat gets smaller, more and more species are
affected.
 Smaller habitats -> less diversity -> less of a chance
to recover from changes in the ecosystem
Video: Smoky Mountain Diversity
 10 facts
Academic: Endangered Species of NC
 Pick an endangered species in North Carolina
 Tell me about the species
 What does it look like?
 Where does it live?
 Describe its niche
 Describe the threats to it
 Why should we care about it?
 What is being done to save it?
Honors: Brands for Biodiversity
 Pick a species found in a threatened ecosystem.
 Describe a product (you can make one up!) that can
be marketed to protect the ecosystem.
 How will you market it?
 Draw a picture or diagram of the
product/advertisement
 Describe what effect this marketing campaign will
have on conservation of the ecosystem.
Activity: 400 Acre Wood
 What could you use the 400 acres for?
 Which activities would cost the most to provide on the
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
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forest land?
Which would bring the most visitors?
Which would have the greatest impact on the forest
ecosystem? On wildlife? Would the effect be temporary
or permanent?
Which would cause fragmentation?
Which would provide for societies needs?
Activity: 400 Acre Wood
 Read “If You Were the Boss”
 Decide the best use (or uses) of the 400-Acre Wood
 You will be developing a land management plan that will serve
the best interests of the entire ecosystem.
 You can use the entire ecosystem for one use (400 acres) or for
multiple uses (ex: 100 acres of wilderness, 80 acres of
campground, 220 acres of timber harvesting)
 Once you’ve decided on the number of acres for each
use, use the “What’s the Score” to calculate the
cost/benefit analysis of your plan
Warmup
 What is the greatest threat to biodiversity?
 Explain how it affects biodiversity. (Hint: use the
word habitat fragmentation in your answer.)