Download BIODIVERSITY AND SUSTAINABILITY

BIODIVERSITY AND SUSTAINABILITY
Teacher’s Instructions:
1) Make transparencies of the slides (pages 2 to 15).
2) Read through the lecture. Note that the speaker’s notes are below each slide.
3) Download the pdf file (click on the “W” button). This file contains the Note Frames,
Test and Answer Keys.
4) Provide each student with a copy of the Note Frames (pages 16 to 19).
5) Begin the lecture and have students complete the note frames.
6) Have students compare their Note Frames to the Answer Key (pages 20 to 23). You
can have students follow along as you read over the Answer Key. They can fill in
answers they are missing.
7) Ask students to read over their Note Frames since they will be having a test next
class.
8) Administer the Test (page 24) during the next class.
9) Collect Tests and correct them using the Answer Key (page 25).
Objective:
To explain how the biodiversity of an ecosystem contributes to its sustainability.
Student Tasks:
1) Listen to the lecture and complete the Note Frames.
2) Read over Note Frames (study them).
3) Write the Test.
Page 1 of 25
NOTE FRAMES
• An alternative method
for taking notes.
• Handout has most of
the information on it
but is missing key
phrases and/or terms.
• You must pay
attention in order to
fill in the blanks.
• TRY IT!!!
If your students haven’t used note frames before, show this slide and explain note
frames to them.
SPEAKER’S NOTES:
Note frames are an alternative method of taking notes. Instead of copying down
everything on the screen, you are given a handout. This handout has most of the
information on it but it is missing key phrases and/or terms. You must pay attention in
order to fill in the blanks. Some of the answers for the blanks will be on the screen but
sometimes you will have to listen to the class discussion in order to complete the notes.
When completed, these note frames will become your notes for this lecture. You will use
these notes for reference and to study for tests.
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BIODIVERSITY
and
SUSTAINABILITY
SPEAKER’S NOTES:
The topic of today’s lecture is “Biodiversity and Sustainability”.
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Outline
• What is biodiversity?
• What is sustainability?
• How does biodiversity contribute to sustainability?
SPEAKER’S NOTES:
We will talk about the definitions of biodiversity and sustainability. Then, we will
discuss how biodiversity contributes to sustainability.
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Biodiversity
• The term “biodiversity”
is a contraction of the
phrase “biological
diversity”.
• Biodiversity means the
richness and variety of
life - of genes, species
and ecosystems.
SPEAKER’S NOTES:
Biodiversity is a contraction of the phrase “biological diversity”. Look at your handout
and fill in the first blank on your note frames with “biological”.
Biodiversity means the richness and variety of life - of genes, species and ecosystems.
(Fill in the next set of blanks with the appropriate words.)
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Biodiversity
• Biodiversity maintains the
health of the earth and its
people.
• It provides us with food and
medicine and contributes to
our economy.
• It tells us a lot about the
health of the biosphere.
• The greater the variety of
species, the healthier the
biosphere.
SPEAKER’S NOTES:
Biodiversity maintains the health of the earth (fill in the next blank) and its people.
It provides us with food and medicine and contributes to our economy. For example, we
use plants and animals for food and medicine and we can harvest plants and animals and
sell them to make money. In Manitoba, the fishing industry contributes $150 million
annually to our economy.
Biodiversity tells us a lot about the health of the biosphere. The greater the variety of
species, the healthier the biosphere is. Why is this? (pause, have students brainstorm
answers).
[Possible answers]
more species = more links in food chains/webs = more stable
more plants = more food for other animals (more oxygen too)
more genes = better chances for survival through adaptation
a variety of ecosystems = more habitat for different species.
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• The more links in a food web, the more stable it is.
SPEAKER’S NOTES:
Removing one link from a food web that has many links does not affect it as much as if
there were very few links.
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Sustainability
• The ability to maintain
ecological processes over
long periods of time.
• Sustainability of an
ecosystem is the ability
of that ecosystem to
maintain its structure and
function over time in the
face of external stress.
SPEAKER’S NOTES:
Sustainability is the ability to maintain something over a long period of time. For an
ecosystem, sustainability means maintaining ecological processes over long periods of
time. What are these ecological processes? (have students respond).
[Possible answers]
Biogeochemical cycles, evolution, food chains and webs, population dynamics,
succession.
So, if an ecosystem is able to maintain its structure and function over time in the face of
external stress, it is said to be sustainable.
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Sustainability
• Is strongly linked to
ecosystem health.
• The more sustainable
an ecosystem is, the
healthier it is
because it is able to
“deal” with external
stress better
(i.e. limiting factors).
SPEAKER’S NOTES:
Sustainability is an indicator of ecosystem health. The more sustainable an ecosystem is,
the healthier it is because it is able to deal with external stress better.
What is “external stress” on an ecosystem? (have students respond)
[Answer: limiting factors.]
What are some examples of limiting factors? (have students respond)
[Possible answers]
Human activities and natural disasters such as deforestation, tornadoes, floods, pollution,
etc.
Page 9 of 25
Biodiversity and Sustainability
• The biodiversity of an ecosystem contributes
to the sustainability of that ecosystem.
• Higher/more biodiversity = more sustainable.
• Lower/less biodiversity = less sustainable.
• High biodiversity in an ecosystem means that
there is a great variety of genes and species in
that ecosystem.
SPEAKER’S NOTES:
How does an ecosystem become sustainable?
By having a lot of biodiversity. The biodiversity of an ecosystem contributes to the
sustainability of that ecosystem. The higher the biodiversity of an ecosystem, the more
sustainable it is. Conversely, lower biodiversity equals less sustainability.
Why is this?
The higher biodiversity in an ecosystem means that there is a greater variety of genes and
species in that ecosystem.
Page 10 of 25
Biodiversity and Sustainability
• A great variety of genes and species means
that the ecosystem is better able to carry out
natural processes in the face of external stress.
• Thus, the ecosystem is more sustainable.
SPEAKER’S NOTES:
A great variety of genes and species means that the ecosystem is better able to carry out
natural processes (such as biogeochemical cycles, population dynamics, evolution,
succession, etc.) in the face of external stress.
The ecosystem will have more genes and species to help it carry out these processes. For
example, there will be more species and more links in food webs, more plants to help
with the biogeochemical cycles and more genes available for succession and evolution.
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Biodiversity and Sustainability
• The more sustainable an ecosystem is, the
better it is for the environment and for people.
• People use ecosystems as sources of food,
medicine and economy.
• Thus, it is in everyone’s best interest to
increase the sustainability of ecosystems.
• How can we do this?
SPEAKER’S NOTES:
The more sustainable an ecosystem is the better it is for the environment and for people.
This is because we need ecosystems to survive - we need nutrients, food, medicine and
money to survive and ecosystems provide us with all of these things. So, it is in
everyone’s best interest to increase the sustainability of ecosystems but how can we do
this? (have students respond).
[Possible answers]
Recycling, reusing, caring for the environment (planting, etc.), taking only the surplus of
populations when fishing or hunting, reduce pollution, etc.
Page 12 of 25
For Example...
• The greater the variety of genes and species of
fish, plants and animals in the Lake Winnipeg
ecosystem, the more biodiversity.
• Higher biodiversity will increase the
ecosystem’s sustainability
• Why is this important?
Whitefish
Northern pike
Walleye
SPEAKER’S NOTES:
Lake Winnipeg’s ecosystem is home to a wide variety of fish species such as walleye,
whitefish, pike, and goldeye.
There are many plant and animal species (e.g. fish) in this ecosystem and they all
contribute to the biodiversity.
A greater variety of genes and species (biodiversity) in the Lake Winnipeg ecosystem
contributes to its sustainability.
The sustainability of this ecosystem is enhanced by its biodiversity.
Why is the sustainability of Lake Winnipeg’s ecosystem important? (have students
respond).
[Possible answers]
Because people depend on this ecosystem for food, income, nutrients (from plants, land,
animals, biogeochemical cycles).
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Lake Winnipeg
• We rely on Lake Winnipeg’s ecosystem for
many things:
– fish for food and commercial use (revenue).
– land and plants for food and revenue (agriculture).
– nutrients from biogeochemical cycles.
– water and landscape for tourism (beaches, etc.).
SPEAKER’S NOTES:
People rely on Lake Winnipeg’s ecosystem for many things such as land and plants for
food and revenue, water and landscape for tourism and revenue, fish for food and
commercial use (revenue from sales of fish, boats and fishing equipment), and nutrients
from biogeochemical cycles.
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THE END
p.s. there is a test next class
SPEAKER’S NOTES:
Read over your note frames tonight as we will be having a quiz on this material next
class. Be sure you understand the material as you will have to answer questions on the
quiz in your own words. Marks will be lost if you simply re-write the notes word for
word.
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