What’s your biodiversity IQ?

The goal of this “quiz” was to point out some unusual, unexpected and interesting facts about the natural world. In the upcoming unit, we will be investigating biodiversity.

What do you think biodiversity means? (Look at the parts of the word itself too!)

Answers will vary

Strange Days on Planet Earth --Predators Video

Act 1: CaroniValley, Venezula

  1. Why did they flood the valley?

Electricity. Hydropower-created a Dam, Created the flood

  1. Why are trees on the island dying off?

Only those plants that are well defended survive

  1. The howler monkey used to be in the middle of the food chain, why are they at the top now that the dam has been constructed?

There are no large predators

  1. List some of the behavior changes noted in the howler monkeys when their populations increased.

No grooming, children do not play, fight a lot for resources

  1. What evidence found in the tortoise shell confirms the hypothesis that lack of predators caused all the changes in the ecosystem?

Baby Boom 17 years ago-on their shells. Same time predators disappeared due to flooding.

  1. When a large landscape is divided into smaller areas, it’s calledFragmentation.
  1. Why can’t we just bring the predators back?

Predators are dangerous, can compromise human’s safety. Plus they can survive in suburban areas.

Act 2: Yellowstone Park, USA

  1. Upon arriving at Yellowstone, what did the researcher notice about the LamarRiver?

Over widened streams, eroded banks, sediments pushing on top of soils.

  1. List 2 changes within the last 150 years to Yellowstone Nat’l Park (as mentioned in the video)

1) Willow shoots protected the banks. 2) Fully vegetated area along stream bank.

3) Beavers gone. 4) Song birds reduced. 5) Missing aspen trees

  1. Why was global climate change ruled out as an explanation to the aspen trees decline?

If true Aspen should be declining and outside the park there was a lot of Aspen. Just not in the Park.

  1. How many wolves were originally reintroduced to the Yellowstone ecosystem?

31 grey wolves from Canada

  1. How many wolves does the Wolf team track at this time (according to the video)?

14 Packs and 150 Wolves

  1. List at least two species mentioned in the video as having benefited from the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone Nat’l Park.

Black Bears/Grizzlies, Insects, Willows, Eagles, Mag pies, Coyotes

  1. Why was the rancher expressing his displeasure over the killing of the alpha wolf?

Disappointed because the alpha was radio collared so they knew where it was. Now they don’t know. Felt it made his job harder.

Biodiversity Discussion

Chosen species:Example: Mosquitoes

Why? Annoying, not neededfood source for other organisms

Whooping Cranes:

Jot down some notes to help you remember the information:

  • Dying due to loss of habitat and farmers shooting them for eating their seeds/crops on their land.
  • Migrate 4,000 km-easy to see due to white plumage (2,500 mi)
  • 1930 Whoopers almost extinct. Today there are 350 Whoopers thanks to habitat protection, captive breeding efforts and anti-poaching laws.

Answer these questions:

1)Do you think 250 whooping cranes make a large enough population to ensure the species’ survival? Why or why not?

No, lack of genetic diversity

2)Write a paragraph agreeing or disagreeing with the following statement: If a person owns land that is valuable habitat for the endangered whooping crane, that person should not be allowed to develop the land.

Endangered Species Act:

•List of endangered and threatened species

•Strict limitations on the killing, transporting and/or trading of any species on list.

•Fed Gov’t may not carry out any project that impacts an endangered species.

•Species recovery plan must be made for each species on list.

The Snail Darters and the Dam

Jot down some notes to help you remember the information:

First test of the Endangered Species Act was the Tellico dam in TN in 1970’s. Damn-Federal Project wanted to build a dam. Snail Parter (fish) was an endangered species. By building damn their habitat would be destroyed. Put project on hold, congress passed a law for exemptions to the Act. In the end, snail darters transplanted and the dam was built. Their status is now threatened.

Answer these questions:

1)Do you think it was worth the time and the expense to save the snail darter? Why or why not?

Your personal opinion –

Ex: Transplanting the snail darter was the most effective means to continuing the government project while continuing to save the species from extinction.

2)What if the species that was in trouble was a larger, better known species, such as a dolphin? Would that change your opinion about the time and money spent on this project?

Your personal opinion –

Ex: I would say yes because the dolphin is more well known, people have a personal connection to the dolphin, they are considered an intelligent species, etc.

3)Should there be a limit on the amount of money spent to save one individual species? If yes, what amount would you suggest? If no, why not?

Your personal opinion –

Ex: Yes, if the government cannot afford it, as a tax payer, I don’t feel we should continue to go over budget… OR Yes, every species has a proper place within an ecosystem, removing one species may be detrimental to the health of the ecosystem as a whole. Spend what is necessary to maintain that species.

Components of Biodiversity

Species diversity = number of species in a given area and variety of species.

  • For example, forests with a wide variety of types of plants (trees, vines, bushes, and

undergrowth) are more diverse than forests with only a few types of plants.

Genetic diversity = variations of genes within a species.

  • Greater genetic diversity means there are lots of distinct populations within a species.
  • For example, there are many varieties of rice in India, yet they are all the same species.
  • Some species have greater genetic variation than others.

- For example, rhinoceros have high genetic variation, but cheetahs have low genetic variation.

Ecosystem diversity = variety of ecosystem within an area.

  • For example, Wisconsin has about 9 different ecosystems. Some states have only three (so much of the state is similar habitat) whereas others have more than 14 different ecosystems.
  • It is difficult to measure this type of biodiversity because of ecotones (which are

overlapping boundaries ).

Ecosystem services provided by a biodiverse world

  • Moderating weather events.
  • Lessen the effects of droughts and floods
  • Protect streams/rivers from erosion
  • Mississippi RiverValley—recent flooding has cost over $100 billion!
  • Maintain Soli Quality : healthy bacteria, algae, fungi, mites, millipedes and worms help cycle nutrients.
  • Maintain Air Quality : plants purify the air and filter harmful particles out of the air.
  • Maintain Water Quality : variety of vegetation reduces erosion and purifies water by removing (using or absorbing) nutrients and pollution.
  • Valuable water purification to keep our water healthy. NYC learned that it’s better to restore the natural landscape than to install man-made purification systems. Cheaper too!
  • Detoxify and decompose wastes
  • Control Agricultural Pests : most crop pests can be controlled better by other organisms for a longer period of time – helpful because many pests become resistant to synthetic (human-made) pesticides.
  • Pollination : More than 1/3 of the world’s crops rely on healthy pollinators.
  • Nature provides free pollination services that would cost (US only!) $4- 6 billion a year…
  • Seed dispersal. Many of the plants of the world rely on wind/animals to carry seeds from place to place.
  • Medicines : Many current and possible future medications are found in areas with high biodiversity.
  • Medicines—80% of the world’s population relies on medications that come from natural sources!

Working with the person next to you, respond to the following:

  1. Select one ecosystem service and predict the likely effect if this service is lost.

Ex. Decomposition – if lost, the earth would smell of rotting foods, soils would not be as dark as they are because they will lack nutrients, top soil will be lost quickly and not replenished, etc.

  1. How do you think a natural ecosystem would control agricultural pests?

Ex. It may not get rid of all pests but by creating this type of ecosystem, plants will learn to evolve with the pests and defend itself from these things instead of using synthetic chemicals.

  1. What makes humans different/unique from the rest of the ecosystem (the plants, animals, soils, climate, etc)?

Ex. We use our brains to survive – creating technological advances.

  1. Construction companies are often required to create new wetlands, retention ponds or to plant trees when they have destroyed natural habitats during a project. What is the reasoning behind this requirement?

Ex. To try and decrease the environmental impact the new development will have on the ecosystem.

Biodiversity Activity 1

When scientists speak of the variety of organisms (and their genes) in an ecosystem, they refer to it as biodiversity. A biologically diverse ecosystem, such as an old growth forest or tropical rain forest, is healthy, complex and stable. Nature tends to increase diversity through the process of succession.
The opposite of biodiversityis referred to as monoculture, or the growing of one species of organism, such as a lawn, a wheat field or corn field. Because all of the species are identical, there are few complex food webs and disease can spread quickly. Monoculture is like a banquet table for disease organisms. Monoculture often requires extensive use of pesticides and herbicides (to fight nature's tendency to diversify communities) and is very labor and energy intensive (fighting nature is tough). Humans often try to reduce diversity because it is easier to harvest a crop (whether it is wheat, corn, a lawn or a secondary forest) if it all contains the same species, but this obviously creates serious problems.

You will be given a cup that represents the species found in an area one meter square (1mx1m).

You are to sort them into their different species. Note the number of species (the different types of beans/seeds/etc), the number of each different type, and the total number of organisms you have in your area. Place these numbers in the table below. Leave the other columns blank.

We will be calculating how diverse each area is by dividing the number of species by the number of organisms. Copy your classmates’ data in your table and complete all the calculations. Leave the ecosystem name column BLANK until we complete the calculations and discuss our findings.

As a class we will be determining which ecosystem your area is from based on the biodiversity found there. The ecosystems represented are Tropical Rainforests, Grasslands, Lawns/Wheat fields (any monoculture), Deserts, Coniferous forest, and Deciduous forests.

Fill in the table below with your data and the data of the other groups.

Ecosystem / # species
(how many different types of organisms do you have?) / # each type / Total Organisms / Diversity
(# species / Total organisms)
TropicalRain Forest / 15 / 1 each of 10 species
2 each of 5 species / 20 / 15/20 = .75
75%
Coniferous Forests / 12 / 2 / 2e4 / 12/24 = .5
50%
Deciduous Forest / 12 / 2 / 24 / 12/24 = .5
50%
Deserts / 7 / 3 / 21 / 7/21 = .333
33%
Grasslands / 7 / 3 / 21 / 7/21 = .333
33%
Lawn/Wheat fields / 2 / 100 of 1 species
5 of another species / 105 / 2/105 = .019
1.9%

Biological Diversity-How It Stops Disease from Spreading (Activity 2)

When a habitat is very diverse with a variety of different species, it is much healthier and more stable. One of the reasons for this is that disease doesn't spread as easily in a diverse community. If one species gets a disease, others of its kind are far enough away (due to the variety of other organisms) that disease is often stopped at the one or two individuals.

You will participate in two simulations depicting different types of forests. Pay attention to how disease spreads in each.
Follow up questions (refers to the second simulation)

  1. Why didn't all the different trees get the disease? (hint - genetics)

Each tree is genetically diverse. Therefore, some trees are potentially resistant to the disease from earlier infections or they have a particular genetic trait preventing them from getting the disease.

  1. Why didn't the disease spread as fast among the Douglas firs as it did in the first simulation?

The Douglas firs were more spread out in the second simulation. By creating more biodiversity within the forest, the disease was unable to hop from tree to tree. Instead, it ran into a white pine or a birch tree which it was unable to infect.

  1. In which forest would you need to use more chemicals to control disease: the Douglas fir forest or the more diversified, old growth forest? Why?

The more diversified forest because diseases need to come into contact with the plant it intends to infect. When in a diverse forest, you will see not see the same species right next to each other again and again. This distance stops the disease from spreading.

  1. Summarize what this simulation symbolized.

This simulation symbolized how agricultural crops grown as monocultures are easily consumed by pests and disease. If agricultural crops were grown in a more diversified manner, there would be less need for chemical inputs to fight off disease and pests.

  1. Which forest would have more diversity of wildlife? Why?

The diversified forest would have more wildlife because it can sustain multiple species within its diverse plant life.

  1. a. If you cut down the variety in a piece of forest you owned and replanted with 1 type of tree, what will happen to much of the wildlife that was adapted to that forest? (Hint: they cannot just move elsewhere. If other habitats are good, they will probably be near carrying capacity already.)
    b. Will this fate happen to all the wildlife? Explain.
  1. They would probably die out
  2. Considering each organism has a purpose within the food chain, there is a definite possibility.
  1. Many species can only live/reproduce in 1 type of forest. The spotted owl is an example - it can only live and successfully reproduce in old growth forests (big, old cedars, hemlocks, etc.). If these old growth forests are cut down, it's unlikely this owl will survive. Environmentalists call it an "indicator" species." What does this mean? Why be concerned about 1 species?

An indicator species is a species indicating problems within the forest because of the drop in their numbers. If the ecosystem were being harmed, this species population will decline, letting the environmentalist become aware that this ecosystem is in trouble.

  1. Growing one plant, as is the case of growing only Douglas fir, is called monoculture. Give an example of growing one plant a) in your home (obvious )
    b) in farms
  1. spider plants (makes lots of baby spider plants) kept indoors and protected form pests
  2. corn plants need to have an input of chemicals to survive
  1. Why would you need to use more insecticides in monoculture? Is this good or bad?

To ensure the plants survival from pests and disease. This can be a bad thing because you need to use chemicals which can pollute the ground water, contaminate the food itself and harm other organisms within that ecosystem.

  1. If you wanted to help wildlife, what would you do with regards to the landscaping of your own home?

Keep the landscape diversified. Grow a variety of species throughout the property instead of all just tulips or day lilies.

Threats to Biodiversity Worldwide

  • H: ____habitat destruction______: changing a ___forest___ to suit human needs
  • For example: housing, farming, industry, transportation, etc.
  • This displaces the plants and animals originally found there.
  • As the human population grows, so does ___urban development______.
  • ____fragementaiton______= breaking up large habitats into smaller habitats.
  • This creates a lot more “edge” habitat in areas that used to be “inner” habitat. Some plants and animals cannot adapt to these changes.
  • I: ____Invasive species______: any organism that has been relocated somewhere other than its original habitat.
  • For example, in Wisconsin, the Zebra Mussel and Asian Beetle are invasive species that are affecting natural habitats.
  • Other words that might indicate invasive species: introduced species, non-native species, exotic species and alien species.
  • Oftentimes, invasive species out-compete native species resulting in a disruption of the ecosystem and food chain. Worldwide, many native organisms are becoming endangered by this!
  • P: ______Population______: increasing human population means greater demand for food, shelter, fuel and water.
  • This often leads to habitat loss, pollution, ______, and overconsumption (in areas with enough money).
  • Humans are coming into greater (more frequent) contact with previously wild areas with high biodiversity.
  • P: ______Pollution______: can alter the habitat to the point where some plants and animals are not able to adapt which leads to species loss and ecosystem degradation.

For example:

  • ______Global Warming______: many species are intolerant to changes in temperature so relatively small temperature changes can result in altered feeding relationships, breeding patterns and sometimes death.
  • ______Air Pollution______: another global issue. Acid precipitation will affect areas that are not releasing the air pollution. For example, industries in the U.S. produced much acid rain that has destroyed many sugar maple forests in Canada (leading to reduction in amount and quality of maple syrup produced).
  • pesticide runoff can degrade many ecosystems and harm organisms not originally intended (remember biomagnification?)
  • O: _____Overconsumption______: consuming way more resources than needed to survive – sometimes more than is needed for a high standard of life.
  • Industrialized nations make up 25% of the world’s population, but use 75% of its resources.
  • U.S. makes up only 5% of the world’s population, but causes 33% of the world’s pollution.

Native and Non-native