Biodiversity Day 6

What is Biodiversity? The variety of life in an area that is determined by the number of different species in that area. There are 2 main types: 1) Genetic Diversity2) Species Diversity The variety of genes in a population Number of different species in a community

Why is biodiversity important? Teosinte: A distant relative of corn w/ resistance to viral diseases Domestic corn plant Penicillin: Derived from bread mold Madagascar Periwinkle: Used to treat childhood forms of leukemia 1)Direct economic value 2)Indirect value – ex. treatment of diseases

Extinction Rates The gradual process of becoming extinct is known as background extinction. Mass extinctions: When a large percentage of all living species become extinct in a relatively short period of time. 250 MYA: Over 90% of species died

Estimated number of Extinctions since 1600 GroupMain- land IslandOceanTotalApproximate Number of Species Percent of Group Extinct Mammals Birds Reptiles Amphibians Fish , Invertebrates ,000, Flowering Plants ,0000.2

Five Most Recent Mass Extinctions Ordovician Period (444 MYA) Devonian Period (360 MYA) Permian Period (250 MYA) Triassic Period (200 MYA) Cretaceous Period (65 MYA)

Activity: Understanding Geological Time Working in your groups, you will get the following supplies: – A meter stick – A roll of 5 meters of paper – Colored pencils Using the worksheet, plot out the dates. – 1 million years is a millimeter – 1 billion years is a meter