 What is biodiversity?  What parts of the world do you think have high/low biodiversity?

 Describe the diversity of species types on Earth  List areas of the world that have high levels of biodiversity and many threats to species  Explain four ways in which biodiversity is important to ecosystems and humans  PowerPoint  Video  Calculating the genetic diversity of the class

 Number of species known to science:  Approx. 2 million  Scientists predict there are:  Over 10 million species  Most of these known species are:  Insects  Where do these unknown species exist?  Wilderness, deep oceans, cities  Which species do we know more/less about?  More: trees and animals, Less: Insects, fungi

 Biodiversity: the variety of organisms in a given area, the genetic variation within a population, the variety of species in a community, or the variety of communities in an ecosystem.  Variety: different forms or types

 Species- variety of different organisms  Genetic- variability within a species (DNA)  Ecosystem- variety of habitats and organisms

 Areas of the world that contain a greater diversity of species than other areas.  What is an example?

 Tropical Rain Forests  Coral Reefs  Islands  Vocabulary:  Endemic Species: species that are native to and found only within a limited area

 Species help balance the cycles of energy and nutrients  Keystone species: a species that is critical to the functioning of the ecosystem which it lives because it affects the survival and abundance of many other species in its community  Example: Sea otter

 Sea otters eat sea urchins  Sea urchins eat kelp  1800’s otters were hunted and disappeared  Sea urchin population grew without predators  Kelp disappeared  Found more otters  Otters ate urchins  Kelp beds regenerated

 Genetic variation increases the chances that members of a population will survive environmental pressures or changes  Genetic diversity: all of the different genes within members of the population

 Bottleneck:  When population shrinks, its genetic diversity decreases  When population increases again, there is a smaller variety of genes  New populations chances of survival are low

 Humans use organisms for food, clothing, shelter, and medicine  ¼ of drugs are made from plants  Antibiotics made from chemicals found in fungi  Biodiversity allows some crops to be save from disease – preventing famine

 Ethics – species have the right to exist whether or not they have any value  Aesthetics and Recreation –  Ecotourism: a form of tourism that supports the conservation and sustainable development of ecologically unique areas

 Vieques, Puerto Rico

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 Non-native, or alien species- doesn’t belong in particular ecosystem  Generalist- thrive in a wide range of habitats, reproduce quickly  Few to no predators- can thrive unchecked  Outcompete endemic species for resources- sunlight, food, space, water

 If fossil fuel emission trends continue, the world may be 6 deg. C warmer (11 deg F) by 2100 (IPCC)  The Earth may lose 25% of all land species by  If species cannot adapt, they go extinct  Other species may take their place, including invasives

 Read each of the situation cards and place them on the board under the correct “Threat to Biodiversity” category

 Research your assigned method to preserve biodiversity. Write 2-3 sentences or bullet points explaining it on a large piece of paper. (use the textbook or computer at your lab station)

1. Captive Breeding Programs 2. Preserving Genetic Material (germplasms) 3. Endangered Species Act and Habitat Conservation Plan (2 groups) 4. CITES 5. U.S. Wilderness Act