News es/2008/10/01/study_eases_fear_about_w ind_farm_threat_to_birds_ / es/2008/10/01/study_eases_fear_about_w ind_farm_threat_to_birds_ / es/2008/10/01/scientists_aim_to_boost_so uthern_ocean_co2_monitoring/ es/2008/10/01/scientists_aim_to_boost_so uthern_ocean_co2_monitoring/ es/2008/10/01/protection_sought_for_a_s ea_brute/

Known Species million species 1.4 million are known Procaryotes (bacteria) Eucaryotes Images removed due to copyright restrictions. Image courtesy of NASA Image courtesy of Mariana Ruiz Villarreal

Biodiversity Over Time Mutation Natural Selection Environmental Variability Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Why is Biodiversity Good? Sustainability during environmental variability Ecosystem goods and services –Medicines –Clean water –Food –Minimize climate impacts –Flood protection

Causes of Biodiversity Loss Habitat loss Patch Size Pollution Hunting/fishing Changes in biogeochemical cycles Invasive species Climate change

Sample Exam Question 1.) UMassBoston A fluke earthquake levels UMassBoston to rubble. The Board of Trustees decide that rather than rebuild the University, it is to be relocated. a.) Plot the population of mice and cats over time from years at the destroyed site. Be sure to label your axes. (4 points) b.) Explain the trends in your graphs. (3 points) c.) What factors control the carrying capacity of this site? (4 points)

2 Point Answer B) Cats and mice will go up over time C) Carrying capacity is the number of individuals in an ecosystem Population Time cats mice A)

6 Point Answer B) Mice go up fast as they reproduce fast. Cats go up slower because they grow slower C) Mice run out of food eventually # of individuals Time mice cats 0100

10 Point Answer B) # of mice increase exponentially in a few years due to new resource and plenty of food. # of cats increases exponentially due to increase in prey species (mice), but slower increase due to longer reproduction time. Slight variations in carrying capacity due to variations in environmental variables. C) Carrying capacity of mice controlled by food source, cat predators, habitat area, and environmental variables such as weather, sunlight, temperature. Carrying capacity of cats controlled by food source (mice), habitat area, environmental variables, maybe other predators competing for same food source, and maybe a predator that eats cats. cats mice # of mice Time (years) # of cats A)