1. The Benefits of Biodiversity
Grade 6 Biodiversity

2. Re-cap... -What is the definition of biodiversity?
-What are the three types of biodiversity?
-What is classification?

3. What do you think are the benefits to biodiversity?

4. The increased variety in plant and animal life on this planet is not only more interesting to look at, but provides real benefits to all the species that are here.

5. The Benefits of Biodiversity
Biodiversity within a species refers to the genetic variety within that species. Every living thing has DNA (a short form for deoxyribonucleic acid), sometimes referred to as genes. It is DNA that results in the different interior and exterior appearance of individuals within a species. It is your DNA, or genes, that result in some of you being left-handed while most of you are right-handed. It is your DNA that results in you having different hair colour, skin colour, and eye colour than your classmates. Half of your DNA comes from your mother and half of your DNA comes from your father. Their DNA gets shuffled like a deck of cards before passing some to you; that is why you look different than your parents and siblings.

6. What do you think would happen if there was no biodiversity of a specie?

7. Benefits of Biodiversity
Biodiversity allows a population to have a variety of characteristics. Each characteristic has advantages some of the time, and might be a disadvantage at other times. White rabbits have an advantage in the winter because they can hide from the foxes that hunt them. In the summer however, being white would be a disadvantage so being able to change their colour from white in winter to brown in summer is even better. This changing colour results in more rabbits surviving and reproducing so there is greater biodiversity. The death of rabbits that can't change their colours, or don't change quickly enough with the seasons eventually results in a decrease in biodiversity, but an increase in the strength of the population.

8. Biodiversity of an Ecosystem
Biodiversity also results in healthy ecosystems. In an ecosystem, biodiversity means that there are many different types of plants and animals in the ecosystem. If a forest only has pine trees in it, it will not be able to support as many different animals as it could if it were made up of many different kinds of trees. Squirrels living in both forests would experience different benefits and challenges. Squirrels living in the pine forest would have many pine seeds to eat, and not much competition for the food. However, they would not have much variety in their diet.

9. Think, Pair, Share...
What benefits and challenges would squirrels living in a mixed forest experience?

10. Biodiversity within an ecosystem also benefits a species when disaster strikes. In the pine forest, if someone comes and cuts down pine trees to use for building, there will be no trees left for animals in which to live. In a mixed forest, if all the pine trees are cut down, animals can move to the other trees nearby. If the squirrels all leave the pine forest, the hawk that hunts them will have to go somewhere else to hunt. In the mixed forest, if all the squirrels disappeared, the hawk would simply hunt a different small animal. In other words, when ecosystems have lots of biodiversity, disasters affect the life in them to a much lesser degree than if there is little biodiversity.

11. Biodiversity of a Region
Biodiversity within a region means that there are a variety of different ecosystems within a defined area. An example of a biodiverse region might be that there is a forest, a field, and a swamp all beside each other outside your community's borders.

12. Think, Pair, Share...
What do you think are the benefits of Biodiversity of a region?