1. U11 ECDCICA: Diversity – the most unique feature of Earth

2. I. Abiotic factors influence biotic organisms Sunlight energy and essential chemical/nutrients are present in different amounts and quality in different places. This results in varied conditions for life. Ex: Amounts of sunlight and nutrients in rainforest vs. arctic tundra.

3.  Both the number and type of plants and animals found in the area are influenced by the availability of sunlight and nutrients.  Ex: Different plants and animals that can live in desert vs. temperate forest

4. These changing conditions of sunlight energy and building matter (nutrients) support a variety or diversity of life. This diversity or variety results in an overall sustainability (endurance or the ability to for life to keep going)

5. Grasslands Desert Taiga – Boreal Forest Deciduous or Temperate Forest Tundra Tropical Rainforest Which biome has the most sunlight (and warmest temperatures day and night)? Which biome has the least sunlight (and coolest temperatures day and night)?

6. How temperature & precipitation affect plant and animal life 1. What do you notice about the temperature range of the desert? 2. What do you notice about the precipitation of the desert? 3. How is the tropical rainforest temperature range different than the desert? 4. How is the tropical rainforest precipitation range different than a desert? 5. Which biome has the least precipitation and coldest temperatures? 6. Give an example of an animal that can only live in the desert and one for the tropical rainforest. WHY?

7. II. What is the number one factor that influences diversity? Diversity is the variety of abiotic and biotic factors within an ecosystem. Abiotic factors determine which plant species will survive in the ecosystem, which in turn determine the animals (consumers) that will be able to survive there. Some Abiotic Factors Sunlight Water Soil & Rocks Precipitation Temperature Wind Humidity Atmospheric Gases Nutrients – N & P

8.  III. Sustainability  Diversity of life assures that organisms can take advantage of almost any change (growth, fire, floods, natural disasters) in the surrounding conditions. What is happening to this forest over time?

9.  This variety of life or diversity guarantees that life will persist. If one organism can not resist change, another organism is sure to be prepared. Generally the more diverse an ecosystem, the more sustainable it is. Do all the warbler species occupy the same niche (do they all live and help disperse the tree seeds in a certain area of the tree)? What would happen if the Black-throated green warbler went extinct in this ecosystem?

10. Sustainability  Generally the more diverse an ecosystem the more sustainable it is.

11. A sustainable rainforest has the most diversity although an unsustainable rainforest may still have a higher diversity than a sustainable desert. Sustainable rainforest More diverse Unsustainable rainforest More diverse than a desert Sustainable desert Less diverse Unsustainable Rainforest Sustainable Desert Desert - Sustainable or Unsustainable?

12. IV. Monocultures  Monocultures are generally undesirable in a natural ecosystem.  All of one species – crops of corn, cotton or apple orchards.

13. Monocultures Are like putting your eggs in one basket, if one thing goes wrong, you will loose the whole batch due to disease. Are like putting your eggs in one basket, if one thing goes wrong, you will loose the whole batch due to disease.

14. Monoculture tragedy- Potato famine - fungus  25% of the population or 1 million people in Ireland died in 1840.  Hundreds of thousands emigrated from Ireland to Ellis Island.

15. 1. Diversity or Monoculture?

16. 2. Diversity or Monoculture?

17. 3. Diversity or Monoculture?

18. What now?  1. You will be reading and answering questions about monocultures and index species  2. You will learn how to calculate how diverse an ecosystem is by doing a lab activity and calculating a diversity index  3. You will apply what you learned in the lab on diversity index to a case study of a town’s ecosystem.

19. Bibliography http://images.google.com/imgres?i mgurl=http://users.rcn.com/jkimball. ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/D/Dane http://images.google.com/imgres?i mgurl=http://users.rcn.com/jkimball. ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/D/Dane