1. BIODIVERSITY The variety of organisms in an ecosystem

2. Sustainability The ability to tolerate. In ecology, the word describes how biological systems remain diverse, productive, and balanced over time.

3. Biodiversity contributes to the sustainability of an ecosystem. Colored Card Acivity

4. Look at card colors How many populations are represented by the cards? How many of each species are there?

5. What natural disasters could occur? How about diseases? In this ecosystem, a disease has begun to spread that completely eliminates all of one species.

6. What happens when there is little biodiversity in an ecosystem… What did you just observe?

7. So, when there is more biodiversity in an ecosystem and a disaster hits, what happens to the ecosystem… Repeat this same experiment, but add more species (color cards), or another words; biodiversity to the ecosystem....think how each species supports the ecosystem…

8. Also, population stability is affected by genetic variation within a species. The variety of species within an ecosystem can maintain equilibrium by having a stable environment of species, available nutrients, non-living environment supporting the growth and reproduction within the ecosystem. How high can you jump?

9. Traits, like the ability to jump, are carried in the genetic makeup of the individual. This genetic variation leads to population stability…over time. SURVIVAL. Genetic variation…