Transcript Biomes and Biodiversity - ESC-2

Biomes and
Biodiversity
Analogy
• Match the following to the correct description
One Teacher
species
All Teachers
population
Teachers and Students
community
George West
ecosystem
• Look through the vocabulary cards on your
desk.
• Take some time to sort through and match
them.
habitat
• The place in which an animal lives
species
• All organisms of the same kind that adapted
to a particular set of resources (called a niche)
in the environment.
population
• Made up from all of the organisms in an
ecosystem that belong to the same species.
ecosystem
• A smaller part of the biosphere consisting of
the organisms and non-living features that
interact in an area.
biome
• Large geographic areas with similar
temperatures and rainfall amounts.
• Plants and animals that live in one cannot
always adapt and live in another.
– Example: water is a limiting factor in a desert
• Example: tundra, desert, rain forest.
Desert Scrub
Deciduous Forest
Desert
Chaparral
Taiga
Savanna
Grasslands
Rainforest
Tundra
Alpine
biotic
• Organisms living or that had once lived in the
environment.
• Examples: mouse, clover, dead tree, shrubs,
hawk
abiotic
• Non-living factors in the environment.
• Examples: light, temp, water, wind, soil and
terrain
biodiversity
• The variety of organisms in an ecosystem
• The more species in an area, the higher the
biodiversity and the healthier the ecosystem
Factors that Affect Biodiversity
•
•
•
•
Area
Climate
Diversity of niches
Human activity
Area
• A large area will have more biodiversity than
a small area
– There will be more types of trees on 100 acres
than there will be on 1 acre
Climate
• In general, the number of species increases
from the poles to the equator
– tropical rainforests in South America and Africa
have the most diversity
– The North and South Poles have the least
diversity
Niche Diversity
• A niche is a particular area in an ecosystem
where an organism lives
• The more niches an area has, the more
biodiversity (coral reefs are 1% of the Earth but
have 20% of all species).
Human Activity
• People can either help or hurt an ecosystem
– Protecting an area can increase biodiversity
– Deforestation, pollution and over hunting can
decrease biodiversity
Value of Biodiversity
• Protecting biodiversity is important to keep
the planet healthy
• The more diverse an ecosystem is, the
healthier and more stable it is.
• Two main factors that need protection are:
– keystone species
– gene pool diversity
Keystone Species
• A species that influences the survival of many
other species in an ecosystem
– If a keystone species disappears, the entire
ecosystem may change
– Disrupts equilibrium
• Example: earthworms are important in grassland
ecosystems. The more earthworms, the healthier the
soil, the better the grass grows
47.8g
52.8g
35.3g
22.3g
Which are will have the most fertile soil?
Gene Pool Diversity
• the number of diverse traits in a species
– The more traits in a species, the better chance
they have of adapting
– Species that lack a diverse gene pool are less able
to adapt to changes in their environment.
Not Protecting Biodiversity
• The biggest threat to biodiversity is loss of
natural habitat
• If we don’t protect biodiversity species can
become
– endangered
– extinct
Endangered Species
• Species whose numbers are so low they are
in danger of becoming extinct
Extinction of Species
• Extinction is the disappearance of all
members of a species from Earth
– In the last few centuries, the number of species
becoming extinct is increasing
Causes of Extinction
•
•
•
•
•
•
natural catastrophes
earthquake
volcano
tsunami
hurricane
flood
drought
human activities
• habitat destruction
• poaching
• pollution
• exotic Species as
pets
Protecting Biodiversity
• Captive Breeding
– The mating of animals in zoos or wildlife parks to
increase the population
Protecting Biodiversity
• Laws and Treaties
– Laws can protect an entire species
– The Endangered Species Act
• It is illegal to sell endangered species or products
made from endangered species
– Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species
• List of 700 species that cannot be
traded for profit
Protecting Biodiversity
• Habitat Preservation
– The most effective way to preserve biodiversity is
to protect entire habitats
• National and State Parks
• Game Reserves
No Diversity
Diversity
Biodiversity Demo
• How many different “species” do we have?
• What would happen if a disease went through
this population and killed all of the yellow
squares?
– Sit down if you have a yellow square
Biodiversity Demo
• How many different “species” do we have?
• What would happen if a drought went
through this population and killed all of the
red squares?
– Sit down if you have a red square
Biodiversity Demo
• What was different with the second
demonstration?
• How did biodiversity help this population?
• Would the death of part of a population effect
the food chain?
sustainability
• The capacity to endure. In ecology, the word
describes how biological systems remain
diverse and productive over time.
sustainability example
• Two farmers try to out-produce each other by
using different planting techniques.
• Field 1 grew more until a virus killed all of crop
2. How would this virus effect the farmers?
The farmer with field 1 will lose half his crop
but the farmer with field 2 will only lose 1/16.
sustainability example
• How are the farmer’s fields similar to how
biodiversity allows an ecosystem to be stable?
Field 2, which has more biodiversity, is more
stable and can handle the virus easier.
Ecosystems and Biodiversity
North American Prairie
• Location – middle of the US
• Description – once covered land from Canada
to Mexico and from Illinois to the Rocky
Mountains
• Soil type – deep and fertile
• Precipitation – 10-30 inches per year
• Temperature range – summer can be as hot as
38◦C (100 ◦F), winter can be as cold as -4◦C (-40
◦F)
• Climate – hot summers and cold snowy
winters
Biodiversity
• 7000 species of plant an animal
• Plant species – tall grass, mixed grass, short
grass, some trees, flowering plants
• Animal species – pronghorn, mule deer, elk,
black bears, coyote, fox, badger, ferrets,
rabbits, owls, eagles, hawks, grouse, ducks,
song birds, insects, snakes, spiders, bison
Adaptations
• Plant species –
– deep roots on the grass help them reach water.
• Animal species –
– hooves on the bison help protect their feet
Interactions
• biotic–
– large food web with lots of animals.
– Bison distribute seed in their waste
– Deep grass roots hold the soil
• abiotic–
– wildfire is needed to renew the soil
– Amount of rain determines grass height
• How does the North American Prairie support
different organisms.
• How does biodiversity contribute to the
sustainability of an ecosystem?
Biomes of the World
•
•
•
•
•
Rainforest
Desert
Grassland
Deciduous Forest
Boreal Forest
•
•
•
•
•
Tundra
Mountains
Ice
Freshwater
Marine