Biodiversity and Human Impact

Human Impact

​Our ecosystems do so much for us!

​Healthier

ecosystems have higher biodiversity.

​In this Quizizz, you will be learning more about threats to biodiversity.

​NOTE: most of the information slides are introductory. You will be asked questions that require more logic than just looking back at the slides.

Multiple Choice

How do biodiversity and stability work together?

• The lower the biodiversity the greater the stability of an ecosystem.

• The higher the biodiversity, the less stable the ecosystem

• The higher the biodiversity, the greater the stability of the ecosystem.

• Biodiversity has nothing to do with ecosystem stability.

Multiple Choice

High biodiversity is 

• having a lot of the same organism.

• having a few of the same organism.

• having a lot of variety of different organisms.

• only having one of each organism. 

Multiple Choice

Which ecosystem is more likely to survive a change in the environment?

• One with High biodiversity

• One with Low biodiversity

Multiple Choice

Which shows more biodiversity Image A or Image B. Why?

• Image B is more biodiverse, because shows more different species than image A.

• Image A is more biodiverse, because shows a greater number of organisms that image B

• Both images show the same biodiversity

Multiple Choice

Define genetic diversity

• a variety of genes and traits within a species

• a variety of ecosystems in a given area

• system made up of all the living and nonliving things in a given area

• a variety of species in an ecosystem

Multiple Choice

Why is biodiversity important to ecosystems?

• It helps populations adapt to ecological changes.

• It increases at each level of the food chain.

Multiple Select

What are the 3 types of biodiversity (SELECT 3)

• Genetic

• Species

• Ecosystem

• Size

• Biotic

Multiple Choice

Sometimes when a bee pollinates a flower, this action is beneficial to humans. Bees are the main pollinators of many plants that humans eat, such as blueberries, potatoes, apples, celery, and strawberries. What are the benefits that humans receive from the ecosystem called?

• ecological restoration

• sustainability

• ecosystem services

• ecology

Multiple Choice

Water, fuel, food, and raw materials are examples of what?

• natural resources

• cultural services

• regulating services

• cycling of matter and energy

Multiple Choice

Pick the cultural service

• natural resources

• water cycle

• plants and animals

• recreational services

Multiple Choice

Pick the regulating service

• natural resources

• water cycle and nutrients

• plants and animals

• recreational services

Multiple Choice

Pick the provisional service

• natural resources

• water cycle and nutrients

• plants and animals

• recreational services

Multiple Choice

Pick the supporting service

• natural resources

• water cycle and nutrients

• plants and animals

• recreational services

​Occurs when forests or other ecosystems are cleared for humans use such as expanding cities and suburbs (urbanization), farms, or mines.

Habitat Loss/Destruction

​This is when human constructions like roads chop habitats into smaller pieces, limiting the range of different species.

​​Habitat Fragmentation

Multiple Choice

The loss of a natural habitat is called:

• Habitat Development

• Pollution

• Biodiversity

• Habitat Destruction

Multiple Choice

The breaking of habitats into smaller pieces is called...

• habitat division

• habitat corruption

• habitat pollution

• habitat fragmentation

Multiple Choice

Why is habitat fragmentation hazardous to animals?

• Animals may not thrive in their new habitat

• Habitat fragmentation causes loss of habitat for many organisms

• If coral reefs die, so will many fish species that depend on them

• Habitat fragmentation does not pose a threat to animals.

Multiple Choice

Habitat fragmentation occurs when...

• an ecosystem is able to recover, or adjust easily to change.

• smaller fragments of a habitat join to make a large habitat.

• the temperature of ocean water causes algae to leave coral reefs.

• a large area of habitat is broken up into smaller isolated areas.

Multiple Choice

Human impact on the environment is often more dramatic than the impact of most other living things because humans have a greater

• need for water.

• ability to alter the environment.

• need for food.

• ability to adapt to change.

Overharvesting - unsustainably using a resource to the point where whole species or ecosystems are endangered or thrown out of balance.

Over 130 fish species are at risk of going endangered. in general overfishing is the greatest threat to ocean biodiversity as a whole as it disrupts food webs and balance in ecosystems.

Overfishing

The logging industry has cleared millions of acres of habitat for terrestrial species, in addition to threatening specific species of trees. Many forests are cleared for farms. Trees use CO2, so less trees means we leave more in the atmosphere.

Deforestation

Multiple Choice

What is deforestation?

• Clearing Earth's forests on a massive scale

• Eating too much vegetables

• Going to a forest and pulling weeds

• Clearing the five trees in my backyard

Multiple Choice

Deforestation causes an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide

• true

• false

Multiple Choice

What does deforestation effect?

• Plants and animals

• Our biosphere

• Humans

• All of the above

Multiple Choice

What are the effects of deforestation ?

• loss of habitat

• increased green house gasses 

• soil erosion and flooding

• all of the above

Multiple Choice

Does deforestation contribute to global warming?

• No, trees aren't that important

• Sometimes because only the cutting down of Maple trees contributes to global warming

• No, deforestation adds methane to the atmosphere, which makes the Earth cooler

• Yes; less trees means less CO2 is turned into oxygen.

Multiple Choice

What is "overfishing"?

• Fishing out of season

• Catching fish faster than they can replenish

• Catching fish from the top of the food chain

• Catching more fish than what people eat

Multiple Choice

What percentage of the world's fish are currently overfished?

• 10%

• 33%

• 65%

• 100%

Multiple Choice

What is bycatch?

• Catching other sea life than what you were aiming to catch

• Fish caught as the ships go by

• Fish that escapes out of nets

• Fish caught at the very end of the fishing season

Multiple Select

According to the article, what are some of the causes of Overfishing? Select all that apply.

• Illegal Fishing

• Too many fish species in an area

• "Farmed" fish are easier to catch

• Subsidies (government payments to fishermen)

Multiple Select

What is an impact of fish disappearing? Select all that apply.

• Global warming

• Jobs and economies can disappear

• A major source of protein for humans is lost

• Sea levels will rise, flooding coastal areas

Run off from factories, pesticides, homes etc. can threaten clean air and water sources.

​​Chemicals

Plastics and other materials are damaging water and soil sources.

​​Trash

This kind of pollution can throw off sleep cycles of native animals and growth patterns of plants.

​​Light

Loud and unfamiliar noises can scare off wildlife from their natural habitats.

​​Sound

Pollution - the presence of a substance or thing that is harmful to the environment.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following causes of pollution?

• Car and vehicle emissions

• smog

• acid rain

• animals and plants dying

Multiple Choice

We can reduce air pollution by:

• Car pool and walk/bike more

• Limit factories burning fossil fuels

• Use more renewable energy sources

• All of the above

Multiple Choice

This picture shows people walking through a highly-polluted city in China. From what type of pollution are they protecting themselves based on what they are wearing?

• air pollution

• water pollution

• land pollution

• noise pollution

Multiple Choice

Where is pollution found on the earth?
 
 
  

• only in the air 

• only on the land 

• only in the water 

• on land, in the air, and in the water 

Multiple Choice

Which way can people best reduce land pollution caused by large amounts of waste dumped in landfills?  

• They can use a water filter to use fewer water bottles.

• They can recycle their plastic, glass, paper, and cardboard items and only throw away non-recyclable items.

• They can watch less television, reducing electricity use and allowing their electronics to last much longer.

• They can refill large plastic containers, like those used for laundry detergent, instead of throwing them away.

Multiple Choice

Which is one reason that trash and litter can hurt wildlife?

   

• Wildlife are afraid of human garbage.

• Trash covers the scent of other animals they are hunting.

• Wildlife may try to eat plastics and choke on them.

• Trash and litter removes their camouflage.

Multiple Choice

This type of pollution inhibits people from seeing the stars and planets.

• Light Pollution

• Water Pollutilon

• Air Pollution

• Land pollution

Multiple Choice

Which of these problems can be caused by air pollution?

• Respiratory problems

• Reduced food sources for humans

• Increased disease for humans

• Decrease in global temperatures

Multiple Choice

Which human action can cause pollution?

• Walking

• Biking

• Mining

• Recycling

Multiple Choice

_____________________ is the contamination of air, land, and water.

• Conservation

• Ecology

• Pollution

Multiple Choice

Pollution occurs when people release, dump, leak, spill, or ______________ the environment around us.

• litter

• preserve

• save

Multiple Choice

Most incidents of pollution are deliberately caused by______.

• humans

• machines

• animals

Multiple Choice

The leaking or spilling of chemicals or raw sewage into a body of water is ________ pollution.

• air

• water

• land

Multiple Choice

The release of smoke and harmful gases into the air is called _________ pollution.

• air

• water

• land

Multiple Choice

The illegal dumping or littering of waste onto the land is called __________ pollution.

• air

• land

• water

As ice caps melt, ocean levels rise. This means that the homes of many people around the world are at risk. It also changes the chemistry of the ocean, endangering wildlife.

Melting Ice and Rising Oceans

​Warmer temperatures mean that more water evaporates into the atmosphere. More extreme weather patterns such as hurricanes, blizzards, droughts, etc. are becoming more commmon.

Worsening Storms

Species that cannot adapt to rising temperatures will go extinct. Polar Bears are one example of a species that is at risk.

Endangered Species

Climate Change - gradual increase in global temperatures due to the release of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels.

.

Multiple Choice

What are greenhouse gases?

• gases that cause climate change

• gases that emit green smoke

• gases that are used to make green colored glass

Multiple Choice

Visible light reaches Earth’s surface while infrared light is trapped as heat. Which characteristic of Earth’s atmosphere causes this to happen?

• the hole in the ozone

• the greenhouse effect

• atmospheric pressure

• the inversion layer

Multiple Choice

The average temperature of the surface of Earth has increased approximately 1°C in the past century. Which reason best explains this increase in temperature?

• lower levels of ozone in the atmosphere

• lower levels of nitrogen in the atmosphere

• higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

• higher levels of oxygen in the atmosphere

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is the best conclusion that can be made from this graph?

• atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have been decreasing since 1960

• Hawaii has a lot of carbon dioxide

• humans have been working hard to decrease carbon dioxide levels

• atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have increased steadily since 1960

Multiple Choice

Which of the following have been linked to climate change?  

• droughts

• flooding

• melting of polar ice caps

• all of the above

Multiple Choice

The main human activity that releases greenhouse gases is

• using bottled water

• burning fossil fuels

• texting on cellphones

• eating meat

Multiple Choice

Melting of glaciers and polar ice caps....

• will result in cooler temperatures in the Arctic

• will result in sea-levels rising

• Will have no effect on ecosystems

• None of the above

Multiple Choice

Carbon is stored in

• Trees and other living things

• Oceans

• underground in soil and fossil fuels

• All are correct

Multiple Choice

Increasing quantities of CO₂ (Carbon Dioxide) in the atmosphere will cause air temperatures to be _____. 

• warmer

• cooler

Multiple Choice

Climate change causes extreme weather conditions such as:

• Flooding

• Heat Waves

• Hurricanes

• All of the above

Multiple Choice

Possible human solutions for limiting global warming and climate change are...

• being more energy-efficient

• using renewable sources of energy

• removing carbon from fossil fuel emissions

• all of the above

​Mining is almost always destructive to the environment. Habitats are lost, poisonous chemicals like sulfur leak into the air and water, and wildlife is threatened.

Mining

​Burning fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases like CO2 into the atmosphere, which traps heat, acidifies the oceans, and pollutes the ar.

Relying on Fossil Fuels

Plastics and other non-recyclable materials cannot be easily disposed of.

Reliance on Plastics

Human choices that cause harm:

Multiple Select

Why is plastic dangerous for marine life? (Check all that apply)

• They mistake it for food and cannot digest it

• They can get tangled in it

• It's not dangerous because they use plastic waste for habitats

• It's not dangerous unless it's small enough to eat

Multiple Choice

The breaking of habitats into smaller pieces is called _______.

• habitat breaking

• habitat pollution

• habitat destruction

• habitat fragmentation

Multiple Choice

Where does the majority of plastic waste end up?

• Burned for energy

• Landfill

• Recycled

• Oceans

Multiple Choice

True or False: Plastic in the ocean ends up in the food you eat.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

How long does it take plastic to degrade?

• 500-1000 years

• 200 years

• 150 years

• 50 years

Multiple Choice

Acid mine drainage is cause by which element?

• carbon

• sulfur

• nitrogen

• boron

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT environmental impacts of mining?

• Destroys natural communities over large areas.

• Acid drainage pollutes groundwater.

• Creates minimal dust.

• Mass wasting is common when overburden is loosened.

Multiple Choice

 Which type of mining is associated with disturbing more land?

• Surface mining 

• Sub-surface mining

• Mining in the oceans

Multiple Choice

Why do environmentalists oppose the mining of Antarctic mineral resources?

• The demand for minerals is expected to decline as the world's nations become more industrialized.

• The Antarctic environment is fragile and extremely vulnerable to the disturbance that would accompany development.

• Existence of valuable mineral deposits in the Antarctic environment is unlikely.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is an environmental problem associated with abandoned coal mines?

• Thermal pollution of streams in the area.

• Released nutrients that cause eutrophication into streams.

• Air pollution caused by smog from ozone formation.

• Acid drainage due to leaching of tailing piles.

These species are found in far lower numbers than they should be, making them vulnerable to extinction.

Endangered Species

These species are indispensible to their ecosystems and fill important ecological roles.

Keystone Species

​This is a non-native species that can outcompete other organisms in its new environment to the point where it takes over and threatens native wildlife.

Invasive Species

Biotic Factors Play a Role Too!

Multiple Choice

If the population of a certain predator increases, the population of its prey often _______.

• decreases

• increases

• does not change

• moves

Multiple Choice

Wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in 1995. This keystone species restored the park’s ecosystem. What is the ecological value of a keystone species?

• they influence the survival of many other species in an ecosystem.

• they prevent the ecosystem from changing and growing.

• they protect land and water resources within the ecosystem.

• They decrease the number of unwanted species in an ecosystem.

Multiple Choice

What is the main way that invasive species get introduced to a new area?

• too much food

• human actions

• weather events

• moving there

Multiple Choice

What makes a species "invasive"?

• species that cannot adapt

• making another species leave so that it can move in

• moving to a new ecosystem where it does not naturally belong and taking resources from natives

• taking up too much space

Multiple Choice

Which threat to biodiversity causes all of the others?

• population growth

• pollution

• habitat destruction

• invasive species