2.1.2 Biodiversity

Biodiversity

2.1.2

Objectives

Learners can:

• describe the role biodiversity has on an ecosystem

• explain the importance of biodiversity from an economic, technological, and ecological perspective

• biodiversity

• ecosystem

• environment

Prerequisite Vocab

• extinction

New Vocab

Vocabulary

the complete disappearance of a species

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Extinction

Match

Match the vocabulary word to its definition.

• biodiversity

• ecosystem

• environment

all of the variety of life on Earth

all of the living and nonliving things

a living thing's surroundings

• all of the variety of life on Earth

• all of the living and nonliving things

• a living thing's surroundings

Poll

Which ecosystem do you think has the most biodiversity?

• tropical rainforest

• deciduous forest

• desert

• tundra

Open Ended

What are some things mentioned in the video that describe why rainforests are so important?

Importance of Biodiversity

Biodiversity is all of the variety of life on Earth. Biodiversity also refers to the amount of variation of the species in a given area.

A place such as a coral reef has many plants and animals. This variety means the coral reef is an ecosystem with high biodiversity. Like a rainforest, coral reef are critical areas because of the large variety of organisms.

Multiple Select

Which of the following would be potential impacts of decreased biodiversity?

Select all that apply.

• reduced food supply

• increased availability of freshwater

• cleaner air supply

• limited access to medicinal ingredients

Extinction is the complete disappearance of a species. The loss of a species is concerning for many reasons. Many species not only directly benefit humans but also benefit their ecosystems. The health and survival of ecosystems are related to their biodiversity.

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Extinction

Economic Importance

As many as 40,000 species of fungi, plants, and animals provide us with many types of clothing, shelter, medicines, and other products. These include timber, fibers, fragrances, papers, silks, dyes, adhesives, rubber, resins, skins, furs, and more.

According to one survey, 57% of the most important prescription drugs come from nature. Specifically, they come from bacteria, fungi, plants, and animals. However, only a small number of species with pharmaceutical applications have been explored. The loss of any species may mean the loss of new medicines, which will directly affect human health.

Multiple Select

Which of the following are resources that result from biodiversity?

Select all that apply.

• wood products

• compounds used in medicines

• gold for jewelry

• copper and iron

​Biodiversity and Technology

What are similarities you notice between the 2 structures? Share in the chat or on the mic!

Ecosystems are composed of organisms that serve unique roles within the environment. The loss of even one of the species could have a devastating impact on the ecosystem as a whole.

One important role of biodiversity is that it helps keep the nutrients, such as nitrogen, in the soil. Biodiversity also allows plants to be pollinated by different types of insects. Different species of fungi are necessary to recycle waste from dead plants and animals.

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Ecological Importance

Multiple Choice

Based on what you learned, what is most likely to happen when an ecosystem becomes less biodiverse?

• The health of the ecosystem increases.

• The health of the ecosystem decreases.

• The health of the ecosystem remains the same.

• The ecosystem cannot survive.