Measuring Biodiversity

Biodiversity & Ecosystem Services Review

Biodiversity

• The amount of variation within a species and within an ecosystem.

• High biodiversity is good because it indicates a healthy and stable ecosystem.

Multiple Choice

True or False: a community with 2 types of birds has more biodiversity than a community with 5 types of birds.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

True or False: a healthy environment is one with high biodiversity.

• True

• False

Measuring Biodiversity

• Scientists can measure the amount of genetic variation within a species (having different traits).

• Scientists can measure the number of different species (types of organisms) in an area over time.

Multiple Choice

Which community has higher biodiversity?

• Community 1 (top)

• Community 2 (bottom)

• They have equal biodiversity

Environmental Benefits

• Higher biodiversity allows an ecosystem to recover from environmental stress like storms and disease.

• Higher biodiversity provides protection for the ecosystem from pollution.

• Higher biodiversity in coastal communities provides protection from flooding.

Benefits for Humans

• Limits damage to coastal areas from flooding.

• Produces resources like lumber, food, and medicine.

• Creates natural pest control and pollinators.

• Provides different genes to improve food, energy production, and medicince.

• Provides beauty and inspiration.

• Allows for a potential decrease in pollution.

Multiple Select

Choose all the reasons why biodiversity is beneficial to humans and the ecosystem (4).

• Limits damage from coastal flooding

• Provides resources like lumber and medicine

• Decreases survival after an environmental stressor

• Decreases pollution

• Creates natural pest control and pollinators

Threats to Biodiversity

• Logging

• Farming

• Pollution

• Invasive Species

• Illegal hunting & collecting

• Land development

Multiple Choice

True or False: humans have a negative impact on biodiversity.

• True

• False

Multiple Select

Choose the correct answer for how humans negatively impact biodiversity.

• Logging

• Farming & land development

• Pollution

• Illegal hunting & collecting

• All of the above

Food Webs

• Producer: grass; main source of energy for the ecosystem

• Primary Consumers: grasshopper, mouse, rabbit; eats the producer

• Secondary Consumer: shrew, snake, fox; eats the primary consumer

• Tertiary Consumer: fox; eats the secondary consumers

Multiple Select

What would happen in this ecosystem if the fox went extinct? Choose 2.

• Mouse population would increase

• Grasshopper population would decrease

• Shrew populations would decrease

• No impact

Multiple Choice

True or False: if the fox went extinct, the ecosystem would improve.

• True

• False

Keystone Species

Keystone species are important to an ecosystem because most of the other organisms depend on them. Keystone species fill a role in the ecosystem that all other species need to survive. When we see a healthy population of keystone species we know that they ecosystem is healthy and stable. Without keystone species the ecosystem could deteriorate rapidly.

Multiple Choice

True or False: otters are a keystone species.

• True

• False

Multiple Select

When scientists see otters in the ecosystem this tells them that... (choose 2)

• The ecosystem is in danger

• The ecosystem is healthy and thriving

• The water quality of the ecosystem is declining

• The water quality of the ecosystem is good