Ecosystem Biodiversity Assessment

The ecosystem with the greatest biodiversity is the one that has the greatest:

• variety of living things

• average annual rainfall

• coverage of land area

• elevation above sea level.

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Changes to an ecosystem’s biodiversity can have a direct effect on humans because humans –

• inhabit all areas of the Earth’s ecosystems

• use minerals from the ground to make things.

• rely mostly on solar power for energy.

• depend on the Earth’s natural resources.

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The chart lists data on four different projects designed to restore a wetlands habitat destroyed by human activity and a recent hurricane. The project that will be chosen will have to be low in cost, benefit the greatest number of species, and be popular with the local citizens whose taxes will sponsor it.

Based on the data and the criteria given, which project will be chosen?

• Project 1

• Project 2

• Project 3

• Project 4

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Nitrogen pollution enters Earth’s freshwater resources from a variety of human activities, including the use of fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture. This nitrogen pollution has a negative effect on plants and animals living in fresh water. Certain wetland plants, however, are able to purify the water and restore it to its non-polluted state.

Which of the following would most likely increase the negative effects of nitrogen pollution?

• Using fertilizers that do not contain nitrogen

• Loss of biodiversity in the wetlands

• Increase of biodiversity in the wetlands

• The introduction of a new species of plant

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Human activity can destroy coral reefs. Because so many organisms depend on the coral, this can have a negative effect on the ecosystem in shallow ocean waters.

Which of the following solutions will most likely offer the best way for humans to repair the damage and improve the health of this ecosystem?

• Introduce non-native species into the shallow ocean that don’t depend on coral

• Design nets to catch the kinds of fish that use coral reefs as a food source

• Submerge large structures on which new coral reefs can form and grow

• Use submarines to gather data on the amount of coral reefs lost each year

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Describe how introducing a non-native species of a plant can reduce an area’s biodiversity over time.

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What is the benefit of having a variety of pollinating birds and insects, and how could this service be harmed by changes in their population?

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What factor contributes the most to the overall health and sustainability of an ecosystem?

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