Exploring Biological Diversity on Earth

1. Unit A: Biological Diversity Chapter 1- Biological Diversity is Reflected in the Variety of Life on earth.

2. 1.1 Examining Diversity • Biologists have identified over 1.5 million species of animals and 350 000 species of plants. • A species is organisms that have the same structures and can reproduce with one and another.

3. Is the liger (cross between a lion and tiger) a species? No! Why not? 2 ligers cannot reproduce.

4. Understanding Biological Diversity. • Biological diversity refers to all the different types of organisms on earth.

5. Ecosystems • Ecosystem- the living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) things that interact with each other in a shared environment. • Examples include • Aquatic • Forest • Mountain • Boreal Forest • Prairie

6. Can you identify the abiotic and biotic parts of this ecosystem? Aquatic Ecosystem

7. The Parts of an Ecosystem

8. Parts of the Ecosystem..

9. Diversity within species • What would happen to an ecosystem if all the gophers were the same and there were no diversity within the population? • Let’s say all the gophers were small, skinny and there was a cold winter?

10. Diversity within Communities • Having a number and a variety of species in an ecosystem is important. Discuss with a partner why you think having a number of species is important to the prairie ecosystem. • What might happen if a farmers killed off all the gophers in the prairie ecosystem? Could it come back to haunt the farmer?

11. Species Distribution. • Look at the following map. Answer this question…where do we find the most species and why do you think it is that way?

12. Map

13. Check and Reflect (page 15 #1,2,5,6,7,9) • Explain what is meant by the term biological diversity. • In one sentence explain why so many different organisms exist on earth today? 5. Summarize in your own words: ecosystem diversity, community diversity, and genetic diversity. • Compare and contrast the meaning of the words population and community. • Why is there more biological diversity closer to the equator then in Canada? (Give reasons) • Explain why preserving biological diversity is important to life on Earth.

14. Check & Reflect Pg. 15. 1 - 9 (KEY) 1. Biological Diversity describes the variety of species and ecosystems on Earth as well as the ecological processes of which they are a part. It is made up of three components: ecosystem diversity, community and species diversity, and genetic diversity. 2. There are so many different kinds of organisms on Earth because the environment varies a great deal from place to place. Each different region on Earth has characteristic species of plants and animals suited to survival there

15. Check & Reflect Pg. 15. 1 - 9 (KEY) 5. Ecosystem diversity refers to the different types of environments on Earth in which living and non-living things interact. A community is a group of populations of different species that share the same resources. Community diversity refers to the number of different communities that may be found in a given area. Genetic diversity describes the variety of genetic material contained within all the individuals of a species

16. Check & Reflect Pg. 15. 1 - 9 (KEY) 6. A population describes the members of the same species that live in a specific area and share resources. A community describes the populations of different species that live in the same area. Populations create communities. 7. Generally there is greater diversity towards the equator because the climate can support a greater variety of plants, which, in turn, support a greater variety of animals by providing food and shelter.

17. Check & Reflect Pg. 15. 1 - 9 (KEY) 9. Ensuring biological diversity is preserved is important because the health of the planet depends on having a variety of ecosystems, communities, species, and genetic material.

18. 1.2 Interdependence.

19. Interdependence. • NO SPECIES CAN SURVIVE BY ITSELF • For example, humans are dependent on plants to produce the oxygen we breathe. • Bees depend on flowers to provide them with their food- nectar, and plants depend on bees to spread the pollen to make other plants. • Decomposers- like bacteria and fungi- break down the dead organisms of our planet, turning them into much needed soil.

20. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWucOrSOdCs

21. Predator-Prey Relationships Lynx vs. Snow-shoe Hare

22. Predator Prey Relationships • If the lynx population were to get too high, the snowshoe hare population would be destroyed. • If the lynx population were to low, the snowshoe hare population would explode, and they would eat too much foliage. • The deer and other herbivore populations would starve. • Eventually the hares would starve too. • Predators also eat the weak or sick members of a population, allowing the strong ones to breed and pass on their traits.

23. The Food Chain… Where do the arrows point to? What would happen to this ecosystem if the local farmers killed off the rattle snakes that are killing their cattle? Could this come back to haunt them?

24. Symbiosis • There are 4 major types of relationships organisms in an ecosystem have. It is called symbiosis. Symbiosis- “life together” which describes the relationships between different species. • Predator-Prey • Commensalism • Mutualism • Parasitism

25. Mutualism • Mutualism- The relationship of 2 species benefits both species. We say it is a ++ relationship. • Can you give an example of Mutualism?

26. Normally the anemone is poisonous to organisms. The clown fish has a slime that protects it from the sting anemone. The clown fish gets a safe home from predators And the clown fish attracts prey into the deadly anemone. +/+ Mutualism

27. Could this be mutualism?

28. Commensalism • This is a relationship where one animal benefits and the other is neither harmed nor benefited. • Its called a +/o relationship.

29. Barnacles on a whale hitch a ride to new homes, food sources and places to reproduce. The whale is not at all affected. Can you think of another example? Example of commensalism

30. The plants are growing on the tree. The tree allows them to get more sun for photosynthesis. The tree is unaffected. Another Example

31. Parasitism • One organism lives ON or INSIDE another slowly making the other organism sicker- usually the host isn’t killed but in some cases, it is. • Its relationship is said to be +/-

32. Athletes foot. A fungus lives off of your foot, injuring your skin and giving you discomfort. Example Can you think of another example of parasitism?

33. Whip worms grow inside your intestines and stomach. Can reach 300cm in length. Come from uncooked meats. Use you to get nourishment from the food you eat. Another Example

34. Symbiosis • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSmL2F1t81Q

35. NICHE- • A niche thoroughly describes • An organisms role in an ecosystem. Whether it is a producer, consumer, or decomposer. • What organism eats-including whether or not it is herbivore, carnivore, omnivore or decomposer. • Where the animal lives

36. Which statement best describes the niche of a wolf in Alberta? The wolf, found throughout the boreal forests and mountains of Alberta, is a predator feeding on herbivores. b) The wolf, found in the mountains of Alberta, is a consumer. c) The wolf is a predator feeding on deer and moose. d) The wolf lives exclusively in Banff National Park in Alberta. Niche of the Wolf

37. There is another type of relationship - Interspecies Competition. Two or more species compete for the same food; neither benefits. Each loses because certain members die from starvation. Interspecies Competition

38. Sometimes Interspecies competition leads to resource partitioning. This is where species develop a different niche to get the same food. In this picture birds get the same insects from different parts of the tree; which limits competition. Resource Partitioning

39. Assignment • Check and Reflect in your notes package

40. 1.3 Variation Within Species.

41. Variation Within Species. • So far we have learned that the sustainability of life relies on diversity in • Ecosystems (types of places to live) • Communities (types of animals) • Population (Individuals) • Healthy populations have a variety of individuals, which comes from it’s genes. Differences within populations comes from genetic diversity- our different genes. • This type of variation is called variability.

42. Variability & Survival • Healthy ecosystems have a lot of genetic diversity within species. • Look at the human species. • What might happen to the Polar bear, if the polar ice cap melts? • Environmental changes can make a species go extinct if there is not enough variablity. • Toxins, elimination of a food source, change in habitat can affect the survival of a species.

43. Some foxes are born black. It makes it easy to spot in fields and woods to predators like the Lynx and Wolf. But in a habitat with black rocks and soil, it is better hidden than the normal red fox. Example

44. Bacteria multiply trillions of times during an infection. Usually antibiotics kill all bacteria, but thanks to variability some that are different survive and reproduce. This means they become resistant to the antibiotics. They are called superbugs. Variability and Bugs

45. Natural Selection. • Natural selection occurs when the environment “selects” which individuals will survive and which will die. • Some individuals are born ready to survive in an environment while others are not.

48. Natural Selection

49. The sparrow was able to survive because of its variability. Some sparrows were fat and had large energy reserves, while others were skinny. The fat sparrows were able to survive while the skinny sparrows perished in the cold. The Dakota Sparrow.

50. The Giraffe • Some giraffes had longer necks than others • Over time, those with longer necks could eat more foliage, which made them more able to reproduce (there was more energy available to do so)