Biodiversity

BiodiversityBy: Harsh Bhatt,

Shehzaib Khan, Quintin Sudom & Josh Barber

Part A: DiversityWhat is

Biodiversity? Biodiversity or also known as

Biological Diversity is the richness and variety of life and ecosystems on the Earth. This includes different forms of living organisms such as plants and animals to even the smallest things such as bacteria. They all live in different habitats which are suitable for them. This includes the processes that are part of ecosystems as well.

What is Sustainability?

Sustainability is the ability to maintain ecological processes over time.

Part A: Diversity

How does Biodiversity relate to the sustainability of ecosystems?

Biodiversity is very closely related to sustainability.

The more biodiversity an ecosystem has, the more sustainable it is.

How?

If there is a variety of genes and species in an

ecosystem, the ecosystem can carry out natural

processes more effectively if in the face of external stress. Thus, it is more

sustainable.

Part A: Diversity

• 1. Ecosystem Diversity: there are many kinds of ecosystems such as lakes, streams, forests and marshes. This is ecosystem diversity.

• 2. Community Diversity: a whole lot of different species living within a community. This is community diversity.

• 3. Species Diversity: there are a lot of differences within a specific species. This is species diversity.

• 4. Genetic Diversity: there is a mixture of different genetic material in all living things.

• 5. Species Distribution Diversity: plant and animal species are not evenly distributed throughout the various ecosystems on Earth.

Explain the 5 components of Biodiversity.

Part A: DiversityWhat area of the

Earth do we find the most biodiversity?

• The tropical rain forests in the equatorial regions contain the greatest biological diversity.

Why are Coral Reefs called “the Amazons

of the oceans”?• Coral Reefs are called “the

Amazons of the oceans” because of the richness of their species diversity. Like the tropical rain forests, coral reefs support many different communities of organisms surviving on limited nutrients.

Part A: Diversity

• Interdependence means that a species is dependent on many other species in its environment.

What is an important example of

interdependence found in nature?

• Two important examples of interdependence that are found in nature are:

Food Webs & Food Chains.

What does Interdependence

mean?

Part A: DiversityWhat is Symbiosis and also explain the three different

types of symbiosis with an example for each.• Another type of interdependence is Symbiosis. It is an association

between members of different species.• The three main types of Symbiosis are: Commensalism – when one of the participating organisms benefits but the other

does not. However, there is no harm done to the second organism. An example is; a bird builds its nest in a tree. The bird gets shelter while the tree is neither benefits or harmed.

Mutualism – when both of the participating organisms benefit from each other. An example is; The bull’s horn Acacia tree provides food and shelter for ants while the ants protect the tree from other animals feeding on it by attacking them.

Parasitism – when one organism benefits and the other is harmed. An example is; a tapeworm attached to the intestinal wall of a human. The tapeworm absorbs nutrients from food in the intestine leaving little food for the human host to absorb.

Part A: DiversityWhat is a Niche?

• A niche describes the role of an organism within the ecosystem. An organism’s niche includes what it eats, what eats it, its habitat, nesting sites, or range, and its effect on both the populations around it and its environment.

Why are Niches Important?

• Niches are important as they let lots of organisms live together without competition.

Give an example of an ecosystem and name some animals that live in the ecosystem and the niches they would fill.

• An example is a desert ecosystem. Some animals that live in this kind of ecosystem would be; Ant, Ant Lion, Camel Spiders. Niches an Ant would fill would be; they are scavengers, meaning they forage for the corpses of insects and other arthropods to eat on. These ants can sustain a body temperature above 50 degrees Celsius. Niches that an Ant Lion could fill would be; living in an arid or sandy habitat, they eat small arthropods. An Ant Lion shelters in a nook or crevice. Niches a Camel Spider could fill would be; living in a desert, feeding on ground dwelling arthropods and other small animals.

Part A: Diversity

Part A: DiversityGive an example of an ecosystem and name some animals that live in the ecosystem and the niches they would fill.

• An example is a desert ecosystem. Some animals that live in this kind of ecosystem would be; Ant, Ant Lion, Camel Spiders. Niches an Ant would fill would be; they are scavengers, meaning they forage for the corpses of insects and other arthropods to eat on. These ants can sustain a body temperature above 50 degrees Celsius. Niches that an Ant Lion could fill would be; living in an arid or sandy habitat, they eat small arthropods. An Ant Lion shelters in a nook or crevice. Niches a Camel Spider could fill would be; living in a desert, feeding on ground dwelling arthropods and other small animals.

Part A: DiversityExplain whether niches stay the same or can change.

• Niches can change in a species

lifetime.

What are two ways a niche can change, Give a couple of examples to help explain the two ways niches can change.

• Two ways that a niche can change are if there is a different environment for a species then what it is used to or if there is a change of organisms that the species inter-relates with.

• For example if there is a fox in a forest, it might have to fill the niche of a scavenger because there is a lot of competition inside the forest. This is inter-relation with a species.

• If there is a rabbit which scavenges for food in a forest, but goes to live in the city, it can fill the niche of a predator and start to kill small animals living around it.

Part A: Diversity

What is Resource partitioning? Give an example.• Resource partitioning

happens when two or more species’ niches overlap. The species then work out an arrangement to reduce their niche size so there is no more interspecies competition.

• An example is that there are two squirrels living in the same forest, the same tree and they eat the same food; acorns. One of the squirrels eats the acorns that are on the branches of the tree while the other squirrel eats the acorns that have fallen off the tree and are on the ground. This is resource partitioning as there are two species sharing the same resource and portioning it to co-exist.

Part A: DiversityWhat are two reasons that variability is important in an

ecosystem?• I) Variability is important

because when the species in an ecosystem have a lot of variation among its individuals; it is more likely that some of these individuals will survive environmental changes.

• II) Variability also makes an ecosystem healthier.

Part A: DiversityExplain what natural selection is and how it relates to variability.

• Natural selection is when the environment “selects” which individuals will survive long enough to reproduce and pass on its genes.

• It relates to variability because if the environment changes, variation in the species will allow some of those species to survive because they would have certain different characteristics that promotes survival. It is all those “variations” in an organism that will allow certain organisms to survive changes in the environment, which is in turn Natural Selection.

Part A: DiversityDescribe why variation is important in the environment.

• Variation is important in the environment because if all the members of one species were the same, all of them would not be able to handle a change that might occur in an environment. This way if there is variation between members of a species, will continue to have some members that will survive the change and pass on their traits to the new generation.

Part B: Reproduction and Characteristics

Explain the difference between heritable and non-heritable traits and give some examples of each.

• The difference between heritable and non-heritable traits is that heritable characteristics are the ones that are passed on from generation to generation. These types of characteristics are in genetic materials that get passed on by sexual reproduction. Some examples of inherited characteristics are eye color, skin color, and hair type. Conversely, non-heritable characteristics are the ones that are acquired or learned from others. These kinds of characteristics are not necessarily passed on to other generations. Some examples of non-heritable traits are learning how to play an instrument, acquiring the skills to play a sport, artistic abilities, academic abilities etc.

Part B: Reproduction and CharacteristicsExplain how environment can play a role in the development

of characteristics and give some examples of how environment can affect characteristics.

• Some variations in individual organisms can result from interactions with the environment. Variations caused by the interactions with the environment are not heritable. For example, if you have two plants that are completely identical, and you put one in a place where there is a good source of sunlight, and the other where there isn’t, they will soon begin to look different. The one with the greater source of sunlight will be green and bushy, while the other one with not so much of a source of sunlight will look pale and spindly.


Explain the difference between discrete and continuous variation and give some examples of each.

• The difference between discrete and continuous variation is that discrete variation refers to differences in characteristics that have two defined forms. So it will either be the first form or it will be the second form. Some examples are, a cat either has blue eyes or it does not have blue eyes, or your earlobes are attached or they are not attached. On the other hand, continuous variation has many forms. Some examples are, the height of a human can range through multiple measurements or the weight of humans can also range for multiple measurements.


Explain what asexual reproduction means and explain the four types of asexual reproduction with examples.

• Asexual reproduction is when the reproduction only involves one parent. It’s offspring that results from this asexual reproduction will be identical to that one parent, inheriting identical characteristics from it. There are four types of asexual reproduction, binary fission, budding, spore production, and vegetative reproduction.

• I) Binary Fission is only involving one-celled organisms and it is when a cell splits exactly in two, producing two identical individuals. Examples are bacteria, protists such as amoebas and some algae.

• II) Budding is when the parent produces a small bud, or a smaller version of itself. It detaches from itself and becomes a self sufficient individual which is identical to its parent. Examples are the hydra and yeast. In other animals, the new individual stays attached to its parent and it forms a large structure which is composed of many identical individuals. An example of this would be a coral.

Part B: Reproduction and CharacteristicsLast Slide Continued

• III) Spore Production is when organisms produce a spore which is similar to a seed, but they are produced by the division of cells of the parent. This spore will then become an individual which will be identical to the parent. Examples are fungi, green algae, some moulds and non-flowering plants such as ferns.

• IV) Vegetative Reproduction is the reproduction of plants which does not involve the formation of a seed. Examples are runners from strawberries or tubers from potatoes on a potato plant and even bulbs from which daffodil and tulips develop.

Part B: Reproduction and CharacteristicsGive a scientific explanation of a sexual reproduction.

• Sexual reproduction is the reproduction that involves the exchanging of genetic material between two individuals resulting in offspring that are genetically different from the parents. Although the new individual will be genetically different from its parents, the individual will resemble some characteristics from the female and some from the male.


What special cells are involved in sexual reproduction? In animals, what are the specialized cells called that are involved in sexual reproduction and what do they produce when they combine? What is formed next?

• The special cells which are involved in sexual reproduction are the male gametes called the sperm cells, the female gametes called the egg cells (ova). When these two cells unite, a fertilized combination of cells is produced called the zygote. The zygote then begins to divide known as cleavage, and this division continues to make an embryo. The embryo then begins to develop into a multicellular organism inside the female.


Briefly describe how sexual reproduction works in plants. Use the proper names of the parts. Briefly explain the three types of sexual

reproduction in plants.

• Just like in animals, sexual reproduction in plants requires the joining of a male gamete (inside the pollen) with a female gamete (inside the ovule) to produce a zygote and then an embryo. The pollen is found on the anther. It moves from the anther to the stigma, and then travels down the stigma to the ovule. Ovules contain the female gametes of a plant. Ovules are found in the pistil. The male and female gametes then unite to make a zygote and then finally an embryo. The embryo then develops inside a seed, which helps protect the developing embryo.


Briefly explain the three types of sexual reproduction in plants.

• Plants can be reproduced by three ways, self-pollination, cross-pollination and artificial pollination. Self-pollination occurs when pollen is transferred from the anther of the stamen to the stigma of the pistil of the same plant. Fertilization occurs when the male gametes and the female gametes unite. Cross-pollination occurs when the pollen of one plant is carried by wind, water or animals to the stigma of another plant. Artificial pollination happens when flowers are pollinated by man.


Give one major advantage and disadvantage of both sexual and asexual reproduction.

• One major advantage of sexual reproduction is that it provides lots of variation which helps species survive environmental changes. One major disadvantage of sexual reproduction is that it takes a lot of energy. One major advantage of asexual reproduction is that asexual reproduction can produce lots of individuals very quickly as it does not involve any specialized cells or a way of bringing gametes together. One major disadvantage of asexual reproduction is that if conditions become unfavourable, the entire population may be wiped out because there is no variability between species.


What are some examples of organisms that can reproduce both asexually and sexually?

• Some plants can reproduce both sexually and asexually such as some species of grasses, sunflowers, and roses. Some animal species can also reproduce both ways, such as aphids.

Driving QuestionWhat is Biological Diversity, and by what processes do diverse living things pass on their characteristics to future generations?

• Biological Diversity is is the richness and variety of living organisms and ecosystems on the Earth. This includes all the processes that are part of ecosystems as well. A process by diverse living things in which they pass on their characteristics to future generation is called Reproduction. Three things that make Reproduction with variations successful are DNA, Chromosomes and Genes. Parents pass on a “blueprint” to their offspring during Reproduction. Every multicellular organism on Earth contains a blueprint for making a copy of itself in each of its body cells. A large molecule which is first found in cells’ nuclei is responsible for storing such information and passing it on to future generations. This molecule is known as deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA for short.

Driving Question Continued

What is Biological Diversity, and by what processes do diverse living things pass on their characteristics to future generations?

Another part is called the Chromosomes. Since there are so many physical and chemical characteristics, there is a lot of DNA in a cell. If the DNA from a typical human body cell was stretched out, it would be about two meters long, which is more than 1 000 000 times longer than the cell it came from. To fit such a large amount of DNA into their cells, organisms arrange their DNA into packages. These packages are called Chromosomes. Lastly there is one more part called genes. Genes are responsible for the inheritance of an organism’s characteristic features. A single gene is an uninterrupted segment of DNA, which contains coded instructions. These parts are the ones which are responsible to pass on their characteristics to future generations of a parent.

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