BIODIVERSITY AND SUSTAINABILITY

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BIODIVERSITY AND SUSTAINABILITY

Teacher’s Instructions:

1) Make transparencies of the slides (pages 2 to 15).2) Read through the lecture. Note that the speaker’s notes are below each slide.3) Download the pdf file (click on the “W” button). This file contains the Note Frames,

Test and Answer Keys.4) Provide each student with a copy of the Note Frames (pages 16 to 19).5) Begin the lecture and have students complete the note frames.6) Have students compare their Note Frames to the Answer Key (pages 20 to 23). You

can have students follow along as you read over the Answer Key. They can fill inanswers they are missing.

7) Ask students to read over their Note Frames since they will be having a test nextclass.

8) Administer the Test (page 24) during the next class.9) Collect Tests and correct them using the Answer Key (page 25).

Objective:

To explain how the biodiversity of an ecosystem contributes to its sustainability.

Student Tasks:

1) Listen to the lecture and complete the Note Frames.2) Read over Note Frames (study them).3) Write the Test.

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NOTE FRAMESNOTE FRAMES

• An alternative methodfor taking notes.

• Handout has most ofthe information on itbut is missing keyphrases and/or terms.

• You must payattention in order tofill in the blanks.

• TRY IT!!!

If your students haven’t used note frames before, show this slide and explain noteframes to them.

SPEAKER’S NOTES:

Note frames are an alternative method of taking notes. Instead of copying downeverything on the screen, you are given a handout. This handout has most of theinformation on it but it is missing key phrases and/or terms. You must pay attention inorder to fill in the blanks. Some of the answers for the blanks will be on the screen butsometimes you will have to listen to the class discussion in order to complete the notes.When completed, these note frames will become your notes for this lecture. You will usethese notes for reference and to study for tests.

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BIODIVERSITYBIODIVERSITYandand

SUSTAINABILITYSUSTAINABILITY

SPEAKER’S NOTES:

The topic of today’s lecture is “Biodiversity and Sustainability”.

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Outline• What is biodiversity?

• What is sustainability?

• How does biodiversity contribute to sustainability?

SPEAKER’S NOTES:

We will talk about the definitions of biodiversity and sustainability. Then, we willdiscuss how biodiversity contributes to sustainability.

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• The term “biodiversity”is a contraction of thephrase “biologicaldiversity”.

• Biodiversity means therichness and variety oflife - of genes, speciesand ecosystems.

Biodiversity

SPEAKER’S NOTES:

Biodiversity is a contraction of the phrase “biological diversity”. Look at your handoutand fill in the first blank on your note frames with “biological”.

Biodiversity means the richness and variety of life - of genes, species and ecosystems.(Fill in the next set of blanks with the appropriate words.)

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Biodiversity• Biodiversity maintains the

health of the earth and itspeople.

• It provides us with food andmedicine and contributes toour economy.

• It tells us a lot about thehealth of the biosphere.

• The greater the variety ofspecies, the healthier thebiosphere.

SPEAKER’S NOTES:

Biodiversity maintains the health of the earth (fill in the next blank) and its people.

It provides us with food and medicine and contributes to our economy. For example, weuse plants and animals for food and medicine and we can harvest plants and animals andsell them to make money. In Manitoba, the fishing industry contributes $150 millionannually to our economy.

Biodiversity tells us a lot about the health of the biosphere. The greater the variety ofspecies, the healthier the biosphere is. Why is this? (pause, have students brainstormanswers).

[Possible answers]more species = more links in food chains/webs = more stablemore plants = more food for other animals (more oxygen too)more genes = better chances for survival through adaptationa variety of ecosystems = more habitat for different species.

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• The more links in a food web, the more stable it is.

SPEAKER’S NOTES:

Removing one link from a food web that has many links does not affect it as much as ifthere were very few links.

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Sustainability• The ability to maintain

ecological processes overlong periods of time.

• Sustainability of anecosystem is the abilityof that ecosystem tomaintain its structure andfunction over time in theface of external stress.

SPEAKER’S NOTES:

Sustainability is the ability to maintain something over a long period of time. For anecosystem, sustainability means maintaining ecological processes over long periods oftime. What are these ecological processes? (have students respond).

[Possible answers]Biogeochemical cycles, evolution, food chains and webs, population dynamics,succession.

So, if an ecosystem is able to maintain its structure and function over time in the face ofexternal stress, it is said to be sustainable.

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• Is strongly linked toecosystem health.

• The more sustainablean ecosystem is, thehealthier it isbecause it is able to“deal” with externalstress better(i.e. limiting factors).

Sustainability

SPEAKER’S NOTES:

Sustainability is an indicator of ecosystem health. The more sustainable an ecosystem is,the healthier it is because it is able to deal with external stress better.

What is “external stress” on an ecosystem? (have students respond)

[Answer: limiting factors.]

What are some examples of limiting factors? (have students respond)

[Possible answers]Human activities and natural disasters such as deforestation, tornadoes, floods, pollution,etc.

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Biodiversity and Sustainability• The biodiversity of an ecosystem contributes

to the sustainability of that ecosystem.

• Higher/more biodiversity = more sustainable.

• Lower/less biodiversity = less sustainable.

• High biodiversity in an ecosystem means thatthere is a great variety of genes and species inthat ecosystem.

SPEAKER’S NOTES:

How does an ecosystem become sustainable?

By having a lot of biodiversity. The biodiversity of an ecosystem contributes to thesustainability of that ecosystem. The higher the biodiversity of an ecosystem, the moresustainable it is. Conversely, lower biodiversity equals less sustainability.

Why is this?

The higher biodiversity in an ecosystem means that there is a greater variety of genes andspecies in that ecosystem.

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• A great variety of genes and species meansthat the ecosystem is better able to carry outnatural processes in the face of external stress.

• Thus, the ecosystem is more sustainable.

Biodiversity and Sustainability

SPEAKER’S NOTES:

A great variety of genes and species means that the ecosystem is better able to carry outnatural processes (such as biogeochemical cycles, population dynamics, evolution,succession, etc.) in the face of external stress.

The ecosystem will have more genes and species to help it carry out these processes. Forexample, there will be more species and more links in food webs, more plants to helpwith the biogeochemical cycles and more genes available for succession and evolution.

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• The more sustainable an ecosystem is, thebetter it is for the environment and for people.

• People use ecosystems as sources of food,medicine and economy.

• Thus, it is in everyone’s best interest toincrease the sustainability of ecosystems.

• How can we do this?

Biodiversity and Sustainability

SPEAKER’S NOTES:

The more sustainable an ecosystem is the better it is for the environment and for people.This is because we need ecosystems to survive - we need nutrients, food, medicine andmoney to survive and ecosystems provide us with all of these things. So, it is ineveryone’s best interest to increase the sustainability of ecosystems but how can we dothis? (have students respond).

[Possible answers]Recycling, reusing, caring for the environment (planting, etc.), taking only the surplus ofpopulations when fishing or hunting, reduce pollution, etc.

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For Example...For Example...

Whitefish Northern pike Walleye

• The greater the variety of genes and species offish, plants and animals in the Lake Winnipegecosystem, the more biodiversity.

• Higher biodiversity will increase theecosystem’s sustainability

• Why is this important?

SPEAKER’S NOTES:

Lake Winnipeg’s ecosystem is home to a wide variety of fish species such as walleye,whitefish, pike, and goldeye.There are many plant and animal species (e.g. fish) in this ecosystem and they allcontribute to the biodiversity.A greater variety of genes and species (biodiversity) in the Lake Winnipeg ecosystemcontributes to its sustainability.The sustainability of this ecosystem is enhanced by its biodiversity.

Why is the sustainability of Lake Winnipeg’s ecosystem important? (have studentsrespond).

[Possible answers]Because people depend on this ecosystem for food, income, nutrients (from plants, land,animals, biogeochemical cycles).

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Lake Winnipeg• We rely on Lake Winnipeg’s ecosystem for

many things:– fish for food and commercial use (revenue).

– land and plants for food and revenue (agriculture).

– nutrients from biogeochemical cycles.

– water and landscape for tourism (beaches, etc.).

SPEAKER’S NOTES:

People rely on Lake Winnipeg’s ecosystem for many things such as land and plants forfood and revenue, water and landscape for tourism and revenue, fish for food andcommercial use (revenue from sales of fish, boats and fishing equipment), and nutrientsfrom biogeochemical cycles.

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THE ENDTHE ENDp.s. there is a test next classp.s. there is a test next class

SPEAKER’S NOTES:

Read over your note frames tonight as we will be having a quiz on this material nextclass. Be sure you understand the material as you will have to answer questions on thequiz in your own words. Marks will be lost if you simply re-write the notes word forword.