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Maintaining Biodiversity

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- Biodiversity describes the number of different kinds of organisms in an ecosystem.
- Scientists measure biodiversity to determine an ecosystem's health.
- Humans depend on healthy ecosystems for food, medicine and clean water.
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Discussion Questions
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Before VideoWhat kinds of resources do humans get from ecosystems?ANSWER
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Humans get food and natural resources like wood, rock and water from ecosystems.
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I see plants, insects, squirrels, deer, turkey, and people.
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A keystone species is a plant or animal that has a big effect on an ecosystem, and they are important to ecosystems because they are needed to keep the ecosystem healthy.
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We can find out what animals in the ecosystem eat, and we can use it to trace matter cycling and energy flow.
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I think algae and other things like plankton get their energy from the Sun.
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We can measure the health of an ecosystem by looking at what is living there. Healthy ecosystems usually have different kinds of plants and animals living there.
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After VideoExplain why biodiversity in an ecosystem is important.ANSWER
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Biodiversity in an ecosystem is important because it helps an ecosystem stay healthy.
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A sea star is an example of a keystone species, and without it the ecosystem can collapse, like the tide pool example from the video.
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Food webs are models of the interactions that happen between the organisms found in the ecosystem. They can be used to explain how matter cycles and energy flows, and it is useful in making predictions about the food resources needed to maintain biodiversity in the ecosystem.
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Humans rely on ecosystem biodiversity for things like food, energy, and medicine. For example, humans rely on pollinators like bees to pollinate the crops of food we eat. Without insects, like bees, we wouldn’t have the food we need.
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Some humans have jobs that set up areas that protect ecosystems. These protected lands limit human interaction to protect the biodiversity in ecosystems. In the United States, national parks are places that are protected.
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Bioindicators, like frogs, are living things that let humans know when something might be wrong in an ecosystem. Bioindicators are important because without them, we might not know something needs to be fixed.
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Vocabulary
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Biodiversity
DEFINE
The different organisms living in an ecosystem.
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Ecosystem
DEFINE
A community of interacting organisms and their environment. It includes both living and nonliving things.
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Tide pools
DEFINE
Shallow pools of seawater that exist as separate bodies of water, usually only during low tide.
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Species
DEFINE
A group of organisms that have similar individuals and are able to exchange genes through breeding to produce offspring that are able to reproduce.
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Keystone species
DEFINE
A species that is necessary to maintain ecosystem health. Without this species, the ecosystem would change drastically.
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Decomposer
DEFINE
A species that is responsible for breaking down dead organisms in an ecosystem.
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Pollutant
DEFINE
A substance that pollutes something in the ecosystem (e.g., air, water, soil).
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Bioindicator
DEFINE
An organism that can be used to determine ecosystem health. These organisms can serve as a warning signal that something in the ecosystem is changing.
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Extinct
DEFINE
When there are no individuals left of a species.
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Conservation biologist
DEFINE
A scientist who studies a humans’ impact on ecosystems and helps develop solutions to ecosystem problems.
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Biodiversity
DEFINE
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Reading Material
Download as PDF Download PDF View as Separate PageWHAT IS MAINTAINING BIODIVERSITY?Biodiversity describes the variety of living things within a single ecosystem. This includes numbers and diversity of species. The biodiversity found within an ecosystem can help determine its health. For an ecosystem to maintain diversity, it has to have balance among the organisms living there.
To better understand maintaining biodiversity…
WHAT IS MAINTAINING BIODIVERSITY?. Biodiversity describes the variety of living things within a single ecosystem. This includes numbers and diversity of species. The biodiversity found within an ecosystem can help determine its health. For an ecosystem to maintain diversity, it has to have balance among the organisms living there. To better understand maintaining biodiversity…LET’S BREAK IT DOWN!
Ecosystems
In ecosystems, organisms compete for the resources they need in order to survive, grow, and reproduce. Animals compete for air, food, shelter, water, and space. Plants also compete with each other for the resources they need, including air, water, sunlight, and space. These interactions within the ecosystem help keep the populations of different organisms in balance and are necessary to keep an ecosystem healthy.
Ecosystems In ecosystems, organisms compete for the resources they need in order to survive, grow, and reproduce. Animals compete for air, food, shelter, water, and space. Plants also compete with each other for the resources they need, including air, water, sunlight, and space. These interactions within the ecosystem help keep the populations of different organisms in balance and are necessary to keep an ecosystem healthy.Food webs show the transfer of energy and matter within an ecosystem.
A food web is a model that can be used to show the interactions between living things in an ecosystem. Food webs are used to explain how energy and matter are transferred between the different organizational levels. The arrows in a food web indicate where energy and matter are transferred from and what organism receives the energy and matter.
Food webs show the transfer of energy and matter within an ecosystem. A food web is a model that can be used to show the interactions between living things in an ecosystem. Food webs are used to explain how energy and matter are transferred between the different organizational levels. The arrows in a food web indicate where energy and matter are transferred from and what organism receives the energy and matter.Ecosystems have keystone species.
In ecosystems, some species have a more important role in keeping the system in balance. These are keystone species. Each ecosystem has its own keystone species. For example, the keystone species in the tide pool was the sea star; however, the sea otter is the keystone species in the nearshore kelp forests.
Ecosystems have keystone species. In ecosystems, some species have a more important role in keeping the system in balance. These are keystone species. Each ecosystem has its own keystone species. For example, the keystone species in the tide pool was the sea star; however, the sea otter is the keystone species in the nearshore kelp forests.National parks help protect biodiversity.
President Woodrow Wilson established the U.S. National Park Service in 1916. Currently, the National Park Service maintains 419 national parks that cover more than 84 million acres, including land in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Guam. The system was set up to protect native plants and animals that live within those ecosystems.
National parks help protect biodiversity. President Woodrow Wilson established the U.S. National Park Service in 1916. Currently, the National Park Service maintains 419 national parks that cover more than 84 million acres, including land in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Guam. The system was set up to protect native plants and animals that live within those ecosystems.Careers in Science: Conservation Biologist
A conservation biologist is scientist who studies how humans impact ecosystems. They study the biodiversity within ecosystems by gathering data on the different populations to determine ecosystem health. If the ecosystem has a problem, a conservation biologist can help develop a solution so that biodiversity and ecosystem health are maintained.
Careers in Science: Conservation Biologist A conservation biologist is scientist who studies how humans impact ecosystems. They study the biodiversity within ecosystems by gathering data on the different populations to determine ecosystem health. If the ecosystem has a problem, a conservation biologist can help develop a solution so that biodiversity and ecosystem health are maintained. -
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What is a keystone species? Give one example.
What is a bioindicator organism? Give one example.
Why is biodiversity in an ecosystem important? What can happen if the system is unbalanced?

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