Lesson 12 - Conservation and Biodiversity

Introduction
 
"Our industrial societies are overusing the environment to the point of exhaustion. Forests are being harvested and cut at unsustainable rates. Urban sprawl is completely replacing natural ecosystems in highly populated regions. Freshwaters are being diverted for agriculture and urban uses to the extent that riverbeds and lakebeds are becoming dry in places. Dams are being constructed for hydropower and irrigation with little consideration for their impact on aquatic life. Alien species of plants, animals, and microbes are being released into new environments with little or no restraint. Maritime fisheries are being exploited by major fishing nations at unsustainable levels."
 
Getting Started "All these actions and others are reducing biodiversity, which we now realize is a resource of enormous economic value. If properly managed, sustainable yields of food and fiber can be obtained from many natural lands and waters. Modern genetic engineering technologies make the genes of millions of wild species available for use in breeding improved crops and domestic animals, and as biological control agents."


Focus on Learning
 
Use the course competencies listed below to focus your learning and use the lesson objectives to sharpen that focus.
 
Competencies By the end of the lesson , you should be able to:

  1. Identify and analyze the basic principles of ecology.
 
Objectives

To master the competencies, you should seek to understand how:

  1. Conservation biology focuses on understanding and protecting biodiversity.
  2. Biodiversity has direct value and indirect value for human beings.
  3. The causes of today's extinctions are known.
  4. Conservation techniques require much effort and expertise.


Reading Assignments
 
Reading Assignment Reading is a very important component of an internet course. Read the assigned pages from your textbook before proceeding to the Activities, Study Help, and Assessment Sections.
 
Textbook Read the Assignment in Mader Concepts of Biology Textbook:
Conservation of Biodiversity: Chapter 40


Activities
 
Complete the Animation Activities. Feel free to open your book and notes as you work on them. The information in these activities is very helpful when completing the Animation Quiz that follows.
 
Animations
Complete the Animation Activities by Clicking the Links Below:
Animation Activity 1 - Christmas Tree Threat
Animation Activity 2 - Big fish-small fish
Animation Activity 3 - Ocean Fishing Ban
Animation Activity 4 - Big Bad Wolf
 
Complete the Virtual Lab Activity. Feel free to open your books and notes as you work on it. Complete the activity by reading the instructions, performing the lab exercise, downloading the post lab quiz and report and filling it out. Be sure to complete and print out the data table embedded in each lab exercise. The information in this lab activity is very helpful when completing the Virtual Lab Quiz and Worksheet that follow.
 
Virtual Lab
Complete the Virtual Lab Activity by Clicking the Link Below:
Virtual Lab Activity: Tracking Grizzlies


Study Help

 
It's time to review and practice what you have learned from your reading and instruction activities. Slide presentations, Chapter Outlines, Flashcards, and Student Learning Outcomes are provided to help you study. Feel free to open your book and notes as you use them.
 
Slide Presentation
Log-in to BlackBoard, navigate to the Textbook Reading Folder, click into the Reading Review Slide Presentation Folder, and click the Slide Presentation Link:
Slide Presentation - Chapter 40 Mader Web Presentation
 
Practice Quiz
Log-in to BlackBoard, navigate to the Textbook Reading Folder, and click the Reading Practice Quiz Link:
Reading Practice Quiz - Chapter 40


Assessing Your Learning

 
It's time to assess what you have learned from your reading and instruction activities. The following reading, animation, virtual lab, and essay quizzes are graded assignments. Feel free to open your book and notes as you work on them. Be sure to submit your work as you complete it. Good luck!
 
Reading Quiz
Log-in to BlackBoard, navigate to the Textbook Reading Folder, and click the Reading Quiz Link:
Reading Quiz - Chapter 40
 
Animation Quiz
Log-in to BlackBoard, navigate to the Animations Folder, and click the Animation Quiz Link:
Animation Quiz - 12
 
Virtual Lab Quiz
Log-in to BlackBoard, navigate to the Virtual Lab Folder, and click on Virtual Lab Quiz Links:
Virtual Lab Quiz and Worksheet - 12
 
Essay Quiz
Log-in to BlackBoard, navigate to the Essay Quiz Folder, and click on the Essay Link:
Essay Quiz - 12



Related Web Sites

 
Here is a website that I like. Click the icon to pursue this topic on the internet:


Biodiversity Project

Have You Met The Objectives For This Lesson?