3.1MeasuringBiodiversity(Page89-94)

LearningGoals• IcanexplaintheconceptofbiodiversityandidentifytrendsinbiodiversityonEarth.• Icanexplainhowbiodiversityismeasured.• Icanexplainhowtopreservebiodiversityandwhypreservingbiodiversityisimportant.

KeyConcepts

•Biodiversityisthenumberandvarietyoforganismsfoundwithinaspecificregion.•Scientistshaveidentifiedabout2millionspeciesonEarth.

KeyConcepts•Scientistsmeasurebiodiversityusingseveralmethods.•ThereareplacesonEarthwherethereisanexceptionallylargenumbersofspeciesinarelativelysmallarea.•Mostbiodiversityhotspotsareintropicalareas.•BiodomeII- WatchThis!

WhatisBiodiversity?•Biodiversityisthenumberandvarietyoforganismsfoundwithinaspecificregion.•Thereareapproximately5to100millionspeciesonEarth.

Asamplingoffungicollectedduringsummer2008inNorthernSaskatchewan’smixedwoods,nearLaRonge,isanexampleofthespeciesdiversityoffungi.Inthisphoto,therearealsoleaflichensandmosses.

ThediverseforestcanopyonBarro ColoradoIsland,Panama,yieldedthisdisplayofdifferentfruit.

SustainingBiodiversity

•Anecosystemcansustainbiodiversityonlyifindividualspeciesandtheirhabitatsareprotectedorpreserved

MeasuringBiodiversity

•4Methodsformeasuringbiodiversity:•Canopyfogging•Quadratsampling•Transectsampling•Netting

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhapNu1WDms

MethodsofMeasuringBiodiversity

• CanopyFogging• countingthebiodiversityofinsects• Insecticideissprayedintothetopofatree&wheninsectsfalltheyarecollectedonascreen

• QuadratSampling• Aquadratisaknownsquareareathatismarkedusingapre-madesquare• Differentspeciesandtheirnumberswithinthequadratarecounted

MethodsofMeasuringBiodiversity

• Transectsampling• atransectline(ropeortape)thathasbeenmarked• Thelineisunrolledwithinthehabitatandthenumberofspeciesalongthelinearerecorded

• Netting• Finemeshnetsareusedtocapturebirds,bats&fish.• Oncecaptured,organismsareidentified;bloodsamplesmaybetakenforgeneticanalysis&organismsareeventuallyreleased

HotspotsofBiodiversity

•Abiodiversityhotspotisaplacewherethereisexceptionallylargenumberofspeciesthatliveinarelativelysmallarea

HotspotsofBiodiversity

BiodiversityhotspotinCanada:Seehereforacollection:https://www.canadiangeographic.ca/article/canadas-biodiversity-hotspotsCarolinianCanada- 2200plants,40%ofCanada’sbreedingbirdspecies

LeitrimWetland- 200speciesofplantsand90speciesofbirds

TrendsinBiodiversity

•Speciesrichnesstendstobehigherneartheequator•Warmtemperatures•Adequateprecipitation

•Tropicalrainforestshavehighestbiodiversity ofanyecosystem•Ex.Ontariohas1speciesofhummingbirdwhiletheAmazonrainforesthasover200

PreservingBiodiversity

•Protectinganecosystempreservesbiodiversity•Itpreventshouses/industriesfrombeingbuiltinthearea•Thishelpstomaintainanecosystemwhereavarietyofspeciescanexist

Practice

•Readpg 89-94•Page94#1-8•3.1SocrativeQuiz