UNIT A Biological Diversity Preserving Biological Diversity Y

UNIT A: Biological Diversity

Preserving Biological Diversity: Y 2 Y: Yellowstone to Yukon • Y 2 Y is a joint Canadian and U. S. initiative designed to “combine science and stewardship to ensure that the wilderness, wildlife, native plants, and natural processes of the Yellowstone to Yukon wildlife corridor continue to function as an interconnected web of life”.

This female Grey Wolf named “Pluie” inspired the Y 2 Y conservation initiative.

• Pluie was captured in Kananaskis Country and fitted with a radio collar in 1991. • She was tracked by satellite over 100 000 Km 2 of protected area in Alberta, B. C. and Montana. • Her journey drew attention to the importance of the Rocky Mountains as a vital wildlife corridor.

Pluie’s Territory Pluie’s travels proved that large carnivores still roam the mountain ecosystems. To support these animals, we need effective conservation that can preserve and restore an intact landscape and manage threats such as roads, railways, development, and habitat loss.

• Y 2 Y is also a major wildlife corridor for bears and mountain caribou as well as many species of both migrant and resident birds. Challenges There are thousands of roads dissecting the Yellowstone to Yukon region -- each one an obstacle for bears and other predators. New measures like highway fencing and wildlife overpasses are attempts to mitigate the damage done by these roads and transportation corridors in the Y 2 Y. Yellowstone To Yukon Conservation Initiative Web Page

• • • Skill Practice Graph Assignment Are Jasper’s Wolves in Danger? – page 6 – Graphing Exploring Wolf Population Trends Note Toolbox 7 – pp 492 – 494 inclusive Are Jasper’s Wolves In Danger ? Using the guidelines provided in Toolbox 7 in your text, and those discussed in class, plot the data from the chart ( Page 6 – text ) onto a line or bar graph on the graph paper provided.

Section 1. 0 Biological Diversity is Reflected in the Variety of Life on Earth

• The world harbors an incredible diversity of life forms. • Most communities of life forms are characteristic to particular parts of earth. ( eg. tropical regions will have different life forms than polar regions )

• Traditionally, natural forces caused extinctions, but recently, they are increasingly being brought about by the influences of humans. • As a result, the variety of genetic material on our planet is decreasing.

Section 1. 1 – Examining Diversity

Before we begin, What is Biology anyways? • BIO LOGY life or living things the study of

• BIODIVERSITY is the variety of species and ecosystems on Earth.

• Ecosystems – where living ( biotic ) organisms interact with non-living ( abiotic ) components in a common environment. • Ecosystems the world over show tremendous diversity. • Compare / Contrast the pictures of the two ecosystems at the bottom of page 9 – text.

• Check out the six natural regions that represent the general ecological units in the Province of Alberta: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Canadian Shield Boreal Forest Foothills Rocky Mountains Parkland Grassland • Each of these has its own plants, animals, landscapes and weather patterns – and a multitude of unique ecosystems.

Boreal Forest • generally a northern forest, characterized by evergreen conifers and long winters

Canadian Shield

Rocky Mountains

Foot Hills • geographically defined as gradual increases in hilly areas at the base of a mountain range.

Grasslands near Cypress Hills • Large areas of land that are flat, grow different kinds of grasses and other plants and get less than 100 cm of precipitation each year. They also do not have many trees. Some grasslands are called Prairies.

Parkland • Transitional Biome between Boreal Forest and Grassland

• Adaptations - Features that increase an organism’s chances of surviving and reproducing in a particular environment

• Species – A group of organisms that have the same structures and can reproduce. • members must have the ability to interbreed and produce viable offspring. • Some organisms within a species may look quite different due to: – age (puppies Vs dogs) – life cycle stage (caterpillar Vs butterfly, or tadpole Vs frog) – gender (bull Vs cow)

• Populations – Groups of an individual species which frequent a common, specific area, and share the same food, habitat and types of mating partners. Zebras Spit Too

• Community – many populations of different species that live together in the same area. Essentially the entire biotic component of an ecosystem • Carrying Capacity (K) - each community has a certain carrying capacity for organisms…. . • Ecosystem – refers to both the biotic and abiotic components and their interactions within a given area. • Remember: – Biotic: living – Abiotic: non-living

Diversity Within Species • There are subtle variations between individuals of any population. • This is called genetic diversity. • Each variation is a result of a variation within the genetic material of the organisms cells. • Some genetic variations are visible while others are not. • Ex. Blood type, bill shape, wing span, fur colour

A Female Kermode bear and her cubs. All three of these bears are American Black Bears. The one in the middle shows a recessive pigment variation that accounts for her light fur colour. This specific genetic variation is found only in central coast of British Columbia. She is not an albino or a polar bear. The other two bears are her cubs.

Species Distribution • Species are distributed unevenly throughout the world. • The greatest diversity of species is found in tropical regions close to the equator. • As you move away from the equator species diversity decreases greatly. • Why do you think that is?

Conditions for life ALL LIVING THINGS: - are made of cells - need energy to live - grow and develop -reproduce - have adaptations that suit them to their environment

Classifying Biological Diversity • Carolus Linnaeus developed “binomial nomenclature” which is a “two name” system for naming plants and animals. • All plants and animals are named using GENUS THEN SPECIES NAMES • Genus is capitalized, species is not and both are italicized or underlined Scientistous renoundous

• Organisms are grouped according to the physical structure of the species. • Closely related species might have the same Genus name ( eg, Cats - Felis ), but will have different Species names ( domesticus, tigris, leo ). Felis domesticus Felis tigris Felis leo

Latin is the vernacular of Science • WHY? ? Because Latin is a “dead language” it is no longer evolving and no country uses it as their language.

The 5 Kingdom System • Many scientists classify all living things into 5 kingdoms: – Animalia (Animals) – Plantae (Plants) – Fungi (Yeasts, moulds, and mushrooms) – Protista (Mostly single celled organisms) – Monera (Bacteria) Video Clip

• The five kingdoms are further divided as follows:

• Kingdom • Phylum • Class • Order • Family • Genus • Species See page 13

Remember it this Way! • Kings • Play • Chess • On • Fine • Green • Silk See page 13

Pop Quiz ! (don’t worry it’s not for marks) 1. What are the five kingdoms of living things? 2. What are the 7 main categories used to classify living things?

Pop Quiz ! (don’t worry it’s not for marks) 1. What are the five kingdoms of living things? Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, Protista, Monera 2. What are the 7 main categories used to classify living things? Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species

Classification of Humans

Classification of Humans • K – Animalia

Classification of Humans • K – Animalia • P – Chordata (we have a spinal chord)

Classification of Humans • K – Animalia • P – Chordata • C – Mammalia

Classification of Humans • • K – Animalia P – Chordata C – Mammalia O – Primates (includes monkeys and apes)

Classification of Humans • • • K – Animalia P – Chordata C – Mammalia O – Primates F – Hominidae (the great apes: chimpanzees, orangutans, gorillas, and humans)

Classification of Humans • • • K – Animalia P – Chordata C – Mammalia O – Primates F – Hominidae G – Homo (Humans and their ancestors)

Classification of Humans • • K – Animalia P – Chordata C – Mammalia O – Primates F – Hominidae G – Homo S – Homo sapiens

• Now take time to read pages 8 - 16 • Do Check and Reflect P. 15 #1 – 7 and 9

Section 1. 2 Interdependence • Interdependence relates to how each species is dependant on many other species in its environment • A classic example is the predator-prey relationship that exists in the multitude of food chains/webs in the world.

• How does a predator prey relation ship maintain a healthy ecosystem?

• Interdependence is also apparent in shelter required by animals, nesting sites, and processes like pollination and decomposition. • A number of relationships, called symbiotic relationships , or symbiosis, show the methods by which one organism impacts another. • These include:

• Commensalism - one benefits, the other is not harmed. Ex. Birds nest in tree, barnacle on whales

• Mutualism - both benefit • Ex, lichen is a combination of two organisms a fungus and an algae. – fungus prevents dehydration – algae photosynthesizes food

• Parasitism – one benefits, the other is harmed Ex. Tape worms obtain nutrients at the expense of the host

• Interspecies competition - two or more species need the same resource. This type of relationship helps to limit the size of populations of competing species. • Symbiosis Video Clip

• In order for organisms to live successfully with each other in an area (co-habitate), they must have slightly different roles. • This is in part accomplished by a process called resource partitioning – ex. The basics an organism requires are obtained from slightly different areas, or at different times, or in different ways.

Niches • A niche is the role of an organism within a particular ecosystem. An organism’s niche includes: �� What it eats �� What eats it �� Its habitat �� Nesting site, range and habits �� What effect it has on the other populations �� What effect it has on the environment • A niche, for a particular organism, can change, depending on the environment in which it is located and the organisms with which it inter-relates.

• For example: these five species of Warblers coexist even though they all feed on spruce bud worms because their preferred feeding locations are slightly different

• Now read P. 16 -19 and • Do Check and Reflect P. 19 #1 -4

Section 1. 3 Variation within Species • Variation within a population of a single species is called variability. • Variability is important if the environment changes (suddenly or drastically). • greater variation increases the likelihood some of the individuals within that species will survive when there is change. • Examples of variability include: �� Red fox (color of coat) �� Antibiotic resistance (bacteria) �� Banded snail (color of shell)

Red Fox Coat Variation

Banded Snail Shell Colour Variation

Natural selection: • Factors in the environment determine or ‘select’ which individuals within a species will survive. • If they live long enough to reproduce, those individuals with survival adaptations (characteristics) will pass these characteristics on to their offspring. • • Peppered Moth Simulator. . VideoNatural Selection. flv

• Read P. 20 -24 • Do Check and Reflect P. 24 #1 -5 • And Section Review P. 25 #1 -3, and 5 -7

• Do Protective Coloration and Survival Lab p. 22

Lab: Protective Coloration and Survival P. 22 Question: Does the color of an organism affect its chances of survival? Hypothesis: Procedure: (Groups of 4) 1. Set up your habitat using 30 chips of each color while the “predators” look away. Record the number of each color on your data table. 2. Each predator quickly turns and grabs a chip. Repeat until each of the 3 predators has taken 10 chips. 3. The remaining 30 chips are the survivors. Record their numbers on your observation table. 4. Assume each survivor produces 1 offspring of the same color. Set up the next generation and repeat the procedure from step 2.

Observations: Number of Black Generation 1 Survivors Generation 2 Survivors Generation 3 Survivors Generation 4 Survivors Generation 5 Survivors Number of Yellow

Analyzing and Interpreting P. 23 #12 and #14 Conclusion: How did color affect survival rate? Applying and Connecting “a” and “b” P. 23

• Video: Natural Selection and Adaptation