BIO280r8 Biodiversity Worksheet PDF

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Biodiversity Worksheet BIO/280 Version 8

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University of Phoenix Material Biodiversity Worksheet In a total of 350 to 700 words, answer the following questions about diversity. Cite at least two references while answering the questions. Question

Response

What is conservation biology? What is biodiversity?

Conservation biology is a discipline that is science-oriented on how to protect and restore biodiversity. Notably, conservation biology deals with issues where quick action is needed and works to establish methods for preserving species. Its goal is to deal with species and their biological communities because the failure of quick action on such issues has great consequences. Therefore conservation biology has two goals, including evaluating human impact on biological diversity and developing approaches and practices to prevent species extinction (Gibson, 2019).Biodiversity is the variety of life on earth, including all levels from in the ecosystem and the evolutionary process including ecological and cultural that sustain life. Therefore biodiversity can be defined as the variability amongst living organisms comprising of terrestrial, among other things, marine and aquatic ecosystems and the existing ecological multiplexes which are part of it and also includes the diversity between species, within species, and the ecosystem (Gibson, 2019).

What is a species?

Similar organisms that share common characteriestics . genetic heritage and traits. The organisms can interbreed and capable of exchanging gene, create offspring that are also fertile and can procreate.

What is the difference between a threatened species, an endangered species, and an extinct species?

Threatened species are plants and animals that are probable to become endangered species in the foreseeable future during all or a significant proportion range of the species. Extinct species are species that ceased to exist because there are no more individual species alive anywhere in the world. Notably, endangered species are plants and animals that have become so rare that they are closer to becoming extinct within the foreseeable future (Duenas et al., 2018). Usually, endangered species could be extinct in a few years compared to threatened species that are just shy of becoming extinct within a few years. Notably, the difference is that threatened species can rebound back without unswerving intervention. In endangered species, the probability of them bouncing back without at least some intervention is not, and in extinct species, the species has died out. There are no individual species alive in the world. Notably, concerning the degree of protection afforded to endangered and threatened species, various endangered species are protected from certain actions, and they are given at least some intervention (Duenas et al., 2018).

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Biodiversity Worksheet BIO/280 Version 8

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Provide at least one example each of a threatened, endangered, and extinct species, and explain why these species meet the criteria.

The Nashville crayfish is one of the species that is endangered. The species meets these criteria because the creek where it lives has been polluted, and it has become so rare and vulnerable. Therefore it is facing a high risk of extinction in its ecosystem. Threatened species are soon vulnerable to endangerment. The blue whale is one of the species that is threatened. Notably, the largest animal on the planet is threatened of existence. Its current population has been reduced by up to 90 percent, and that commercial hunting of the species was banned in the early 20th century (Duenas et al., 2018). A recovery plan was also rolled out to save the blue whale. The blue whale falls in the criteria of threatened species because it remains at risk from ship collision and entanglement in fishing nets. Throughout all or a significant portion of the blue whale is vulnerable. The passenger pigeon is one of the species that fall under the extinct species of pigeon. A long ago, the passenger pigeon lived in North America and could be seen flying overheads in thousand, but today there is no single species alive in the world. The pigeons became extinct because their habitat was cut down to make way for cities and farms, and most of them were shot for the sport when the laws of endangered species were not enacted and therefore, they became extinct (Duenas et al., 2018).

Explain how different species contribute to biodiversity and why conservation biologists are concerned with specific species.

Diverse species in the ecosystem that contribute to biodiversity have an important role to play, and therefore biodiversity boosts the productivity of the ecosystem. Notably, the enormous diversity of genes in different species, including animals, plants, microorganisms, and their different ecosystems on the planet, such as deserts, coral reefs, marine, and rains forest, comprise various lives of the earth (Barnosky et al., 2017). Therefore these explain how different species form part of a biologically diverse Earth. Notably, conservation biologists are usually concerned with specific species and attempt to recognize their biodiversity as an integral part of any approach to preserving biodiversity. Usually, conservation biologists believe that biodiversity has inherent values in that each species is valuable and should be protected from extinction. The other reason why conservation biologists are concerned with specific species is that the extinction of a single species may be divers because of the utilitarian value it offers to nature. Conservationbiologists strive to eliminate the undesirable cascading effects of extinction of a single species (Barnosky et al., 2017).

References

Barnosky, A. D., Hadly, E. A., Gonzalez, P., Head, J., Polly, P. D., Lawing, A. M., ...& Zhang, Z. (2017). Merging paleobiology with conservation biology to guide the future of terrestrial

Copyright © 2018 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved.

Biodiversity Worksheet BIO/280 Version 8

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ecosystems. Science, 355(6325). Duenas, M. A., Ruffhead, H. J., Wakefield, N. H., Roberts, P. D., Hemming, D. J., & DiazSoltero, H. (2018). The role played by invasive species in interactions with endangered and threatened species in the United States: a systematic review. Biodiversity and Conservation, 27(12), 3171-3183. Gibson, C. R. (2019). A Defence of Biodiversity as the Goal of Conservation Biology (Doctoral dissertation, University of Otago).

Copyright © 2018 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved....