A4.2:  Conservation of Biodiversity

Theme:  Unity and Diversity

The tools and methods used to study biodiversity demonstrate how scientific investigation uncovers both themes:

• Biodiversity surveys use consistent methodologies that can be applied globally, while also recognizing that different habitats and species groups require specialized sampling techniques and expertise
• Conservation decisions involve complex ethical, environmental, political, social, cultural, and economic considerations that vary among different communities and nations, requiring inclusive approaches that respect diverse values and priorities
• Biodiversity research integrates data from expert scientists and citizen scientists, peer-reviewed publications and local knowledge, creating a diverse but verifiable evidence base for understanding and addressing the biodiversity crisis
• The recognition of species diversity depends on different classification approaches, with "splitters" and "lumpers" representing different perspectives on how to organize and count biodiversity, showing how scientific understanding itself involves diverse viewpoints
• Evidence suggests current biodiversity may be higher than at any time in Earth's history, yet we are simultaneously experiencing a sixth mass extinction, illustrating the complex temporal patterns of diversity creation and loss
• Effective biodiversity conservation requires combining multiple approaches from habitat protection to genetic banking, recognizing that no single strategy can address the diverse challenges facing different species and ecosystems

Unity:

• Biodiversity encompasses the variety of life at genetic, species, and ecosystem levels across all organisms, establishing a unified framework for understanding and valuing the complexity of life on Earth regardless of geographic location or taxonomic group
• Anthropogenic causes of extinction and ecosystem loss operate through similar mechanisms worldwide, including habitat destruction, pollution, invasive species, and overexploitation
• Conservation principles apply globally, including in situ protection, ex situ preservation, habitat restoration, and genetic resource banking
  
• Human population growth and associated activities represent a global phenomenon affecting all ecosystems, creating a unified challenge that requires coordinated international responses and shared ethical responsibility
• Scientific methods for measuring species richness and evenness can be applied consistently across all habitats and taxonomic groups, providing standardized evidence for biodiversity changes

Diversity:

• Biodiversity encompasses genetic variation within populations, species diversity within communities, and ecosystem diversity across landscapes
• Different species face extinction through various mechanisms
  
• Different ecosystems face unique threats that reflect regional environmental pressures and human activities
• The EDGE program demonstrates how evolutionary distinctness and endangerment status create different conservation priorities
• Species diversity varies dramatically across different regions and habitats
• Different species and ecosystems require tailored conservation strategies, from large-scale habitat protection for wide-ranging species to specialized breeding programs for critically endangered species, reflecting the diverse needs of different life forms

Guiding Questions:  
Guiding questions help students view the content of the syllabus through the conceptual lenses of both the themes and the levels of biological organization.

• What factors are causing the sixth mass extinction of species? 
• How can conservationists minimize the loss of biodiversity? 

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​Linking Questions:  
Linking questions strengthen students’ understanding by making connections between topics.  The ideal outcome of the linking questions is networked knowledge.

• In what ways is diversity a property of life at all levels of biological organization?
• How does variation contribute to the stability of ecological communities?

Key Terms to Know: 

Anthropogenic
Biodiversity
Biodiversity Crisis
Caribbean Monk Seal
Citizen Science
Classification
Conservation
Deforestation
Ecosystem Diversity
Ecosystem Loss
Edge of Existence Programme
Endangered Species
Ex Situ Conservation

Extinction
Fossil
Genetic Diversity
Germ Plasm
Giant Moa
In Situ Conservation
Invasive Species
Lumper
Marine
Megafauna
Over-Exploitation
Peer Review
Pollution

Reclamation
Rewilding
Seed Bank
Species Diversity
Species Evenness
Species Richness
Splitter
Taxonomic
Terrestrial
Tissue Bank
Urbanization

A4.2.1— Biodiversity as the variety of life in all its forms, levels and combinations.

• Define biodiversity.
• Outline how biodiversity is quantified at different levels of biological organization.​

A4.2.2— Comparisons between current number of species on Earth and past levels of biodiversity.

• Compare the number of species on earth today with past levels of biodiversity.
• Define extinction.
  
• State the number of mass extinction events that have occurred on Earth.
• Outline the cause and effect of mass extinctions that have occurred on Earth.

A4.2.3— Causes of anthropogenic species extinction.

• Define anthropogenic.
• Outline anthropogenic causes of species extinction. 
• Outline the extinction of the Moas.
• Outline the extinction of the Caribbean monk seal.
• Outline the extinction of a local species.

A4.2.4— Causes of ecosystem loss. 

• List direct and indirect anthropogenic causes of ecosystem loss. 
• Outline the cause of the loss of mixed dipterocarp forest ecosystem in Southeast Asia. 
• Outline the cause of the loss of temperate rainforest ecosystem of the Pacific Northwest of the United States. ​

A4.2.5— Evidence for a biodiversity crisis.

• List the types of evidence that can be monitored to assess the status of a biodiversity crisis.
• Explain the use of species richness and evenness measures in the tracking of biodiversity over time.
• State the role of “citizen scientists” in monitoring a biodiversity crisis.​

A4.2.6- Causes of the current biodiversity crisis.

• Discuss the impact of human population growth on the causes of the current biodiversity crisis.

A4.2.7—  Need for several approaches to conservation of biodiversity.

• Compare in situ to ex situ approaches to conservation.
• Outline the advantages of an in situ approach to conservation.
• Define “rewilding.”
• List examples of ex situ conservation programs.

A4.2.8—  Selection of evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered species for conservation prioritization in the EDGE of Existence programme.

• Outline the rationale used for conservation by the EDGE of Existence programme.