Nt1330 Unit 3
Lab 3 – Biodiversity
Demonstration 1: Interdependence of Species
Table 1: Interdependence of Species Results
Round
Species Missing (Bead Color and Name)
1
Red = Flowers
2
Yellow = Bees
3
White = Lichen
4
Orange = Trees
POST LAB QUESTIONS
1. Explain how the ecosystem was affected by the missing species for each round of the demonstration.
a. Round 1 = If flowers were removed from the ecosystem, then bees would no longer be able to create honey or pollinate edible plants and trees that humans depend on for food.
b. Round 2 = Bees are pollinators. If this species were to be removed from the ecosystem, then agriculture would be impacted and that would mean less food for humans.
c. Round 3 = If lichen were to be removed from the ecosystem, then …show more content…
soil wouldn’t provide plants with nutrients.
d. Round 4 = If trees were removed from the ecosystem, then flowers and plants wouldn’t have trees to help protect them from wind and shade them from the sun.
2.
Provide one action we as humans engage in that leads to the extinction of each of these components.
Action affecting Lichens = Lichens obtain nutrients from the air, water and sun. Industrial pollutions can affect their ability to create soils for plants to grow.
Action affecting Trees = Deforestation is devastating tree populations worldwide, largely due to urbanization.
Action affecting Flowers = Air pollution is causing a number of species of flowers to go extinct. According to a British study reported on by The Guardian (Jowil, 2010), more than 25 percent of flowers currently face extinction.
Action affecting Bees = Because bees depend on flowering plants and trees for food, deforestation is having a large impact on the bee population.
3. Provide three specific actions that humans can take to minimize our impact on the ecosystem and ensure the survival of lichens, trees, flowers, and bees.
Action 1 = Riding the air pollutants created by automobiles may go far in reducing the impact on a number of species including lichens, flowers and bees.
Action 2 = Reducing the number of trees cut down through deforestation could help many tree species to repopulate regions already impacted by …show more content…
urbanization.
Action 3 = Ending the use of herbicides and pesticides on home and backyard gardens may help some of the bee population recover.
Experiment 1: Diversity of Plants
Table 2: Number of Each Plant Species Present in Pot 1 and Pot 2
Species Observed
Number in Pot 1(sunlight)
Number in Pot 2(shade)
Zinnia
9
5
Marigold
7
5
Morning Glory
17
12
Cosmos
11
4
Ryegrass
20
19
Total Number of Species in Pot:
64
45
POST LAB QUESTIONS
1.
Develop a hypothesis on which pot you believe will contain the highest biodiversity.
Hypothesis = If plants obtain energy through photosynthesis, then placing them where they can obtain direct sunlight will create an environment for prime biodiversity.
2. Based on the results of your experiment, would you reject or accept the hypothesis that you produced in question 1? Explain how you determined this.
Accept/Reject = I would accept my hypothesis. I tested my hypothesis by placing Pot 1 where it could get sunlight and placing Pot 2 in shade. After a week of growing, Pot 1 had a higher number of plants of each seed species. Pot 2 had a fewer number. Also, observing both test subjects I noticed that Pot 1’s plants were darker in color and the stems looked firmer.
3. Assume each pot represents a sample that you found in a group of wildflowers. Based upon the diversity of flowers present in each pot; would you say that the ecosystem is healthy? Why or why not?
Answer = I would say that the ecosystem is healthy based on the diversity of flowers present in each pot because not only was there a greater number of each species, but they appeared healthier and more
vibrant.
4. How does biodiversity contribute to the overall health of an ecosystem? Provide specific examples and utilize at least one scholarly resource to back your answer.
Answer = Biological diversity essentially means that ecosystems and their various species are interconnected. What happens to one species has some effect on another, and the affected species will change another, and so on. According to our lab manual ("Lab 3 Biodiversity," 2012), a diverse ecosystem is made up of “habitats, biological communities, and ecological processes in the biosphere.” A greater diversity of species can ensure an ecosystem’s natural sustainability across lifeforms. Loss of a single species can have numerous effects on the remaining species in an ecosystem. As highlighted in our eScience manual, lichens create soil that provide nutrients to plants. Plants feed bees, which make honey and pollinate fruit trees. Fruit trees feed humans. That is a simple chain reaction of the benefits of an ecosystem. In a recently released study, scientists analyzed more than a decade of warnings about a rapid loss of biodiversity occurring around the world. They indicated that extinction rates showed the world is building up to experience its sixth extinction catastrophe not seen since the dinosaurs. According to the study (Ceballos et al., 2015), there have been unusually high losses in the last several decades that “accentuate the increasing severity of the modern extinction crisis.” The current mass extinction is especially hitting the amphibian population, according to the report. The researchers indicate that 7,300 of amphibian species have been particularly hard-hit (Ceballos et al., 2015). If the current mass extinction continues “it would take millions of years to recover, and our species itself would disappear early on," according to an interview the report’s lead author gave (Boyle, 2015).
References
Boyle, A. (2015, June 19). Scientists Build Case for 'Sixth Extinction ' ... and Say It Could Kill Us. Retrieved June 20, 2015, from http://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/scientists-build-case-sixth-extinction-say-it-could-kill-us-n378586
Jowil, J. (2010, July 7). Over 25% of flowers face extinction – many before they are even discovered. Retrieved June 20, 2015, from http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/jul/07/flowering-plants-threat
Lab 3 Biodiversity. (2012). Ashford Environmental Science Lab Manual CD.
Ceballos, G., Ehrlich, P., Barnosky, A., Garcia, A., Pringle, R., & Palmer, T. (2015, June 19). Accelerated modern human–induced species losses: Entering the sixth mass extinction. Retrieved June 20, 2015, from http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/1/5/e1400253.full
Demonstration 1: Interdependence of Species
Table 1: Interdependence of Species Results
Round
Species Missing (Bead Color and Name)
1
Red = Flowers
2
Yellow = Bees
3
White = Lichen
4
Orange = Trees
POST LAB QUESTIONS
1. Explain how the ecosystem was affected by the missing species for each round of the demonstration.
a. Round 1 = If flowers were removed from the ecosystem, then bees would no longer be able to create honey or pollinate edible plants and trees that humans depend on for food.
b. Round 2 = Bees are pollinators. If this species were to be removed from the ecosystem, then agriculture would be impacted and that would mean less food for humans.
c. Round 3 = If lichen were to be removed from the ecosystem, then …show more content…
soil wouldn’t provide plants with nutrients.
d. Round 4 = If trees were removed from the ecosystem, then flowers and plants wouldn’t have trees to help protect them from wind and shade them from the sun.
2.
Provide one action we as humans engage in that leads to the extinction of each of these components.
Action affecting Lichens = Lichens obtain nutrients from the air, water and sun. Industrial pollutions can affect their ability to create soils for plants to grow.
Action affecting Trees = Deforestation is devastating tree populations worldwide, largely due to urbanization.
Action affecting Flowers = Air pollution is causing a number of species of flowers to go extinct. According to a British study reported on by The Guardian (Jowil, 2010), more than 25 percent of flowers currently face extinction.
Action affecting Bees = Because bees depend on flowering plants and trees for food, deforestation is having a large impact on the bee population.
3. Provide three specific actions that humans can take to minimize our impact on the ecosystem and ensure the survival of lichens, trees, flowers, and bees.
Action 1 = Riding the air pollutants created by automobiles may go far in reducing the impact on a number of species including lichens, flowers and bees.
Action 2 = Reducing the number of trees cut down through deforestation could help many tree species to repopulate regions already impacted by …show more content…
urbanization.
Action 3 = Ending the use of herbicides and pesticides on home and backyard gardens may help some of the bee population recover.
Experiment 1: Diversity of Plants
Table 2: Number of Each Plant Species Present in Pot 1 and Pot 2
Species Observed
Number in Pot 1(sunlight)
Number in Pot 2(shade)
Zinnia
9
5
Marigold
7
5
Morning Glory
17
12
Cosmos
11
4
Ryegrass
20
19
Total Number of Species in Pot:
64
45
POST LAB QUESTIONS
1.
Develop a hypothesis on which pot you believe will contain the highest biodiversity.
Hypothesis = If plants obtain energy through photosynthesis, then placing them where they can obtain direct sunlight will create an environment for prime biodiversity.
2. Based on the results of your experiment, would you reject or accept the hypothesis that you produced in question 1? Explain how you determined this.
Accept/Reject = I would accept my hypothesis. I tested my hypothesis by placing Pot 1 where it could get sunlight and placing Pot 2 in shade. After a week of growing, Pot 1 had a higher number of plants of each seed species. Pot 2 had a fewer number. Also, observing both test subjects I noticed that Pot 1’s plants were darker in color and the stems looked firmer.
3. Assume each pot represents a sample that you found in a group of wildflowers. Based upon the diversity of flowers present in each pot; would you say that the ecosystem is healthy? Why or why not?
Answer = I would say that the ecosystem is healthy based on the diversity of flowers present in each pot because not only was there a greater number of each species, but they appeared healthier and more
vibrant.
4. How does biodiversity contribute to the overall health of an ecosystem? Provide specific examples and utilize at least one scholarly resource to back your answer.
Answer = Biological diversity essentially means that ecosystems and their various species are interconnected. What happens to one species has some effect on another, and the affected species will change another, and so on. According to our lab manual ("Lab 3 Biodiversity," 2012), a diverse ecosystem is made up of “habitats, biological communities, and ecological processes in the biosphere.” A greater diversity of species can ensure an ecosystem’s natural sustainability across lifeforms. Loss of a single species can have numerous effects on the remaining species in an ecosystem. As highlighted in our eScience manual, lichens create soil that provide nutrients to plants. Plants feed bees, which make honey and pollinate fruit trees. Fruit trees feed humans. That is a simple chain reaction of the benefits of an ecosystem. In a recently released study, scientists analyzed more than a decade of warnings about a rapid loss of biodiversity occurring around the world. They indicated that extinction rates showed the world is building up to experience its sixth extinction catastrophe not seen since the dinosaurs. According to the study (Ceballos et al., 2015), there have been unusually high losses in the last several decades that “accentuate the increasing severity of the modern extinction crisis.” The current mass extinction is especially hitting the amphibian population, according to the report. The researchers indicate that 7,300 of amphibian species have been particularly hard-hit (Ceballos et al., 2015). If the current mass extinction continues “it would take millions of years to recover, and our species itself would disappear early on," according to an interview the report’s lead author gave (Boyle, 2015).
References
Boyle, A. (2015, June 19). Scientists Build Case for 'Sixth Extinction ' ... and Say It Could Kill Us. Retrieved June 20, 2015, from http://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/scientists-build-case-sixth-extinction-say-it-could-kill-us-n378586
Jowil, J. (2010, July 7). Over 25% of flowers face extinction – many before they are even discovered. Retrieved June 20, 2015, from http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/jul/07/flowering-plants-threat
Lab 3 Biodiversity. (2012). Ashford Environmental Science Lab Manual CD.
Ceballos, G., Ehrlich, P., Barnosky, A., Garcia, A., Pringle, R., & Palmer, T. (2015, June 19). Accelerated modern human–induced species losses: Entering the sixth mass extinction. Retrieved June 20, 2015, from http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/1/5/e1400253.full