Lesson Three - Biodiversity
Lesson Three - Biodiversity
Biodiversity
Millions of years of isolation from other continents have resulted in the evolution of over one million distinctive kinds of native plants and animals in Australia. Most of these plants and animals can be found nowhere else in the world. What makes this even more amazing is the fact that the vast majority of our native animals are relatively unknown, partly due to their small size and nocturnal habits.
A native plant or animal is generally defined as one that is found naturally in an area or country. Most native plants and animals have evolved in Australia over many thousands or million of years. Among animals regarded as indigenous there are some more recent arrivals such as the dingo, which was brought to Australia by Aboriginal people about 4000 years ago.
In simple terms the word biodiversity can be described as the variety of plants and animals (species) and the places they live (ecosystems). In referring to schoolyard biodiversity you will be talking about all the different kinds of plants and animals found in the school.
An important aspect of biodiversity that is not always apparent is the interconnectedness between all species, in other words the way in which they depend on one another for survival. One way in which this can be presented is by food chains and webs.
Task One
Note: You may want to print this page before you start the program 'Ollies Island'. You can NOT go back and forth between your word doc, the web and Ollies island. You must still be typing up the answers to these questions in your word document!
Ollies Island
To open Ollie’s Island:
1) Go to S Drive – CD ROMS – Ollie’s Island
2) Spend 5 minutes exploring the island then start the questions
3) Then go to ACTIVITIES MODE
4) Click on Biodiversity
Read about Biodiversity
Read about biodiversity in the e-book and answer the following questions:
- What is biodiversity short for?
- What does the term biodiversity mean?
- What is species diversity?
- What is genetic diversity?
- What is ecosystem diversity?
Spin the web of life
Click on national park where the activities are. Click on the activity that says 'spin the web of life'.
Answer the following questions:
- How is a temperate forest different to a rainforest?
- Complete the temperate forest web. What 6 missing components did you add?
- What is lichen?
- Is a hollow log an abiotic or biotic component of an ecosystem?
- What 4 ecosystem services did you add?
- How do ecosystem services help us survive and thrive?
- How can climate change effect the ecosystem?
Task Two
How to assess biodiversity
Go to http://www.teachlive.org.au/content/view/full/3146
How will I be sampling the biodiversity of Atherton Tablelands, Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, Queensland?
Check out this website for more information on biodiversity: