APES Ch. 4, part 1

Biodiversity and Evolution
Ch. 4
Miller and Spoolman, 16th ed.

Overview of this Topic
 Ch. 4 – biodiversity and evolution ofCh. 4 – biodiversity and evolution of
living thingsliving things
 Ch. 5 – species interactionsCh. 5 – species interactions
 Ch. 9 – sustaining biodiversity – focusCh. 9 – sustaining biodiversity – focus
on specieson species
 Ch. 10 – sustaining biodiversity – focusCh. 10 – sustaining biodiversity – focus
on ecosystemson ecosystems

Projects and Labs to support this unit
 Environmental Law research & presentation
 Park lot biodiversity lab
 Invasive species most wanted flier/
Endangered species missing flier
 Wooly worms lab (outside)
 Arthropod diversity lab (out and in)
 Also several videos offered after school for
extra credit 

Big Idea #1
Biodiversity is essential to life (diversity
in genes, organisms, and ecosystems)

Biodiversity
The total variety of Earth’s species, their
genetic code, and the places they live
Species
diversity
Genetic
diversity
Ecosystem
diversity

Species Diversity
How many living things are there?
Estimates range from 4 million to 100
million
We have classified ~ 1.8 million so far
Every year 1000s of new species are
identified
Smallest
snake
Smallest sea
horse

Bug
eating
slug
frogfish
Pitcher
plant

Bonaire Banded
Box Jelly, 2011
Dive Bombing
Parasitic Wasp,
2011
Spongebob
Squarepants
Mushroom, 2011
Sneezing
monkey (or
snub-nosed
monkey,
2011

Genetic Diversity
Differences in genes of same species
Allows life to survive changes & adapt
over time
Earth is dynamic - species must adapt
& change with it to survive

Ecosystem Diversity
Biomes - home to unique species
Tundra -
home to
polar bears
Chapparal -
home to road
runners
Savannah - home to
rhinoceroses and giraffes

Why is diversity important?
It supplies us with food, wood,
fibers, energy, medicines,
nutrients, air, water, fertile soil,
and waste disposal
Foxglove - digitalis MaHuang -
ephedra
Brevifola - taxol
Velvet bean -
L-dopa

Quick Think
Question
 Thinking about the types
of biodiversity - what
might be some other
reasons why protecting
diversity is important?
Task
Generate a list of
reasons
 At least 1
moral/ethical
 At least 1
social/political
 At least 1
economic/business
 At least 1 personal

Big Idea # 2
Evolution explains how life has changed
over time

Evolution
Evolution occurs when
the genetic makeup of
a population changes

A brief history…
The concept of evolution -
that life changes over time
and there are common
ancestors between certain
species - began with the
Greek philosophers and
was and has been a
common idea
Aristotle & Plato

Not until Darwin and
Alfred Russell
Wallace did anyone
come up with a
credible explanation
for how

How they got there
1. Observed the struggle for existence

2. Observed that those with best
traits survive & live long enough to
reproduce

So they put it together…
Natural selection: some individuals in a
population have traits that make them more
likely to survive, reproduce, and pass those
traits on. Over time, the population changes so
that most of them have those traits

The Theory of Evolution by
Natural Selection
So much evidence
supports this idea
that it has been
elevated to the
status of a theory
However…natural
selection is not
the only way
populations
evolve

The Modern Synthesis
The theory of evolution has been expanded
upon & refined over time, leading to the modern
synthesis (1950s)
Many scientists representing different fields
contributed to it

How do populations change?
1. Genetic mutations - leads to new traits

2. Natural selection - the
differential survival
and reproductive
success of individuals
in a population

Summary
Genes mutate
Individuals are
selected
Populations
evolve that are
better suited to
the environment

Quick ThinkQUESTIO
N
 How does Natural
Selection tie in with
biodiversity?
TASK
 Create a graphic that
helps answer the
question (concept map,
Venn diagram, etc)

Natural Selection has limits
First - the
environment is
constantly changing
So what is best fit
now may not be for
long
Populations must
adapt, leave, or die

Populations can only adapt with traits
that are already present in their gene
pool or mutations of existing traits
Many species reproduce slower than
the environment changes - can’t adapt
fast enough

Quick Think
Question
 Explain why genetic
diversity is so important
to the health of a
population
Task
 Develop a fictional case
study that illustrates the
answer
If a population of
frogs lacked genetic
diversity, then…

Big idea #3
Geologic processes have changed the
Earth and created opportunities for the
evolution of species

Plate Tectonics
The rigid lithospheric plates of the crust
of the Earth that move slowly over the
Earth’s liquid mantle

Impacts of Plate Tectonics
1. Has changed where land IS, and thus
the climate
2. Moving plates help species move into
new areas - or separate them

4 major impacts
1. Earthquakes - create fissures, mountains that
separate species
2. Volcanoes - wipe out existing species, make
way for new ones
3. Climate change - ice ages, periods of
warming- some species go extinct, others
flourish
4. Catastrophes -wipe out species and
ecosystems

Quick Think
QUESTION
 How would you
summarize what today’s
lesson was about?
TASK
 Choose 1 word that
embodies the concepts of
this lecture then explain
why that word was
chosen

APES Ch. 4, part 1

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