`UNIT A
BIOLOGICAL
DIVERSITY
Science 9
BIOLOG
Y Concept Map
Shows the concepts
covered
within the framework
of this unit
Biological
Diversity
Science 9
General Outcome 1
Students will investigate and interpret diversity among
species and within species, and describe how diversity
contributes to species survival
Specific Outcomes
• observe variation in living things, and describe examples of
variation among species and within species
• identify examples of niches, and describe the role of variation in
enabling closely related living things to survive in the same
ecosystem
• investigate and interpret dependencies among species that link the
survival of one species to the survival of others
– identify examples of symbiotic relationships
– classify symbiotic relationships as mutualism, commensalism, parasitism •
identify the role of variation in species survival under changing
environmental conditions
Bell Ringer #1
• What is biological diversity?
• How do living things pass their characteristics
on to future generations and why is this
important?
• What impact does human activity have on
biological diversity?
A1.1 – Examining Diversity
• In what ways are these animals different
from each other?
• What do these differences provide these
animals with?
So what can we call these!?!?!
• A species is a particular group of
organisms that have the same structure and
can reproduce with each other
• Of the 30 - 100 million possible different
species of living things, there are over 1.5
million species of animals and 350,000 species
of plants that have been identified by
biologists
• The most successful life form seems to be the
insect – more species of insect than all other
life forms combined!!!
They are about 900,000 known
species of insects but estimates go
from 2 million to as high as 30
million!
At any one point, they estimate to
be 10 quintillion individual
insects.
(10,000,000,000,000,000,000)
• All living things:
– are made up of cells
– need energy
– grow and develop
– reproduce
– have adaptations which suit them to the specific
habitat in which they live
• The entire collection of living organisms,
each with their own unique characteristics,
make up the Earth's biodiversity
• “Biological diversity refers to the variety
of species and ecosystems on the Earth and
the ecological processes of they are a part
of.” The main components of biodiversity
are: – Ecosystem Diversity
– Community Diversity
– Species Diversity
– Genetic Diversity
– Species Distribution
Ecosystem Diversity
• Ecosystem diversity - the different types of
living communities and the environments, such
as marshes, lakes, streams and forests, in
which they are found
Ecosystem
Interactions
Abiotic
Factors
Biotic
Factors
Air Water Sunlight
Animals Food Human Influence
• The number and types of species and abiotic
elements can also vary from one ecosystem to
another
• Refer to the images below of a boreal forest
and a prairie slough ecosystem.
• Identify some of the different types of abiotic
factors in each ecosystem.
• Are
there any similarities?
• With your table partner brainstorm at least three plant and
animal species you might find on a trek through each region.
Record your answers in a table in the space below.
Community Diversity
• Population
– is formed when members of the same species live in a
specific area and share the same resources
– Examples: magpies living in the trees in my backyard,
geese living on the pond behind the school
• Community
– Is formed when populations of different species live in the
same area
– A park is a community because there are many other
populations living in that community (ex. Jackrabbits,
geese, magpies)
– Example: horses and cows living in the same farmers field
• Your Back Yard
– Is a community because there are
many populations.
– On your own:
– List some of the populations that exist in your backyard? •
With your table partner: – Do you both have the
same backyard populations? Are there any different populations?
Species Diversity
• Species diversity - occurs within individual
organisms of the same species
– Examine magpies very closely to see that bill
shape and wingspan vary between individual
Achievement Test Prep
Genetic Diversity
• Genetic diversity - occurs within organisms at
a cellular level, as it describes the variety of
genetic material in all living things
– Banded snail – variation in shell coloring and
banding on their shells
– Human blood – an individual can have one of four
blood types: A, B, AB or O
Species Distribution
• Species Distribution - Plant and animal species
are not distributed evenly throughout the
various eco-regions of the world. Most of the
different species of plants and animals can be
found in tropical regions and, more
specifically, in the rainforests. As you move
closer to the poles of the Earth, there is less
biological diversity
Achievement Test Prep
Skill Practice
• Representing Data - read the activity description on pg. 13 of the textbook.
• Which type of graph would be better for representing the fruit fly data?
• Which type of graph would be better for representing the virus data?
• Draw the graph/chart for each data set below. (We will just draw a rough sketch
this time round)
Classifying Biological Data
• The two-name Latin naming system for all living
things was developed by Carolus Linnaeus in the
18th century, enabling scientists, around the world,
to refer to the same species, by the same name
• This classification system was much more reliable
than previous systems, because he used structure,
rather than habitat
• Two words identify each organism. The 1st
represents the organisms genus and the 2nd
represents the organisms particular species
– Homo sapien
Classifying Biological Data
• Scientists earlier had developed a system
which classifies all organisms, based on their
structural differences, into 5 Kingdoms –
Animalia (animals)
– Plantae (plants)
– Fungi (yeasts, moulds and mushrooms)
– Protista (mostly single-celled organisms)
– Monera (bacteria)
Classifying Biological Data
each sub-division
• The 5 kingdom having its own
classification name
system can be • kingdom •
further phylum • class
subdivided, with • order
• family • genus • species
King Phillip Came Over From Germany Smashed
Examples
Kingdom Man Cat
Animalia Animalia
Phylum Chordata Chordata
Class Mammalia Mammalia
Order Primates Carnivora
Family Hominidae Felidae
Genus Homo Felis
Species sapiens domesticus
Biological Diversity Under the
Sea
• Coral reefs reflect a great diversity of
species. Like tropical forests, coral reefs
support many different communities of
organisms surviving on a small amount of
nutrients, which are very
efficiently recycled
A1.2 - Interdependence
• Each and every species depends on many
other species within an environment in
order to survive and prosper
• Food chains and Food webs represent
different types of ongoing
relationships between and among all
the organisms, within a particular
environment
Achievement Test Prep
Symbiosis
• A different type of interdependence is an
association, within a certain population,
between members of different species
• There are different types of symbiotic
relationships:
– Commensalism
– Mutualism
– Parasitism
Commensalism
• Commensalism - in which one of the
participating members benefits, but the other
does not, and there is no harm done to that
organism
– a bird using a tree to build its nest in
– barnacles on a whale
Mutualism
• Mutualism - both organisms
benefit from the relationship –
lichen (algae and fungi) growing in
the Arctic Tundra benefit each
other – algae produce food, fungi
protects from dehydration
– flower Clusia provides
medicine to bees – bee
pollinates flower, sticky
resin spiked with antibiotics
from flower sticks to bee
Parasitism
• Parasitism - one organism benefits while
the other organism (the victim) is harmed.
The parasite usually doesn't kill the host,
because the host represents the parasite's
food supply
– tapeworm in a human host – tapeworm absorbs
nutrients from food in intestine
– Mexican bean beetle is a plant parasite
Interspecies Competition
• Interspecies competition happens when two
or more species need the same resource • This
type of relationship helps to limit the size of
populations, of the competing species • There
are many examples of these types of symbiotic
relationships, which show the importance of
adaptations, helping particular species survive
Niches
• A niche is the role of an organism within a
particular ecosystem
• An organism's niche
includes:
– What it eats
– What eats it
– Its habitat
– Nesting site, range and habits
– What effect it has on the other populations
– What effect it has on the environment –
The more specific the better!
Niches
• A niche, for a particular organism, can
change, depending on the environment in
which it is located and the organisms with
which it inter relates
Achievement Test Prep
Achievement Test Prep
Resource Partitioning
• Resource partitioning is the action which enables
competing species to share the resources by
accessing these resources in different ways,
involving less direct competition
– These three warbler species
feed
on spruce bud worms in
different
parts of a spruce tree. Their
niches
differ in the feeding location
they
prefer. Note that there is some
overlap
between the species.
Bell Ringer #3
Bell Ringer #4
A1.3 – Variation Within Species
• Variation within a population, of a single
species, is called variability
• Variability is important if the environment, in
which the species lives, changes (suddenly or
drastically)
• When a species has a great deal of variation,
then, some of the individuals within that
species will likely survive when there is
change
• Examples of variability
include:
– Red fox (color of coat)
– Antibiotic resistance (bacteria)
– Banded snail (color of shell)
Skill Practice
• Measuring Variation in the Human Hand- read the activity description on pg. 21 of the
textbook.
12 or less 13 to 16 17 to 20 21 to 24 25 to 28 29 or more
Hand Span in cm
Number of
Students
• What shape does the graph have? What does it show about variation in hand span among your
classmates?
• Predict whether the graph would have the same shape if you measured the hand spans of
students in grade 1 and university.
• What advantage might large hands have given to early Homo sapiens? Small hands? •
What other human characteristics might be measured in the same way?
Natural Selection
•
Charles Darwin (12
February 1809 – 19 April 1882)
He did not age
well…….
Charles on
Natural Selection
Natural Selection
• Natural selection happens when factors in the
environment determine, or 'select' which
individuals, within a species, will be able to
survive. Having more variation in a species
ensures their survival (genetic).
• If they are able to live long enough to reproduce,
then those individuals with their 'survival
adaptations' (characteristics) will have offspring
with similar survival characteristics
General Outcome 2
Students will investigate the nature of reproductive
processes and their role in transmitting species
characteristics
• distinguish between sexual and asexual reproduction, and identify and
interpret examples of asexual and sexual
reproduction in different species, by:
− describing mechanisms of asexual reproduction including binary fission,
budding and the production of spores
− describing mechanisms of sexual reproduction
− describing examples of organisms that show both sexual and asexual
reproduction
− describing the formation of zygote and embryo in plant and animal
reproduction
• describe examples of variation of characteristics within a
species, and identify examples of both discrete and continuous
variation
General Outcome 2
Students will investigate the nature of reproductive
processes and their role in transmitting species
characteristics
• investigate the transmission of characteristics from parents to
offspring, and identify examples of characteristics in offspring that
are:
− the same as the characteristics of both parents
− the same as the characteristics of one parent
− intermediate between parent characteristics
− different from both parents
• distinguish those characteristics that are heritable from those
that are not heritable, and identify characteristics for which
heredity and environment may both play a role
• identify examples of dominant and recessive characteristics and
recognize that dominance and recessiveness provide only a
partial explanation for the variation of characteristics in
offspring
A2.1 – A Closer Look at Variation
• Variation is one of the most critical aspects of
species survival
• This variation may not always be as easy to find as
color usually is, because it may be a behavioural
tendency or a genetic (cellular code) modification
that enables some individuals within a species to
survive, while others, of the same species, will
perish
Inherited
Characteristics • Inherited (heritable)
characteristics are those traits which are passed on to
offspring directly from their parents
• These traits are passed on by way of the genetic
material that is combined from the parents during
the process of sexual reproduction
• Heritable traits include structural and
distinguishing characteristics, such as eye color,
hair type, skin color and earlobes
Non-inherited Characteristics
• Non-inherited characteristics are acquired and
not necessarily passed on from generation to
generation
• Athleticism, artistic ability, leadership qualities
are all learned during the early years of life
Discrete and Continuous Variations
• Discrete variations are differences in
characteristics that have a definite form • This
includes those individuals, within a species, that
have either one characteristic, or the single, other
variation, of the characteristic.
“Either/Or”
Discrete and Continuous Variations
• Continuous variations are differences in
characteristics that have a multitude of
variations, such as height, shoe size, etc.
Achievement Test Prep
Achievement Test Prep
Variation and the Environment
• Some variations may be influenced by
interactions with the environment
• These variations are not inherited
• Examples include:
– Change in the pigmentation of skin color
throughout the seasons due to the sun
– Height and weight can be influenced by diet
Achievement Test Prep
Give it a Try!
• Is it Discrete or Continuous? - read the activity description on pg. 29 of the textbook.
• Is there a hand-clasping preference?
• Decide whether it seems to be discrete or continuous. Explain your answer.
Bell Ringers #5,6
A2.2 – Asexual and Sexual
Reproduction
Asexual Reproduction
• Asexual reproduction involves only one parent
• All of the offspring are
identical to the parent •
There are different types
of asexual reproduction:
– Binary fission
– Budding
– Spore production
– Vegetative reproduction
Binary Fission
• Binary Fission - only single-celled
organisms reproduce in this way
• The cell splits into two cells and each one
is identical
bacteria, amoeba, algae
Budding
• Budding - the parent organism produces a bud
(a smaller version of itself), which eventually
detaches itself from the parent and becomes a
self-sufficient individual - identical to the
parent
• Coral also reproduces in this way, but do not
detach
themselves
– hydra, yeast,
coral
Achievement Test Prep
Spore Production
• Spore Production - spores are similar to
seeds, but are produced by the division of
cells on the parent, not by the union of two
cells
• One parent may produce many spores,
each of which will grow into a new
individual, identical to its parent
– fungi, green algae, moulds, ferns
Vegetative Reproduction
• Vegetative Reproduction - is the
reproduction of a plant not involving a seed,
including; cuttings, runners, suckers, tubers
– coleus plant, spider plants, strawberries, aspen,
potatoes
Sexual Reproduction
• Sexual reproduction usually involves two
individual organisms
• The offspring that are produced from this union
have a mix of characteristics, half from one parent
and the other half from the other parent
• Sexual reproduction does not always involve male
and female parents, but can have specialized
gametes (reproductive cells that have only one
role - to join with another gamete during
reproduction).
Animals
• Sexual reproduction in animals involves gametes • The
male gametes are called sperm cells, and the female
gametes are called egg cells (ova)
• During mating, the sperm cell and the egg cell unite to form
a fertilized combination of cells called a zygote
• This zygote is the first of many cells of a new individual
• This zygote will begin to divide into two cells and this
continues to be repeated over and over resulting in the
development of an embryo
• This embryo develops into a multi-cellular organism inside
the female (in most mammals) or, outside (in an egg shell) in
other animals
Animals
Achievement Test Prep
Achievement Test Prep
Plants
• Sexual reproduction in plants
involves gametes as well, male
gametes and female gametes joining,
during fertilization, to produce a
zygote and then an embryo
• Most plants produce both male and
female gametes, while some produce
one or the other only
Plants
Plants
• Pollen contains the male gametes and is
found on the stamen
• Ovules contain the female gametes and are
found in the pistil
• Pollination occurs when pollen is
transferred from the anther of the stamen
to the stigma of the pistil
Plants
• Cross-pollination occurs when pollen from
one plant is carried to the stigma of another
plant by wind, water or animals (bees or
butterflies)
• Cross-fertilization occurs when a grain of the
pollen forms a long tube which grows down
the style into the ovary
• The gametes unite to produce a zygote, which
then develops into an embryo
Plants
• This usually happens inside a seed, which
protects the embryo and provides food
(cotyledon) for the embryo when growing
conditions are right
• Plants which are produced, as a result of cross
fertilization, are not identical to either plant
Variation
• Variation usually helps a species survive when
the environment changes
Asexual Reproduction
environment doesn’t change
Advantages much (bacteria)
• Species can thrive
• Does not require specialized
cells to produce new plant • Disadvantages
Can produce many plants • When environment changes,
quickly – great where all organisms will die if they
can’t adapt to change
