Plant Biology 1 (Ethnobotany)

• 8/13/2013: Receive "Course Syllabus", receive "The Ethical Wildcrafting of Native Plants of the Southwest", lecture and reading on "Foods That Changed the World"

Here's an article about potato plants, with a connection to the historical changes brought about by the potato as well: http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/life/botany/potato-info.htm

An interesting article on Andean potato varieties and maintaining diversity in our food supply: http://www.potato2008.org/en/potato/biodiversity.html

A great article on the ethnobotany of potatoes in Andean cultures, as well as their use as a way of preserving biodiversity in our food supply: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/06/0610_020610_potato.html

Check out this picture of crazy Andean potato varieties!! http://www.isgtw.org/images/2009/Potatoes_L.jpg

Here's a great article about an expedition to find the wild ancestors of tomatoes: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2005/051230.htm

A photo of wild tomatoes: http://www.scielo.br/img/revistas/rbzool/v20n3/17651f1.jpg

Here's a great article on chile peppers and their influence on history: http://freebeerforyorky.com/chilistory.html

A website about peanut plants, including instructions on how to grow your own: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/plants/pages/peanutplant.shtml

Unfortunately, one of the better websites about peanuts comes from wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanut

Here's a great ethnobotanical article about manioc and how it's processed by the Canela people: http://anthropology.si.edu/canela/manioc.htm

An article about Cacao (chocolate), including its botanical characteristics and methods of production: http://www.botgard.ucla.edu/html/botanytextbooks/economicbotany/Theobroma/index.html

An article on vanilla, including its history and uses: http://www.theepicentre.com/Spices/vanilla.html

Another article on vanilla, including how to grow it: http://www.orchids-plus-more.com/vanilla-orchid-plant.html

A great database on Hawaiian ethnobotany (made by Native Hawaiians) that includes the uses of sweet potato: http://data.bishopmuseum.org/ethnobotanydb/ethnobotany.php?b=d&ID=uala

An interactive website called "the Great Corn Adventure": http://urbanext.illinois.edu/corn/

An article about Teosinte (corn's wild ancestor), with pictures: http://hila.webcentre.ca/research/teosinte/

• 8/16: Finish "Foods That Changed the World", lecture and reading on "Medicines That Changed the World", Foods and Medicines HW (DUE Tues. 8/20):

1. Please give an example of a food from another country that has its roots in the Americas (use the links above or below if you want), and describe the path it took to get there

2. List and describe 2 examples of foods from this article that have influenced culture or society

3. Describe why it's important to have diversity in our food supply

4. Describe the specific medicinal properties of 2 plants from this article

5. Describe why scientists are regaining interest in returning to the use of plant-derived medicines, as opposed to synthetic versions, giving at least 2 examples

6. Research another medicinal plant from the Americas and describe its medicinal benefits

To help you with question 1, here's a list of food crops that originated in the Americas (scroll down to the 'crops and ingredients' section): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_American_cuisine

A pic of cinchona and cinchona bark: http://www.homeopathyandmore.com/med_images/CHINA_OFFICINALIS.jpg

Andean coca plants in their native habitat: http://www.rain-tree.com/Plant-Images/erythroxylum-pic.htm#.Ug7R3-BOTzI

Good page on the ethnobotany and indigenous use of coca: http://www.ethnoleaflets.com/leaflets/coca.htm

The ethnobotany of curare: http://www.botgard.ucla.edu/html/botanytextbooks/economicbotany/Curare/

Ethnobotanical account of the preparation of curare: http://www.minelinks.com/ecuador/hunting_2.html

To help you with question 6, here's a huge database of medicines and the plants they're derived from: http://chemistry.about.com/library/weekly/aa061403a.htm

• 8/20: Receive "Final Project Guidelines" (DUE Fri. 12/13) and "How to Make A Plant Press", lecture and reading on "Tubers From the Andes", Tubers From the Andes HW (DUE Thurs. 8/22):

1. What is "pacha kuti", and how does it relate to this article?

2. Describe how Andean people created all of the different variations in their tubers that can be seen today

3. Why are many Andean farmers no longer growing these tubers?

4. Describe 2 specific reasons why scientists are interested in saving these tubers from extinction and promoting them commercially

5. How will the Andean farmers and people benefit from the renewed cultivation of their tubers?

Here's a website that describes the medicinal properties of Anu: http://www.naturalmedicinalherbs.net/herbs/t/tropaeolum-tuberosum=anu.php

Another article with pics about the health benefits of Anu and Maca, written by scientists who are propagating it: http://www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu/quiros/lab/macaim.htm

• 8/22: Make plant presses, begin lecture and reading on "Introduction to Botany"
• 8/27: "Introduction to Botany" continued
• 8/30: Finish "Introduction to Botany", begin lecture and reading on "Life is Cellular", Intro to Botany HW (DUE Tues. 9/3):

1. Describe the advantages that plants with a vascular system have over non-vascular ones

2. Describe the differences between xylem and phloem

3. Describe what the benefits and challenges of colonizing the land were for the earliest ancestors of plants

4. Define the process of alternation of generations in your own words

5. Describe how alternation of generations and plant reproduction differs between mosses, ferns, conifers, and flowering plants

6. Describe the difference between mitosis and meiosis in your own words. Also, what is each process used for?

Good video about plant adaptations and characteristics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fA4rpATxaHU&feature=related

Sweet computer-generated video about what it's like to travel through xylem tissue: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir9bm3fli90&feature=related

Another similar one about phloem sugar transport: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNtDWIx213Y&feature=related

Clear explanation of alternation of generations, in song form!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35vPjdTNRU0

Another explanation of alternation of generations: http://www.sparknotes.com/biology/plants/lifecycle/section1.html

Good, simple video of mitosis and meiosis, with sweet computer simulations: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vsmT85nlzY&feature=related

• 9/3: Finish "Life is Cellular", lecture and reading on "Characteristics of Plants", Life is Cellular HW (DUE Fri/ 9/6):

1. List the components of the cell theory, and describe what each one means

2. Describe the differences between a prokaryote and a eukaryote. Which one are plants, and why?

3. Describe 2 structures that all cells have

4. Define "cell specialization", and state which kind of organisms it occurs in

5. Describe each level of organization in a multicellular organism

6. List and describe 2 major differences and 2 major similarities between plant and animal cells

• 9/4: Field Trip to San Xavier Co-op Farm
• 9/6: Lecture and reading on "Movement Through the Membrane", Movement Through the Membrane HW (DUE Tues. 9/10):

1. What does it mean when we say that membranes are "selectively permeable"?

2. What is the function of the cell membrane?

3. What are the effects of osmosis on cells?

4. Describe how water moves during diffusion (AKA osmosis)

5. How do plant cells avoid bursting when they're exposed to fresh water? Why is it that animal cells do not come into contact with fresh water?

6. Describe how active transport differs from diffusion

7. What is "facilitated diffusion"?

Good short animation about osmosis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdiJtDRJQEc

Time lapse video of osmosis in the kitchen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6N1IiJTmnc&feature=related

Food coloring diffusing in water: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6nqYcrItiQ&feature=related

Good computer generated animation of diffusion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0p1ztrbXPY&feature=related

And one about active transport: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STzOiRqzzL4&NR=1

Red blood cells in a hypertonic solution: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRQLRO3dIp8&feature=related

Now in a hypotonic solution: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EA_ss8ZkjAM&feature=related

Finally, in an isotonic solution: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plen79Fgmz0&feature=related

• 9/10: Celery and Diffusion Lab Part I, lecture and reading on "Cell Structures"
• 9/13: Unit Quiz One and Binder Check, receive "Benefits and Recipes of Two Native Foods", cooking with Native foods activity
• 9/17: Celery and Diffusion Lab Part II, finish "Cell Structures", receive "Characteristics of Cells Group Project Guidelines" (bring project materials with you to class on Fri. 9/20)

Here's a few videos and links that might help you with your projects and/ or homework:

Nice, clear overview of cell structures and functions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCqQLoRaTNA

Overview of plant and animal cells: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn9oJtXZYcU&feature=related

Great Discovery Channel video on cells: http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/28732-assignment-discovery-elements-of-cells-video.htm

• 9/20: Lecture and reading on "Chloroplasts and Mitochondria", Characteristics of Cells Group Project, Cell Structures HW (DUE Tues. 9/24):

1. Describe the functions of the following organelles: Endoplasmic reticulum, golgi apparatus, chloroplast, and mitochondrion

2. How are prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells similar? How are they different? How are plant and animal cells similar and different?

3. Describe the role and function of the nucleus

4. What are two functions of vacuoles? Why are plant cell vacuoles so large?

5. How is the cell like a factory?

6. If you examine a cell under a microscope and discover that it has chloroplasts, what can you guess about the organism from which the cell came from, and why?

7. Describe the theory of endosymbiosis

• 9/24: Finish Characteristics of Cells Group Project
• 9/27: Begin lecture and reading on "Finding Order in Diversity"
• 10/1: Midterm Exam and Binder Check, "Finding Order in Diversity" continued
• 10/4: No Class: Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony
• 10/7-10/11: No School- Fall Break
• 10/15: Finish "Finding Order in Diversity", Finding Order in Diversity HW (DUE Fri. 10/18):

1. Why do scientists use scientific names instead of common names?

2. Define "binomial nomenclature", and list the rules of writing a binomial name

3. Which category has more biological meaning- "all brown birds" or "all hawk-like birds", and why?

4. Describe the distinguishing characteristics of each of the following taxonomic groups: bryophytes, pteridophytes, gymnosperms, and angiosperms

5. What's the difference between a monocot and a dicot? What kinds of plants are examples of each type?

6. What are the differences between monoecious, dioecious, and hermaphroditic plants?

Here's a good explanatory website about taxonomic rankings: http://armadillo-online.org/taxonomy.html

This is an INCREDIBLY USEFUL website that you can use to look up the taxonomic ranking of any plant (good for your Final Project research): http://www.gardenguides.com/taxonomy/

Nice website devoted to bryophytes and their allies: http://bryophytes.plant.siu.edu/

Good website on pteridophytes: http://www.biologyreference.com/Po-Re/Pteridophytes.html

Another good one- the gymnosperm database: http://www.conifers.org/

One of the weirdest gymnosperms, the Welwitschia plant: http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantwxyz/welwitschia.htm

• 10/18: Lecture and reading on "Leaf Morphology", Leaf Morphology Lab, Common Ethnobotanically Significant Plant Families in the Sonoran Desert Worksheet (DUE Tues. 10/22)
• 10/22: Lecture and reading on "Leaf Tissues", Leaf Tissues HW (DUE Fri. 10/25):

1. Describe the 3 main functions of a leaf

2. Compare and contrast the leaves of angiosperms and gymnosperms. How are they similar? How are they different?

3. What are 2 main reasons plants shed their leaves? How does each process work?

4. Research a specific example of phytoremediation, summarize it, and cite your source. (2 PTS.)

• 10/25: Lecture and reading on "Root and Stem Morphology", begin Plant Morphology Lab
• 10/29: Plant Morphology Lab continued, Root and Stem Morphology HW (DUE Fri. 11/1):

1. List and describe 2 functions of roots

2. Describe the process of transpiration

3. What role does diffusion play in water uptake by roots?

4. How are herbaceous stems similar to leaves?

5. Technically speaking, what is "wood" and "bark"?

6. What is the difference between primary and secondary growth?

7. What is auxin? What does it do?

• 11/1: Finish Plant Morphology Lab, begin lecture and reading on "Photosynthesis"

Good visuals and explanations of photosynthesis, with footage of living chloroplasts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYbMPwmwx88&feature=related

• 11/5: Finish "Photosynthesis", Photosynthesis HW (DUE Fri. 11/8):

1. What are the reactants of photosynthesis? What are the products? What is the catalyst?

2. Describe what happens in each of the 2 reactions

3. Why does the Dark Reaction still depend on light?

4. Describe the role and function of ATP and NADPH

5. Why is chlorophyll green?

6. Describe how light intensity, temperature, and CO2 concentration affect the rate of photosynthesis

7. What is photorespiration? What causes it, and what are the consequences for plants?

8. Summarize the 3 types of photosynthesis. Also, what are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

• 11/8: Unit Quiz 2 and Binder Check, lecture and reading on "Linking Human and Environmental Health Through Desert Foods"
• 11/12: "Linking Human and Environmental Health Through Desert Foods" continued, receive "The Desert's Bountiful Harvest", Desert Foods and Health HW (DUE Fri. 11/15):

1. Briefly describe the nutritional and health benefits of the following foods: Mexican Oregano, Prickly Pear, Cholla, and Chia

2. How did the traditional diet of the O'Odham people change, and why?

3. What other factors are contributing to the poor health of the O'Odham?

4. How do traditional foods (such as mesquite, tepary beans, cholla, and prickly pear) help to reduce or prevent conditions such as diabetes or obesity? Be specific.

• 11/15: Lecture and reading on "Angiosperm Reproduction", "Pollination", and "Fruits and Seeds"
• 11/19: Flower Morphology Lab
• 11/22: Finish "Fruits and Seeds", begin lecture and reading on "The Work of Gregor Mendel", Angiosperm Reproduction HW (DUE Tues. 11/26):

1. Summarize the roles of the flower organ

2. Describe the role of mitosis and meiosis in the formation of gametes in angiosperms

3. Why do most plants try to avoid self-pollination? Under what circumstances might self-pollination become a benefit?

4. Describe the differences between wind and animal-pollinated flowers and their pollen

5. Why is seed dispersal important? How are seeds dispersed?

6. Summarize the advantages of each of the 4 environmental triggers of seed germination

• 11/26: Finish "The Work of Gregor Mendel", Tomato Genetics Activity (DUE Tues. 12/3)
• 11/29: No School- Thanksgiving Break
• 12/3: Lecture and reading on "Plant Breeding", begin watching "The Botany of Desire", Plant Genetics HW (DUE Fri. 12/6):

1. What are genes? What are dominant and recessive alleles?

2. When does segregation occur? What happens to alleles during segregation?

3. Why were true-breeding pea plants important for Mendel's experiments?

4. How are the principles of probability used to predict the outcomes of genetic crosses?

5. Summarize Mendel's principles in your own words

6. What is the difference between incomplete dominance and codominance?

7. Describe the difference between traits created by multiple alleles and polygenic traits

8. What is artificial selection? How is it different from natural selection?

9. Describe the process of hybridization, and explain the benefits of this process

10. How do scientists genetically engineer plants?

11. What is the genetic bottleneck, and how did humans create it? What are the consequences of this, and how can we avoid them?

• 12/6: Continue watching "The Botany of Desire"
• 12/10: Finish watching "The Botany of Desire"
• 12/13: FINAL PROJECTS DUE, Final Exam and Binder Check, Class Evaluations (DUE Tues. 12/17)
• 12/17: Watch "Planet Earth: Jungles"
• 12/20: No School- Winter Break

Eco-Biology 1 (Ecology)

• 8/12/2013: Receive "Course Syllabus", lecture and reading on "What is Ecology?", What is Ecology? HW (DUE Thurs. 8/15):

1. How was the field of ecology different from the traditional methods of studying nature in the mid 19th century?

2. How are ecology and environmentalism related?

3. What caused people to become concerned about the environment? Also, list and describe the 2 different views on conservation of the environment.

4. What is the biosphere? Also, describe how energy flows through the biosphere.
5. Create an argument in support of one of the 2 views on conservation, and defend your position using real-life examples and evidence (remember to cite any sources used).

• 8/14: Lecture and reading on "Levels of Organization"
• 8/15: "Levels of Organization" continued, School Transect Activity

A good website that explains the basic principles of ecology, with food chain diagrams: http://www.scienceclarified.com/Di-El/Ecosystem.html

A couple good pyramid diagrams: http://www.scienceparameter.com/museum/history/Tool-Timeline-images/16ecology_web.jpg

• 8/19: Begin Sky Islands Ecosystem Pyramid Group Project, Home Transect HW (DUE Weds. 8/21- include a list of species or descriptions and their trophic levels), Levels of Organization HW (DUE Thurs. 8/22):

1. What are the 2 main forms of energy that power living systems?

2. Describe the different processes that organisms use to extract the forms of energy listed in #1

3. Briefly describe the flow of energy among organisms in an ecosystem

4. What's the difference between an autotroph and a heterotroph? Which one are humans, and why?

5. Describe the difference between a food chain and a food web

6. What proportion of energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next? How does this affect the number of organisms that can be supported at each higher level?

7. Pick a biome and create a diagram to illustrate the food web, labeling each trophic level and identifying particular species

• 8/21: Sky Islands Ecosystem Pyramid Group Project continued
• 8/26: Sky Islands Ecosystem Pyramid Group Project continued
• 8/28: Sky Islands Ecosystem Pyramid Group Project continued
• 8/29: Sky Islands Ecosystem Pyramid Group Project continued
• 9/2: No School- Labor Day
• 9/4: Sky Islands Ecosystem Pyramid Group Project continued
• 9/5: Finish Sky Islands Ecosystem Pyramid Group Project
• 9/9: Lecture and reading on "What Shapes an Ecosystem?"

Good video from the Discovery Channel on abiotic and biotic factors: http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/30707-assignment-discovery-abiotic-and-biotic-factors-video.htm

A good, simple description of the niche: http://purchon.com/wordpress/ecology/?page_id=27

Videos on predator/ prey interactions and a bunch of other good concepts related to community interactions: http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/interspecies-competition-and-predator-prey-interactions.html

And here's another one related to the different forms of symbiosis: http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/symbiotic-relationships-mutualism-commensalism-amensalism.html

• 9/11: Finish "What Shapes an Ecosystem?", What Shapes an Ecosystem? HW (DUE Mon. 9/15):

1. Describe the difference between a biotic and an abiotic factor, and give an example of each

2. In your own words, define the term "niche", and describe a real-life example from an organism of your choice, citing your source.

3. Describe the differences between a generalist and a specialist, and give an example of each

4. What does the competitive exclusion principle state? Why is it important in an ecosystem?

5. Describe each of the 3 main types of symbiosis, and give an example of each that's not from the handout. Cite your sources (2 PTS.).

• 9/12: Unit Quiz One and Binder Check, Observing Symbiosis Activity
• 9/16: Lecture and reading on "The Concept of the Niche in Greater Detail", The Concept of the Niche HW (DUE Thurs. 9/19):

1. Describe why direct competition between 2 species for the same niche will result in a winner and a loser

2. Define "guilds", and describe how species within guilds avoid violating Gause's Law

3. What are ecological equivalents, and how do they relate to convergent evolution?

4. Describe how coevolution influences an organism's niche. How is this a form of symbiosis?

5. What is the difference between background and mass extinctions? What causes each?

6. Define "adaptive radiation", and describe each of the 3 triggers

7. Research and summarize one of the 6 mass extinctions in Earth's history. What caused it? What were the consequences for life on Earth? What happened to the adaptive radiation of life afterwards? Cite your sources (3 PTS.)

• 9/18: Watch "Planet Earth: From Pole to Pole"
• 9/19: Finish "Planet Earth: From Pole to Pole", begin lecture and reading on "Biomes and Communities in the Sonoran Desert Region"
• 9/23: Finish "Biomes and Communities in the Sonoran Desert Region", Biomes Within the Sonoran Desert Region Graphic Organizer (DUE Weds. 9/25)
• 9/25: Begin lecture and reading on "Sky Islands of North America"
• 9/26: Finish "Sky Islands of North America", begin watching "Life in the Undergrowth: Intimate Relations", Sky Islands of North America HW (DUE Weds. 10/3):

1. Describe each of the 4 biomes that intersect at the Sky Islands. What are the biological results of their intermixing?

2. Describe how elevation influences the ecosystems within the Sky Islands

3. What was responsible for species extinction and habitat destruction from the early stages of settlement until the 1900's, and why?

4. What is responsible for species extinction and ecosystem destruction of the Sky Islands today?

5. Summarize what must be done in order to preserve the Sky Islands ecosystem

6. Choose a mountain range in the Sky Islands region and describe its abiotic characteristics, including location, elevation, climate, weather, and ecosystems. Cite your sources. (2 PTS.)

• 9/30: Midterm Exam and Binder Check, continue watching "Life in the Undergrowth: Intimate Relations"
• 10/2: Finish "Life in the Undergrowth: Intimate Relations", begin watching "Planet Earth: Deserts"
• 10/3: Finish watching "Planet Earth: Deserts" 
• 10/7-10/11: No School- Fall Break
• 10/14: Lecture and reading on "Plant and Animal Adaptations to the Desert"
• 10/16: Finish "Plant and Animal Adaptations to the Desert", Desert Adaptations HW (DUE Mon. 10/21):

1. Describe the methods that organisms use to endure both lack of water and high temperatures

2. Describe "thermoregulation", and explain how torpor is a type of thermoregulation

3. Choose a specific desert species and describe how it uses a form of thermoregulation to survive. Cite your sources. (2 PTS.)

4. Describe the 3 ways that organisms lose water, and give an example of a specific adaptation for each

5. How is the color black an adaptation to desert environments?

6. Research the following species and describe a specific physical and behavioral adaptation to the desert environment for each. Include your sources. (4 PTS.): Palmer's Agave, Bark Scorpion, Couch's Spadefoot, Western Banded Gecko, Greater Roadrunner, Kit Fox

• 10/21: Lecture and reading on "How Populations Grow", Rabbits and Population Growth Worksheet (DUE Mon. 10/21)
• 10/21: Lecture and reading on "Limits to Growth", Predator-Prey Activity, Predator-Prey Graphs
• 10/23: Begin lecture and reading on "Ecological Succession"
• 10/24: No Class- Wash Clean-Up Day
• 10/28: Lecture and reading on "Ecological Succession", Plot Sampling Data Labs, Ecological Succession HW (DUE Thurs. 10/31):

1. Describe the process of ecological succession in detail

2. How are primary and secondary succession different?

3. What essential role does fire play in fire-dependent ecosystems?

4. How did succession occur following the Mount St. Helens eruption?

5. Explain whether Mount St. Helens and Krakatau are a case of primary or secondary succession, and describe the methods that species use to colonize island environments

6. Research "whale falls", and explain what they are. how each of the 3 stages of succession at whale falls work in detail, and what their connection to hydrothermal vent ecosystems is. Cite your sources. (4 PTS.)

• 10/30: Plot Sampling Data Labs continued
• 10/31: Finish Plot Sampling Data Labs, begin lecture and reading on "Biodiversity"
• 11/4: "Biodiversity" continued, Threats to Biodiversity Assignment (DUE Thurs. 11/7):

Pick an example of each of the following topics, research it, and write up a presentation that addresses the following points:

-Overhunting/ overexploitation of a species (alive or extinct):

1. How it was/ is being exploited

2. What it was/ is exploited for, and why

3. What the consequences have been

4. What conservation measures are underway, or the date and circumstances of its extinction

-An exotic/ invasive species:

1. How and where it was introduced, and when

2. Why it was introduced

3. What the consequences have been

4. What the methods of control are

-Cite all sources properly

-Be prepared to present on Thursday!

• 11/6: Field Trip to Saguaro National Park East
• 11/7: Unit Quiz 2 and Binder Check, Threats to Biodiversity Presentations
• 11/11: No School- Veteran's Day
• 11/13: Threats to Biodiversity Presentations continued
• 11/14: Finish "Biodiversity", begin lecture and reading on "Conservation of Biodiversity", Biodiversity HW (DUE Mon. 11/18):

1. Describe each of the different types of biodiversity, and explain why biodiversity is important to an ecosystem's stability

2. Describe each of the 4 threats to biodiversity, and give an example of each

3. Why must conservation efforts protect entire ecosystems to save a species?

4. What caused the hole in the ozone layer, and what were the consequences? How did we react?

5. What is global warming? What's causing it, and what will the consequences be?

6. Why does human society depend on a healthy and diverse biosphere?

• 11/18: "Conservation of Biodiversity" continued
• 11/20: Finish "Conservation of Biodiversity", begin lecture and reading on "The Philosophy and Ethics of Conservation", Conservation of Biodiversity HW (DUE Mon. 11/25):

1. What are the benefits of genetic diversity for both humanity as well as populations of species?

2. Describe each of the benefits to humanity that come with conserving biodiversity

3. How does ecotourism benefit people as well as conservation efforts?

4. How are threatened species evaluated? What factors may make a species more prone to extinction, and why?

5. What are the benefits and challenges of protected areas as a method of conservation?

6. What are the goals of captive breeding and re-introduction programs? What are the challenges?

7. Why are amphibians one of the most imperiled groups of vertebrates? What conservation measures are underway to protect them?

8. Pick an example of both an endangered species involved in the illegal trade across borders, and a species that has been captive-bred and re-introduced into the wild, and summarize the circumstances and current status surrounding each. Cite your sources. (4 PTS.)

This database allows you to search every single species listed under CITES: http://www.speciesplus.net/
A list of reintroduction programs from the AZA: http://www.aza.org/reintroduction-programs/

• 11/21: Finish "The Philosophy and Ethics of Conservation", begin Case Studies in Conservation Activity
• 11/25: Finish Case Studies in Conservation Activity, begin lecture and reading on "Local Case Studies in Conservation- The Upper Gulf of California", Philosophy and Ethics of Conservation HW (DUE Mon. 12/2):

1. Summarize each of the 5 ethical arguments for conservation

2. What are the aesthetic values of conservation?

3. Describe Aldo Leopold's concept of the Land Ethic, and explain which of the values of biodiversity it advocates

4. Research the following people and describe their contributions to the conservation of biodiversity (3 PTS.):

-Rachel Carson

-John Muir

-Steve Irwin

5. Pick a position between utilitarian and non-utilitarian arguments for protecting biodiversity and defend it, using as many vocabulary words and concepts from the handout as you can (2 PTS.)

• 11/27 - 11/28: No School- Thanksgiving Break
• 12/2: "Local Case Studies in Conservation- The Upper Gulf of California" continued
• 12/4: Finish "Local Case Studies in Conservation- The Upper Gulf of California", receive Species Profile Project Guidelines (BRING MATERIALS WITH YOU TOMORROW! Try using the links from this blog if you need help finding a species), Upper Gulf Conservation HW (DUE Mon. 12/9):

1. Describe the effects of water flow reduction on the CO River Delta ecosystem

2. Why have the levels of salinity increased in the Lower CO River and Upper Gulf?

3. What is Minute 319? What will it do?

4. What is CEDO, and what are their strategies for promoting conservation of the Upper Gulf?

5. Why are California Sea Lions an indicator species?

6. Summarize what caused the Totoaba to become endangered

7. What factors are affecting both the Least Tern and Yuma Clapper Rail populations? How can they be conserved?

8. Describe the threats to the remaining Vaquita population

9. What conservation strategies are underway to protect the Vaquita?

10. Describe how the needs of local fishermen are being balanced with the need to protect the Vaquita

• 12/5: Species Profile Projects
• 12/9: Species Profile Projects continued (DUE Weds. 12/11)
• 12/11: Species Profile Project presentations
• 12/12: Final Exam and Binder Check, Class Evaluations (DUE Mon. 12/16)
• 12/16: Watch "The Crocodile Hunter: Steve's Most Dangerous Adventures"
• 12/18: No Class: All-School Event
• 12/19: No Class: All-School Event