Biodiversity - Biology Questions

Hello My Favorite Biologists!


As you start working on your cell diversity presentations, I wanted to talk to you a bit about biodiversity in general. If you break down the word biodiversity (like I love to do!), what do you get?


A big part of this research project is studying the change in biodiversity before and after Hurricane Katrina. However, more and more scientists are deciding that biodiversity is not an easy thing to measure. The newest methods for determining biodiversity in the field takes into account not only species diversity, but also species interactions. We'll talk more about this as the week goes on.


As a class I want you to discuss what you already know about biodiversity and think about what you want to learn about this important topic. To help you get started, each class will brainstorm their thoughts and send me the following comments (send only one class answer and be sure to write what period it is from):


1. Class definition of biodiversity.
2. Would you expect more species diversity in temperate areas (Berkshires) or in the tropics (Ecuador)?
3. Would you expect organisms to have more or less diet variety in temperate areas (Berkshires) than in the tropics? (Diet variety means how many different types of food they eat)
4. Would you expect more or less interactions between organisms in temperate or tropical areas? (Interactions refer to predator/prey, parasitism, and symbiotic relationships where organisms both benefit)
5. How would you classify Louisiana's ecosystem and climate? Is it temperate, tropical, or something else?


I look forward to your responses!
Ms. U :)