BIODIVERSITY I

1.      Define biodiversity



2.      Put the words of the definition in correct order

Biological

          organisms

                   among

                              living

                                    which

                                         ecological

variety

          and

                   variability

                              and

                                    they

                                         complexes

is

          the

                   diversity

                              the

                                    in

                                         occur






3.      Complete the text with the suitable terms.

A pond ecosystem may consist of a pond ______________ (A place where plants, animals and
micro-organisms live.), inhabited by ______________ (Members of a single species living in a
habitat. ) of aquatic plants, waterside plants, micro-organisms. The organisms together make up a
______________(A group of people, animals and and/or plants that live together in one place. So a
______________will be all the biotic (living) factors that make up an ecosystem. of living things.


4.      Biodiversity can be divided into three hierarchical categories. What are they? Label the
descriptions.


_________________ diversity refers to the variation of genes within species. This covers distinct
populations of the same species (such as the thousands of traditional rice varieties in India) or
genetic variation within a populations (high among Indian rhinos, and very low among cheetahs)...

_________________ diversity refers to the variety of species within a region. Such diversity can be
measured in many ways, and scientists have not settled on a single best method. The number of
species in a region -- its species "richness" -- is one often- used measure, but a more precise
measurement, "taxonomic diversity", also considers the relationship of species to each other. For
example, an island with two species of birds and one species of lizard has a greater taxonomic
diversity than an island with three species of birds but no lizards...

_________________ diversity is harder to measure than species or genetic diversity because the
"boundaries" of communities -- associations of species -- and ecosystems are elusive. Nevertheless,
as long as a consistent set of criteria is used to define communities and ecosystems, their numbers
and distribution can be measured..."



Adapted from: World Resources Institute, World Conservation Union, and United Nations Environment
Programme, "Global Biodiversity Strategy," 1992:


                                         BIODIVERSITY III

Listening Comprehension: Diversity of Species


http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/homeplanet_20030715.shtml (timing 11:16 -15:35)


1.      Complete the information on the Amazon Basin project:


object of observation

                     area

                         time

                             costs







2.      A lot of species become extinct. Anna believes that essential is whether


                   a.      we lose one species here and there

                   b.      the ecosystems continue functioning

                   c.      hundreds of new species appear



3.      Choose the correct answer concerning the Biowatch Project


The project takes place in:

a.       UK

b.      USA

c.       rainforest


       People taking part in the observation are:

a.       scientists

b.      volunteers

c.       students


        The most important contribution of the project is:

a.       it will help us to solve the problem with the huge extinction

b.      it provides detailed observations of how species are distributed

c.       the public is involved in the biodiversity management







Post-listening:

1.      Have you heard of similar projects focusing on biodiversity in the Czech Republic? Would
you like to take part in a project like this?

                                          BIODIVERSITY IV

1.      The title of the article is “Biological Diversity under Attack”. Brainstorm a list of key
words that may appear in the text.






2.      Underline the key words in the main ideas of the passage in question.  Then list as many
synonyms as possible. (see Main Idea Check)



3.      Identify the paragraphs by scanning the text. Write the correct paragraph number beside its
main idea.


Scanning technique:

 1. decide what information is needed
 2. draw up a list of possible key words (including synonyms) which may occur in the text referring
to question topic
 3. scan for instances of key words
 4. read carefully those sentences and/or paragraphs where the keywords occur and decide if the
information is relevant
 5. repeat steps  3) and 4) until all relevant information is available




5.      Answer the questions on the article (see A Closer Look)






This section is based on Pakenham, J. Making Connections, CUP, 1998






Sources:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/ocr_gateway/environment/0_ecology_organisms1.shtm
l

http://en.wikipedia.org

http://biodiversity.ca.gov/Biodiversity/biodiv_def2.html

Pakenham, J. Making Connections, CUP, 1998