BIODIVERSITY
HOTSPOTS LAB
The most remarkable places on earth
are also the most threatened. You will
be exploring the world and learning about hotspots of biodiversity. To do so,
you will visit Conservation International Biodiversity Hotspots Web site and use
an interactive map to explore a hotspot of your choice. Feel free to discover your own resources.
Objectives
1.
Research
and discuss the characteristics of global biodiversity hotspots.
2.
Demonstrate
an awareness of the effects of human activity on biodiversity.
What to submit on your blog site (see details
below):
1.
Description of hotspot location and ecosystem (2 points)
2.
Description of two endemic species - one plant, one animal (4
points)
3.
Names in scientific format (2 points)
4.
Description of socioeconomic conditions (2 point)
5.
How hotspot meets criteria of hotspot. Be specific! (2 points)
6.
Explanation of what is being done to protect (2 point)
7.
Answer to Question 7 (4 points)
8.
References in MLA format (2 points)
Procedure
1.
Describe
the location of your hotspot and the type of ecosystem(s) found there. A
description has some detail and is not a simple definition. For my hotspot I chose the Caribbean Islands, they consist of
three main groups of islands, the Bahamas, the Lesser Antilles and the Greater
Antilles. There are thousands of plant species, around 100 mammal species, more
then 500 bird species, hundreds of reptile species, and a little over a hundred
freshwater fishes and Amphibians. These are lush tropical islands, which used
to be a great place for these species to live, but when the areas become home
to humans it immediately threatened their ecosystems because the island will
never grow, it is small and the more people that inhabit it the more hotspots
arise.
2.
Describe
at least one endemic (native to the region) plant species and one endemic animal
species found in that hotspot. One endemic plant
species in the Caribbean is, Caribbean mahogany. One endemic animal species
found in the Caribbean is the Puerto Rican nightjar, which is also threatened
by extinction. Include trophic levels, interactions with at least five
other species, and its reproductive pattern, see page 117 in the textbook).
3.
Write
the names of these species in the two-name format of scientific names. Remember
to underline or italicize. Caprimulgus noctitherus, CR, (Puerto Rican nightjar), Swietenia
mahagoni, EN, (Caribbean mahogany).
4.
Give
a general description of the region’s socio-economic conditions. The socio-economic conditions of the Caribbean Islands are, that
they are high in economic, cultural, social, and political diversity. They were
colonized by Europe with plantation systems. They had some Native peoples
living there but once Africans were brought over to the plantations they
populated most of the country.
5.
Explain
how this hotspot meets the criteria of a biodiversity hotspot. State the human
induced and/or natural reasons why species biodiversity has decreased in that
region. You will need to do some research. Be specific! All of the human colonization has played a big part in making the
Caribbean a making the islands into a biodiversity hotspot. When settlers first
arrived on the island in 1492 they immediately started clearing forests to make
room for sugar cane plantations. The biggest upset to the biodiversity in the
area though was the human settlers. They introduced many alien species to the
area; they used the alien species to control the native species such as retiles
and rodents in the area.
6.
Explain
what is being done to protect this particular area and its species. Give the
name of one protective group and a way to contact them. Only 13% of this area is protected at the moment, and the land that is
being protected is in IUCN categories I to IV. The land needs much more
protection and better people in charge of protecting the land. Grupo Jaragua, a
group in the Dominican Republic made up of scientists and citizens supports and
manages the Jaragua National park. You can contact them by phone at:
1-809-472-1036.
7.
Answer
this question. Do you think you, as an individual should be concerned with the
loss of biodiversity in hotspots located far away from where you live? Explain
your reasoning. This answer must be stated in at least four sentences that demonstrate
your understanding of.
Yes, even
though the Caribbean is far away from where I live it’s ecosystem is important
in the big picture of life. Every time we lose a species the chemical cycle in
the world is thrown off a bit because that species ecosystem is now affected or
lost depending on how much impact that species made. Deforestation in the Caribbean
is such a huge problem and all of the species in the area are being affected by
it. They are losing there homes and we are creating problems in the chemical
cycle of life.
Sources Cited