C4: Conservation of Biodiversity

Essential idea: Entire communities need to be conserved in order to preserve biodiversity.

Understandings:

  • An indicator species is an organism used to assess a specific environmental condition.
  • Relative numbers of indicator species can be used to calculate the value of a biotic index.
  • In situ conservation may require active management of nature reserves or national parks.
  • Ex situ conservation is the preservation of species outside their natural habitats.
  • Biogeographic factors affect species diversity.
  • Richness and evenness are components of biodiversity.

Applications and skills:

  • Application: Case study of the captive breeding and reintroduction of an endangered animal species.
  • Application: Analysis of the impact of biogeographic factors on diversity limited to island size and edge effects.
  • Skill: Analysis of the biodiversity of two local communities using Simpson’s reciprocal index of diversity.

Introductory Videos

Powerpoint

C4 Conservation of biodiversity

Videos

Saving the Australian corroborree frog.mp4
Alien invasion on the islands - BBC Environment.mp4
Using Excel to Calculate Biodiversity.mp4
Calculating Simpsons Diversity Index.mp4
Saving the Australian corroborree frog.mp4

Worksheets and Activities

Simpsons Reciprocal Index calculations
IB Biology Equations for Option C Ecology Student Questions