1
2nd Grade Biodiversity and Humans 2015 11 23 www.njctl.org 2
Table of Contents Click on the topic to go to that section Biodiversity Types of Living Things Living Things On Land Living Things In The Water Ecosystems and Organisms Biodiversity and Humans 3
Biodiversity Return to Table of Contents 4
Diversity When something is diverse, that means it has a large variety or lots of different types of things. Which picture shows the largest variety of fruits/veggies? Click in the blue box to check your answer. This picture has the most different types of fruits/veggies. It has the highest diversity of the three pictures. 5
Diversity Tulips are beautiful flowers that bloom in the spring. Circle the tulip field that has the highest diversity? 6
Bio Look at the following words: Biology Biography Biotechnology What do all of these words have in common? 7
Bio Biology is the study of living things. A biography is the story of someone's life. Biotechnology is the use of living things to create useful products. What do you think "bio" means? Talk about it with a partner. 8
Bio Bio means life. If we combine bio with diversity, we get biodiversity. What do you think biodiversity means? Biodiversity is the variety of living things in an area. 9
Biodiversity Which picture shows the highest biodiversity? 10
Biodiversity is Healthy An area with higher biodiversity is healthier than an area with lower biodiversity. Look at the pictures below. Which is the healthiest area? Forest with one type of tree. Forest with many different trees. 11
The Earth Has An Abundance of Life! Our planet has SO MANY organisms. We have not found them all yet! Everyday more organisms are discovered. Maybe one day you can discover a new plant or animal! Click the leafy sea dragon to watch a video about 25 bizarre animals on Earth. 12
1 "Bio" means A plants B animals C all living things Answer D variety 13
2 Which picture has the highest diversity of fruit? A B C Answer 14
3 Earth is healthy when there is low biodiversity. True False Answer 15
16
17
18
19
Biodiversity Collage Earth has about 8.7 million living things on it! Use magazine pictures to create your own collage of the biodiversity of Earth. 20
Types of Living Things Return to Table of Contents 21
Types of Living Things Living things can be categorized by the way they get food. Some living things make their own food. Some living things find and eat their food. Some living things eat dead plants and animals. 22
Producers Living things that make their own food are called producers. They use the sun to make (produce) their food. This group includes all plants. 23
Producers Review: In what part of a producer is food made? Click in the box for a hint. 24
4 Organisms are organized by. A what they look like B how they get their food C if they have wings Answer 25
5 Producers get food by A finding it. B making it themselves. C breaking down waste. Answer 26
6 An example of a producer is a. A cactus B sheep C tiger Answer 27
7 Plants make food in their. A roots B stems C flowers Answer D leaves 28
Consumers Living things that find food to eat are called consumers. They need to eat (consume) food. 29
Consumers Consumers are organized by what they eat. Some consumers only eat plants. Some consumers only eat animals. Some consumers eat both plants and animals. What type of consumer are you? 30
Herbivores Animals that only eat plants are called herbivores. 31
Omnivores Animals that eat both plants and animals are called omnivores. Raccoons, warthogs and badgers eat fruit, bugs, and many other foods. 32
Carnivores Animals that only eat meat from other animals are called carnivores. 33
8 Which living thing is not a consumer? A butterfly B fish C tree Answer D dog 34
9 Manatees eat up to 50 kg of plants every day. Manatees are. A herbivores B carnivores C omnivores Answer 35
10 Tigers eat a variety of animals, such as deer, boar and water buffalo. Tigers are. A herbivores B carnivores C omnivores Answer 36
11 Crows can eat berries, insects and worms. Crows are. A herbivores B carnivores C omnivores Answer 37
Decomposers Some living things eat dead plants and animals. They are called decomposers. After other organisms die, they break down the remains. These mushrooms are decomposing an old log. 38
Decomposers Worms, flies, fungi, mold and bacteria are some examples of decomposers. 39
Decomposers Decomposers are very important! Imagine what the world would look like if all the dead plants and animals were not removed! Click on the picture to see a video of a watermelon decomposing. 40
Decomposers As decomposers break down the wastes, they turn it into nutrients in the soil. Decomposers create healthy soil. This helps to create healthy plants. Earthworms are known for increasing soil health. 41
12 Decomposers eat. A plants B animals C dead plants and animals Answer 42
13 Decomposers help to keep the soil healthy. True False Answer 43
44
45
46
47
Squirmy Wormy Lab Earthworms are decomposers that live in the soil. What type of soil do they like the best? 48
Living Things On Land Return to Table of Contents 49
Living Things On Land An ecosystem is an area where plants and animals live and interact with their environment. Earth is covered with lots of different types of land ecosystems. 50
Ecosystems and Organisms Each ecosystem has producers, consumers and decomposers. Look at the pictures below. These organisms all live in the forest ecosystem. Label each as a producer, consumer or decomposer. 51
Producers on Land On land, producers can be plants, trees and shrubs. 52
Consumers on Land Consumers on land include a variety of animals that are herbivores, carnivores and omnivores. 53
Decomposers on Land Decomposers on land include worms, bacteria and fungi. 54
Tropical Rainforest Ecosystem The Tropical Rainforest Ecosystem is a warm, wet climate. It never gets cold enough to freeze. It can rain as much as 2 meters every year! 55
Tropical Rainforest Ecosystem Can you move the pictures into the correct column to show producers, consumers and decomposers? Organisms Producers Consumers Decomposers 56
Savanna Ecosystem The Savanna Ecosystem is also a hot climate. It has periods of lots of rain, followed by many months of little or no rain. Most of the plants are grasses, with occasional trees. 57
Savanna Ecosystem Can you move the pictures into the correct column to show producers, consumers and decomposers? Organisms Producers Consumers Decomposers 58
Desert Ecosystem The Desert Ecosystem is a very dry ecosystem. There is very little rain. The temperatures changes from very hot during the day to cold at night. The desert ecosystem has low diversity. 59
Desert Ecosystem Can you move the pictures into the correct column to show producers, consumers and decomposers? Organisms Producers Consumers Decomposers 60
14 All ecosystems have producers, consumers and decomposers. True False Answer 61
15 All decomposers are mushrooms. True False Answer 62
16 A hot, dry ecosystem is the. A ocean B rainforest C desert Answer 63
64
65
66
67
Living Things In the Water Return to Table of Contents 68
Earth is Covered in Water The land ecosystems that you learned about cover about 30% of the Earth's surface. If this is true, then how much of the Earth's surface is covered in water? Answer 69
Earth is Covered in Water About 70% of the Earth is covered in water. This includes all of the bodies of water that you learned about earlier in the year: Rivers Oceans Lakes/ ponds Glaciers Can you name two things about each body of water? 70
Aquatic Ecosystems Ecosystems that are located in or by the water are called aquatic ecosystems. Every aquatic ecosystem is filled with producers, consumers and decomposers. Can you guess which category each of these organisms fall into? Answer Giant kelp Shark Hagfish 71
17 Which is not like the others? (Why?) A Pond B Sea C River Answer D Lake 72
18 Most of Earth is covered in land. True False Answer 73
Aquatic Producers Producers in aquatic ecosystems include a variety of plants and algae (seaweed). all of these organisms use the sunlight that reaches through the water to make their own food. Seagrass Red algae 74
Aquatic Plants Aquatic plants live in the water. They have roots, stems and leaves like land plants. Water lilies have roots in the bottom soil and a stem that extends to the surface of the water where the leaves and flowers float. 75
Algae Algae is also called seaweed. They lack the structures found in true plants. There are many types of algae. This algae is living on rocks in a river. Giant kelp can grow to be 45 meters tall in the ocean! Diatoms are algae that can only be seen with a microcope. 76
19 Aquatic plants are different from algae because they have roots, stems and leaves while algae do not. True False Answer 77
20 need sunlight to make food. A Algae B Aquatic plants C Both A and B. Answer 78
Aquatic Consumers Herbivores, omnivores and carnivores are found in all aquatic ecosystems. What do aquatic herbivores eat? Algae and plants 79
Aquatic Consumers Aquatic carnivores eat other aquatic animals. Most fish are omnivores they eat everything they can find. 80
Aquatic Decomposers Aquatic decomposers include bacteria, fungi, worm, molluscs, and some fish and crustaceans. Lobsters and crabs (crustaceans) Clams (molluscs) 81
Ocean Ecosystem Can you move the pictures into the correct column to show producers, consumers and decomposers? Organisms Producers Consumers Decomposers 82
21 Click the picture to watch a video about sea cucumbers. What type of animal is this? A Producer B Consumer C Decomposer Answer 83
22 This triggerfish eats sea urchins, small crustraceans and algae. It is a(n). A Herbivore B Omnivore Answer C Carnivore 84
23 Which is an aquatic carnivore? A Shark B Algae C Sea Cucumber Answer D Tiger 85
86
87
88
89
Living Things in Ecosystems Activity All ecosystems have producer, consumers and decomposers. How do they affect each other? Find out in this activity! 90
Ecosystems and Organisms Return to Table of Contents 91
Ecosystems and Organisms Earth's ecosystems are diverse. Each one has different producers, consumers and decomposers. The organisms that live in each ecosystem have traits that allow them to survive in that specific environment. This cactus lives in the very hot and dry desert ecosystem. To survive in this environment, it stores water in its thick stem. 92
Ecosystems and Organisms The arctic hare has white fur in the winter to blend in with the snow. In the summer, the hare has brown/grey fur to blend in with the ground. How does this trait help the arctic hare to survive in its ecosystem? 93
Ecosystems and Organisms Manta rays are large stingrays. They can grow to be 7 meters across! Instead of lungs, manta rays have gills. As water passes over the gills, oxygen is extracted from the water. What would happen to a manta ray if it were placed in a land ecosystem? 94
Camels Versus Polar Bears Camels live in the desert ecosystem. Camels can go several days without food and water. Their fur helps them to blend into the sand around them. They are able to keep cool in very hot temperatures. 95
Camels Versus Polar Bears Polar bears live in the tundra ecosystem. Polar bears have two layers of fur and a thick layer of blubber to keep them warm in very cold temperatures. They have long claws to catch food and webbed feet to swim in the water. 96
Camels Versus Polar Bears Would a camel survive in the arctic? How about a polar bear in the desert? What would happen to them? Discuss with your group. Answer 97
24 All organisms can live in any ecosystem. True False Answer 98
25 What type of living things are present in all ecosystems? A Producers B Consumers C Decomposers Answer D All of the above. 99
26 Would cacti and jackrabbits be able to survive in a snowy ecosystem? Yes No Answer 100
101
102
103
104
Animal Teeth Activity Different animals have different teeth depending on what type of food they eat. What type of teeth do you wish you had? 105
Biodiversity and Humans Return to Table of Contents 106
Biodiversity Remember: biodiversity increases the health of an ecosystem. Can you think of an event that would decrease the biodiversity of an ecosystem? Use the pictures as clues. 107
Biodiversity and Natural Disasters Natural disasters affect the biodiversity of ecosystems by destroying organisms' homes and food sources. Sometimes, organisms themselves are killed. This is the aftermath of a hurricane. How would the local ecosystems have been affected? 108
Biodiversity and Humans Humans also have an effect on biodiversity. When we conduct activities that destroy ecosystems, we lower the biodiversity of Earth. Oil Spill Air pollution Water pollution Can you think of any other ways that humans affect biodiversity? 109
Clearing Land Sometimes, people clear an area of all trees in order to build homes or other buildings. Would this increase or decrease the biodiversity of this area? Why? 110
Clearing Land Suppose that a forest is filled with a lot of different types of trees. Squirrels live in the trees and rely on the trees for food. Hawks also live in this forest and often catch squirrels for food. Answer If humans cleared the forest of all the trees, how would this affect the squirrels and the hawks? 111
Hunting Let's think about that same forest. Suppose that a group of hunters came to that forest and hunted all of the hawks. How would this affect the squirrels and trees? Answer 112
Ecosystem Changes Any time one change is made to an ecosystem, it affects all other organisms in that ecosystem! Can you think about what might happen if squirrels were removed from the forest? 113
Conservation Although humans have caused a lot of biodiversity loss through our actions, we are also able to increase biodiversity. This is called conservation. The Siberian tiger is currently endangered. Conservation efforts are helping to save this animal. 114
Biodiversity and Conservation In order to increase biodiversity, we first need to recognize how we are affecting the world around us. Next, we need to think creatively about solutions. Although humans have destroyed this habitat, what are some things we could do to improve it? 115
Cities Cities are large areas where habitats have been removed to build structures for humans. Cities cause a loss in biodiversity. Can you think of any solutions that would help to fix this problem? 116
Roof Gardens Some buildings have roof gardens that create new habitats for organisms. How do roof gardens affect biodiversity? 117
Wildlife Corridors When humans build roads, they divide ecosystems in half. This can cause a loss in biodiversity. Can you think of a solution to this problem? 118
Wildlife Corridors Many countries have built wildlife corridors. These are passages that travel over or under highways. This allows animals to cross from one side of an ecosystem to another without harm. How do these help to preserve biodiversity? Click the picture to see wildlife corridors from around the world. 119
Biodiversity and Conservation Click below to watch a video about biodiversity and conservation. 120
27 Many human activities affect biodiversity. True False Answer 121
28 When one part of an ecosystem is changed, how many other parts are affected? A Just the producers. B Just the consumers. C Nothing else is affected. Answer D All parts are affected. 122
29 Which of the following would increase biodiversity? A Hurricane B Roof garden C Clearing Land Answer D Building highways 123
30 After biodiversity is lost, there is nothing that can be done to increase it again. True False Answer 124
125
126
127
128
129