Species Extinction Assignment
“How many species are we losing?
Well... this is the million dollar question. And one that’s very hard to answer.
Firstly, we don’t know exactly what’s out there. It’s a big complex world and we discover new species
to science all the time.
"Scientists were startled in 1980 by the discovery of a tremendous diversity of insects in tropical
forests. In one study of just 19 trees in Panama, 80% of the 1,200 beetle species discovered were
previously unknown to science... Surprisingly, scientists have a better understanding of how many
stars there are in the galaxy than how many species there are on Earth." WRI
So, if we don’t know how much there is to begin with, we don’t know exactly how much we’re
losing.
But we do have lots of facts and figures that seem to indicate that the news isn’t good.
© WWF
Just to illustrate the degree of biodiversity loss we're facing, let’s take you through one scientific
analysis...
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The rapid loss of species we are seeing today is estimated by experts to be between 1,000 and
10,000 times higher than the natural extinction rate.*
These experts calculate that between 0.01 and 0.1% of all species will become extinct each year.
If the low estimate of the number of species out there is true - i.e. that there are around 2 million
different species on our planet - then that means between 200 and 2,000 extinctions occur every
year.
But if the upper estimate of species numbers is true - that there are 100 million different species coexisting with us on our planet - then between 10,000 and 100,000 species are becoming extinct each
year.” (taken from http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/biodiversity/biodiversity/)
Write a one page report that includes the following:
Choose a species that is at risk of extinction – put this as your title.
Describe this species (its habitat, habits, population size, where it lives, etc.)
Determine its status (e.g. vulnerable, at risk, endangered, etc.)
Identify its threats to survival.
State what is being done to protect it.
What would be the consequences to its extinction?
Locate a news article about this species. Complete the following:
a. Print the article off and hand it in with your assignment
b. State what its main points the article makes about the species.
c. Based on your research, are the main points made accurate? Why or why not?
8. List all websites used to collect your information in your report.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Marking Scheme
Description of
species
R
Poor
description
[1]
Level 1
Many details
missing, little
accuracy [5]
Level 2
Some details
missing,
considerate
accuracy [6]
Level 3
Few details
missing,
considerate
accuracy [7.5]
Level 4
Accurate
description
[8.5]
Status
Threats to
survival
What is being
done to protect
the species
Correct status
Threats correctly identified
Poor
accuracy
[1]
Little
accuracy [5]
Somewhat
accurate [6]
Considerate
accuracy [7.5]
Accurate
description
[8.5]
Consequences
to extinction
Poor
accuracy
[1]
Little
accuracy [5]
Somewhat
accurate [6]
Considerate
accuracy [7.5]
Accurate
description
[8.5]
Communication
(spelling,
grammar, ease
of reading)
More than 4 mistakes,
4
writing is
mistakes,
disjointed
writing
[2.5]
does not
flow [1]
Poor
Little
accuracy
accuracy of
of main
main points
points
made and
made and validity of
validity of
points made
points
in article
made in
described
article
with little
described
competency.
poorly. [2]
[10]
Lists all references used.
3 mistakes,
somewhat
clearly
communicated
[3]
2 mistakes,
clearly
communicated
[3.5]
1 mistake,
clearly
communicated
[4.5]
Some
accuracy of
main points
made and
validity of
points made in
article
described with
some
competency.
[12]
Considerate
accuracy of
main points
made and
validity of
points made in
article
described with
some
competency.
[15]
Accurately
describes
main points
and correctly
describes
validity of
points made in
article. [17]
News Article
References
Total
Level 4+
Thoroughly
accurate
description
[10]
[2]
[5]
Accurate and
thorough
description
[10]
Accurate and
thorough
description
[10]
No mistakes,
clearly
communicated
[5]
Accurately and
thoroughly
describes the
main points
and correctly
describes the
validity of the
points made in
the article. [20]
[5]
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