MAST Presentation
Annual Meeting 2015
Endangered species - measuring
ecosystem health by declining
biodiversity: geography, math and
science to the rescue
By:
Joel I. Cohen, Ph.D.
Joel_I_Cohen@mcpsmd.org
Science Teacher, Parkland Magnet Middle School;
Audubon Naturalist Society Instructor;
Director and Sponsor, BioSciU!© - An NABT BioScience Club;
Student Mentor, John Hopkins Cogito CTY Program
E.O. Wilson
“Education in biology is important not just for
the welfare of humanity but for the survival of
the rest of life. Every conservationist with whom
I have discussed the subject agreed that the
general indifference of people to the living world
is the failure of introductory education in biology.
As I have urged, half of biology now and probably
more then half in the future lies in the study of
biodiversity and the living environment.”
From The Creation
The Problem?
• Can students use and access data regarding
human-caused extinctions or declines in
population?
• Can use of such data contribute to
understanding current rates of biodiversity
impoverishment?
• Can endangered species data be used to
address the questions above?
Learning Outcomes
In conjunction with NGSS, the lesson described
supports student learning by asking them to:
1. compose a letter to family explaining what
biodiversity is & how humans affect species
2. complete a 15 species organizer for living animal and
conservation presentation, noting conservation
concerns such as habitat loss and urbanization
3. analyze and compare data for six endangered or
extinct animals and develop report or poster
4. complete a before/after survey on biodiversity,
ethical perspectives, and impact of current lesson
5. answer assessment questions on biodiversity and the
Anthropocene extinction as part of test on evolution.
The Current state of affairs, or, the sixth extinction, or
the Anthropocene or quaternary extinction
The Current state of affairs, or, the sixth extinction, or
the Anthropocene or quaternary extinction
Using the IUCN Red Book
Categories of Endangerment
Endangered and rare animals in my classroom at Parkland
2015 List of Species for Observation
Common Name
Genus species
Habitat
Conservation Status
1. Reticulated
python
Python reticulatus
Southeast Asia; rain forests, woodlands, and nearby
grasslands. It is also associated with rivers and is
found in areas with nearby streams and lakes
Unprotected; world's
longest snakes and longest
reptile
2. Green
Anaconda
Eunectes murinus
A member of the boa family, South America’s green
anaconda is, pound for pound, the largest snake in
the world. Anacondas live in swamps, marshes, and
slow-moving streams, mainly in the tropical rain
forests of the Amazon.
Not listed
3. Woma
python
Aspidites ramsayi
Arid, coastal, dune; terrestrial habitat
Endangered species;
protected
4. Rosy boa
Lichanura
Trivirgata
This species occurs in southwestern United States
and northwestern Mexico.
Unprotected
5. California king
snake
Lampropeltis getula
califoorniae
From OR in the north to the Baja peninsula in the
south. West to southern UT and all but the most
eastern parts of AZ. Can be found in most all habitat
types except the highest elevations.
Unprotected; local
collecting limits are in place
for certain parts of its range
6. Taiwan beauty
snake
Orthriophis taeniurus
archipelago islands; Asia, Russia
Not yet evaluated
7. Bearded
Dragon
Pogon abarbata
Found throughout most of central Australia. Arid
Not protected; however
export from Australia is
illegal
Observations and Notes
Anthropocene Species Event Index
(ASEI) –
An Indicator of Species Diversity
Mathematical index relating:
 D: year of species discovery in modern terms
 C: year when decline in species is noted due to
human interventions, and a plea is made for
conservation
 Year when:
 E: species becomes extinct
 R: species enters recovery
Figure 1. Relation between four values (in years) describing the fate of an endangered
species as used with the Anthropocene Species Event Index (ASEI).
Point C:
Year when
population decline
was first noted,
referred to as the
point of Concern (C)
D
C
Point D:
Year when first popular or scientific
description of species occurred
Point E: year when species went
extinct in the wild
E
OR
R
Point R: year in which a species
population entered some form
of recovery, either wild or
captivity.
Figure 2. Fourteen species listed by IUCN category and ASEI values for years taken to reach either species extinction or
recovery.
EXT
Toad, Golden
CE
Porpoise, vaquita
EXT
Grebe, Atitlán
E
Gorilla, Eastern Mountain
EXT
Wallaby, toolache
E
Python, Woma
E
Ferret, Black Footed
LC
Pelican, Brown
EXT
Tasmanian tiger
E
Tamarin, Golden Lion
CE
Grouper, Atlantic goliath
CE
Condor, Californian
V
Species
Name
Tortoise, African spurred
V
IUCN
Status
Tortoise, Galápagos giant
ASEI Data Intervals
Year of Description minus year concern
voiced over population decline
Year of Recovery or Extinction minus
the year of concern
0
50
100
150
Intervals shown in Years
200
250
300
350
400
Geography: Identifying country, region and ecology where endangered/extinct
species are/were found
Species: _____________________
IUCN Category: __________________
Habitat: ________________________
Reason endangered: ______________
_______________________________
Species decline noted: _______
Washington DC; 20240
1849 C Street, N.W.
Department of the Interior
Secretary Sally Jewel,
Mail to:
Saving Biodiversity, One
Species at a Time
Years in recovery: _____________
Parkland Magnet Middle
School
6401 West Frankfort Drive
Science 7A – Human Space
Exploration; c/o Dr. Cohen
Rockville, MD 20852
Picture
By: ___________________________
Hi Dr. Cohen,
I called yesterday to speak to you, but was recommended to try email instead. I am the person
who received all the of the species biodiversity postcards your students sent!
I would love to respond either with a letter or email (whatever you prefer) to let the students
know that I received them, but there was no other indication of why they sent them to the
Department of Interior. I'm not sure if there was a letter accompanying them originally, but any
type of information about what they are trying to accomplish or learn about would be great.
For example, are they demonstrating their concern for animals around the world? Do they want
the government to protect these animals? Are they looking for more information on these
animals?
So, when you get a chance, can you let me know what the overall purpose of the exercise was,
and I'll be sure to use that in my response.
Thank you for encouraging your students to engage with the government and voice their
concerns! Please feel free to call me if you'd like to talk further about this.
Thanks,
Valerie Fellows
Communication Specialist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Ecological Services Program
MS: ES
5275 Leesburg Pike
Falls Church, VA 22041-3803
Phone: (703) 358-2285
References
Cohen, J.I. 2015. Ethical Values and Biological Diversity: A Preliminary
Assessment Approach. Journal of Microbiology and Biology
Education 12/2014; 512.821:224-226.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269634614_Ethical_Valu
es_and_Biological_Diversity_A_Preliminary_Assessment_Approach
Navaro-Perez, M. and K.G. Tidball. (2012). Challenges of biodiversity
education: a review of educational strategies for biodiversity
education. International Electronic Journal of Environmental
Education: 2, 1: 13-30.
Potter, C.S., Cohen, J.I. and Janezewski, D (Eds). (1993). Perspectives
on Biodiversity: Case Studies of Genetic Resource Conservation and
Development. AAAS Press, Washington DC.
Cohen, J.I. In press, ABT. Biodiversity Education and the
Anthropocene: An Indicator of Extinction or Recovery. 2016.