Conservation Biology
Chapter 38 Objectives
Opening Essay
Describe the goals of conservation biology and the particular challenges of managing
tigers in Asia.
The Biodiversity Crisis
38.1
38.2
38.3
38.4
38.4
38.5–38.8
Explain why biodiversity is vital to human welfare. Explain the biological significance of
the island of Madagascar.
Describe the three components of biodiversity. Explain how human activities can threaten
biodiversity. Distinguish between endangered species and threatened species.
Describe the three greatest current threats to biodiversity, providing examples of each.
Explain how human activity has polluted the environment and contributed to the thinning
of the ozone layer. Describe the consequences of these actions.
Describe the process of biological magnification.
Describe the causes and consequences of global warming.
Conservation Biology and Restoration Ecology
38.9
38.10
38.11
38.12
38.13
38.14
38.15
Explain why the efforts to save the red-cockaded woodpecker from extinction are a good
model for future conservation efforts.
Describe the goals of landscape ecology. Describe the significance of edges and movement corridors in maintaining biodiversity.
Describe the significance of biodiversity hotspots. Describe the challenges of protecting
species that migrate or otherwise require great ranges.
Explain how zoned reserves are being used to protect ecosystems. Describe the success
and ongoing challenges of such reserves in Costa Rica.
Describe the goals of the Yukon to Yellowstone Initiative. Explain why wolves are considered a keystone species and how their return to Yellowstone National Park has
impacted the ecosystem there.
Describe the goals and methods of restoration ecology. Describe the goals and expected
outcomes of the Kissimmee River Project.
Explain why sustainable development should be the ultimate goal for the long-term maintenance of human societies and the ecosystems that support them.
Key Terms
biodiversity
biodiversity crisis
biodiversity hot spot
biological magnification
conservation biology
endangered species
endemic species
landscape ecology
movement corridor
ozone layer
phenotypic plasticity
restoration ecology
sustainable development
threatened species
zoned reserve
Word Roots
bio- 5 life (biodiversity: the variety of living things, encompassing genetic diversity, species diversity,
and ecosystem diversity; biodiversity crisis: the current rapid decline in the variety of life on Earth, due
largely to the effects of human activity; biodiversity hot spot: a small geographic area with an exceptional
concentration of endangered and threatened species, especially endemic species; biological magnification:
the process by which the residual concentration of a substance increases in the tissues of consumers as it
travels up the food chain)
end- 5 within (endemic species: a species whose distribution is limited to a specific geographic area)
pheno- 5 appear (phenotypic plasticity: an individual’s ability to change phenotype in response to local
environmental conditions)
Student Media
The Biodiversity Crisis: An Overview
MP3 Tutor: Global Warming (38.5)
Activity: Connection: Madagascar and the Biodiversity Crisis (38.1)
Activity: Connection: Fire Ants: An Invasive Species (38.3)
Activity: Connection: DDT and the Environment (38.4)
Activity: Connection: The Greenhouse Effect (38.6)
Discovery Channel Video Clip: Introduced Species (38.3)
Video: Coral Reef (38.2)
GraphIt!: Forestation Change (38.3)
GraphIt!: Global Fisheries and Overfishing (38.3)
GraphIt!: Global Fresh Water Resources (38.3)
GraphIt!: Atmosphere CO2 and Temperature Changes (38.6)
You Decide: Does Human Activity Cause Global Warming? (38.6)
BLAST Animation: The Greenhouse Effect (38.6)
Conservation Biology and Restoration Ecology
Activity: Conservation Biology Review (38.15)
Process of Science: How Are Potential Restoration Sites Analyzed? (38.14)
You Decide: Can We Prevent Species Extinction? (38.11)