Name ______________________________ Class __________________ Date __________________
Skills Worksheet
Active Reading
Section: Biodiversity at Risk
Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow.
Like rain forests, coral reefs occupy a small fraction of the marine
environment yet contain the majority of the biodiversity there. Reefs
provide millions of people with food, tourism revenue, coastal
protection, and sources of new chemicals. One study in 1998 estimated
the value of these services to be $375 billion per year. But reefs are
poorly studied and not as well protected by laws as terrestrial areas are.
Nearly 60 percent of Earth’s coral reefs are threatened by human
activities, such as development along waterways, over fishing, and
pollution. Similar threats affect coastal ecosystems, such as swamps,
marshes, shores, and kelp beds. Coastal areas are travel routes for
many migrating species as well as links to ecosystems on land.
IDENTIFYING MAIN IDEAS
One reading skill is the ability to identify the main idea of a passage. The main
idea is the main focus or key idea. Frequently, a main idea is accompanied by
supporting information that offers detailed facts about main ideas.
Read each question and write the answer in the space provided.
1. How much of the marine environment do coral reefs make up?
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2. What percentage of coral reefs are threatened by human activity?
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3. How much of the marine environment’s biodiversity is contained in Earth’s
coral reefs?
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4. How much money are the coral reefs worth, according to one study?
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5. Which are better protected by laws, terrestrial areas or coral reef areas?
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6. Name four reasons why coral reefs are beneficial to humans.
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7. Name four types of coastal ecosystems.
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Biodiversity
Name ______________________________ Class __________________ Date __________________
Active Reading continued
RECOGNIZING SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES
One reading skill is the ability to recognize similarities and differences between
two phrases, ideas, or things. This is sometimes known as comparing and
contrasting.
Read each question and write the answer in the space provided.
8. What are the similarities between coral reefs and coastal ecosystems?
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9. What three human activities are threatening both coral reefs and coastal
ecosystems?
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RECOGNIZING CAUSE AND EFFECT
One reading skill is the ability to recognize cause and effect.
Read each question and write the answer in the space provided.
10. Why are coral reefs perhaps in more danger than inland areas?
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11. What two purposes do coastal areas serve for wildlife?
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12. List three reasons why it is beneficial to humans to protect coral reefs.
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Holt Environmental science
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Biodiversity
TEACHER RESOURCE PAGE
probably no way to know beforehand whether
one or more wolf populations will begin
preying on livestock. (Note: Studies have
shown that there is little evidence to support
the claim that wolves are responsible for
killing large numbers of livestock.)
17. No; we do not fully understand what effects
we are having on the environment when we
eliminate a species from an ecosystem.
However, we have seen many cases where
the results have been negative. Such
tampering has been at least partly responsible
for the losses of additional populations and
species that have occurred over the last
several centuries.
8. Both contain biodiversity; both serve
important purposes but are being threatened
by human activity.
9. developments along waterways, over fishing,
and pollution
10. They aren’t well studied and aren’t as well
protected by laws.
11. travel routes for migrating species and links
to ecosystems on land
12. Answers may vary. Students might listany of
the following: Services providedby coral
reefs are worth an estimated$375 billion per
year; the reefs provide food, tourism revenue,
coastal protection, and sources of new
chemicals; it is important to protect areas of
vastbiodiversity.
Active Reading
SECTION: THE FUTURE OF
BIODIVERSITY
SECTION: WHAT IS BIODIVERSITY?
1. b
2. a
3. d
4. Answers may vary; for example: Biodiversity
is critical to world food supplies.
5. biodiversity
6. a crop developed by combining genetic
materials from other populations
7. It has been crossbred with other plant
populations.
8. a few areas of high biodiversity
9. combining genetic material from other
populations
10. If humans rely on one crop and that crop
becomes diseased, the entire crop could be
wiped out and there would not be enough
food.
11. If the crop is diseased and the plants are
crossbred with their wild plant relatives, the
resulting hybrid may be more resistant to
disease.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
b
d
a
983
the federal government
The federal government is not allowed to
carry out any project that might harm a listed
species.
everyone
d
a
compile a list of all endangered and
threatened species in the United States
a fine
The second provision is violated if people
harm, buy, or sell any part of an endangered
species.
Map Skills
1. fork-marked lemur; golden-brown mouse
lemur
2. endangered
3. golden bamboo lemur; fork-marked lemur
4. Answers may vary. Students should indicate
an understanding of the fact that the map
shows distribution of the population, not the
population itself.So, although the golden
bamboo lemur does not have the smallest
distribution, it may have the smallest over all
population
SECTION: BIODIVERSITY AT RISK
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
a small fraction
60 percent
the majority of it
$375 billion per year
terrestrial areas
Coral reefs are a source of food,money from
tourism, coastal protection, and new
chemicals.
7. swamps, marshes, shores, and kelp beds
.
Original content Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Additions and changes to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.
Holt Environmental science
99
Biodiversity