Connecticut

NATURE
Common Core Standards CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.1-3.10/4.1-4.10/5.1-5.10

Biodiversity
Written by Michelle Eckman, Connecticut Audubon Society

Edward O. Wilson, a famous biologist and entomologist, first coined the term biodiversity in his book
The Diversity of Life in 1992. The definition of the word becomes clear when it is broken down into its
parts: “bio” means life and “diversity” means variety. Biodiversity refers to the variety of organisms in an
ecosystem. Biodiversity is essential to ecosystem health and function. In general, the more different types of
species that live in an ecosystem, the more resilient the ecosystem is as a whole. When ecosystems have high
biodiversity, they are better able to defend against disease, extreme weather events, and other forms of distur-
bance. Loss of biodiversity is a serious conservation issue worldwide, including here in Connecticut.

Ecosystems provide us with many valuable services, including flood protection, air and water filtration, food, and medi-
cines. All organisms have a job to do in their ecosystem and are responsible for many of these services. As you may
imagine, the more organisms an ecosystem has, the better the quality of services they provide us.

As people continue to alter our landscape and atmo-

sphere by building homes and offices, polluting the wa-
ter and air, etc., the organisms in our ecosystems may
or may not have the ability to survive those changes.
As organisms die as a result of pollution, building, etc.,
we are left with fewer types of organisms - biodiversity
decreases. The risk is that surviving species may not be
the ones responsible for the vital services ecosystems
provide (e.g., some species of aquatic plants help re-
move pollutants from the water column in wetlands while
others do not). Over time, that leaves the remaining or-
ganisms, including humans, with fewer resources to rely
upon, and increased competition for those resources.  
http://www.lostbirdfilm.org/explore_heathhen

We have already lost some biodiversity here in Connecticut; 3 species of birds, 2 species of fish, and 2 species of mammals have
gone extinct in just the past 100 years. This may not seem like a lot of species, but all of these extinctions were due to human be-
havior and not natural causes: overhunting, pollution and loss of habitat.

http://www.fws.gov/endangered/about/2012.html The heath hen (Tympanuchus cupido cupido) was a bird

species that lived in the northeastern part of the United
States, including Connecticut. The heath hen was extirpated
from the mainland in 1970 and a very small population on
Martha’s Vineyard survived until the last heath hen was seen
on March 11, 1932. As their name implies, this species lived
in meadows and grasslands. This bird was a favorite among
hunters, as it was edible and easy to shoot. Hunt-
ing and habitat loss were major
causes of their decline, but the
same meadows and grasslands
that they relied upon for their
habitat were turned into farms as
    more and more people moved
http://www.lostbirdfilm.org/explore_heathhen into the area.

Student
Did You Know?
Activity
Species are going extinct worldwide approximately
1,000 times faster now than they did 500 years ago.
Scientists know of approximately 1,000 species that
have gone extinct in North America. Some of these in-
clude the woodland bison of West Virginia and Arizona’s
Merriam’s elk to the Rocky Mountain grasshopper. This
does not include the thousands of species that disap-
peared before scientists had a chance to study them.
Nobody really knows how many species are in danger
of becoming extinct. Princeton University scientist David
Wilcove estimates that there are likely as many as
35,000 endangered species in the United States.
For more information, go to http://www.biologicaldiver-
sity.org/programs/biodiversity/elements_of_biodiversity/
extinction_crisis/
Put Caring Into Action:
When many people hear about the loss of biodiversity and endangered species, they ask what they can
do to help. Remember: protecting biodiversity also protects YOU! Here are some simple and easy things
you can do at school or home.
1. Spread the word about the importance of biodiversity by writing a letter to your local newspaper. If they
choose to publish it, you have very quickly educated many people about this very important issue!
2. Send an email or letter to your Senators and ask them to support the Endangered Species Act, Clean
Air Act, Clean Water Act, and any other proposed laws that protect biodiversity and the environment. To
find out the name and contact information for your local Senators, go to http://www.senate.gov/general/
contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
3. Get involved as a citizen scientist.
a. Find out when the next clean-up is planned for a local park, beach, or river
and volunteer for the clean-up
b. Share nature discoveries, observations and photographs with the National
Audubon Society, Cornell University, National Wildlife Federation or other
organizations that have Citizen Science programs. Just type in “citizen

Vocabulary science projects” into your favorite search engine online and you will find
many resources!
Using a dictionary, look up all of the italicized words for 4. Tell your friends and family about the importance of biodiversity and ask them
their meanings. to join you in helping protect biodiversity.