Category: Books Online

Chapter 8 { Losing Biodiversity Contents } “We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.”– Aldo Leopold, 1948 Visit Yellowstone today, and despite roads and tourists everywhere, you may […]

Chapter 7 { Losing Biodiversity Contents } “It is early morning. I am alone on the deck of the research ship Calypso. “The sea is flat and grayish-blue. The air is hot and sultry. There is hardly any breeze. Overhead, heavy dark clouds are silently piling up into billowing pyramids… “What is it about the […]

{ Losing Biodiversity Contents } The Predatory Bird Research Group is located at the Long Marine Lab of the University of California, Santa Cruz in California. This story combines mystery, high adventure, and camaraderie, all dedicated to a creature of sky and cliffs. In the 1970’s, a small team of California biologists set out to […]

{ Losing Biodiversity Contents } { All GSS Books } Plants are essential to the development of soil. Their dead leaves and fruits are broken down into humus by hundreds of different kinds of soil organisms. Humus is an organic mixture that is constantly broken down further by fungi and bacteria. These decomposers reuse the […]

Chapter 5 { Losing Biodiversity Contents } Imagine you are standing barefoot in a grassy meadow. Beneath your feet countless earthworms, insect larvae, crustaceans, and roots are sheltered by the tough fabric of the grass.  Fungi and bacteria are dissolving away the dead bodies of tiny creatures, releasing nutrients for the plants.  The hidden world […]

Chapter 4 { Losing Biodiversity Contents } How did millions of different kinds of organisms evolve?  Question 4.1  Looking for human variation.  Choose an easily visible trait like shape of face, nose, or mouth, and make a tally of all the different shapes you see on a TV news program that zooms in on people around […]

Chapter 3 { Losing Biodiversity Contents } If you have seen science fiction movies like Jurassic Park, you may be able to imagine what Earth was like during the time of the dinosaurs—before human societies existed.  In the 1800s, however, most people couldn’t imagine a time before the Biblical descriptions of life on Earth.  Shell […]

Chapter 2 { Losing Biodiversity Contents } Imagine you are sitting on a hill looking out over prairie grassland that stretches as far as your eyes can see. The time is the spring of 1492, and you, an Omaha Indian, eagerly await the return of the buffalo. On the southern horizon, a black tide moves […]

{ Losing Biodiversity Contents } { All GSS Books } The “green patches” found in school gardens, city parks, backyards, and travel corridors are potential habitats for native species of plants and animals. In this activity, you will record evidence of species diversity for an urban habitat that has vegetation. Your habitat study will provide […]

Chapter 1 { Losing Biodiversity Contents } Biodiversity is the sum total of life forms that exist today and the habitats that support them. This diversity of organisms, or species, includes bacteria and viruses, as well as dandelions, mushrooms, and mosquitoes. The endangered habitats that support life range from tide pools and deserts to peat bogs […]