TG Losing Biodiversity

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Objectives [] Assessment [] Resources
Guides for each Chapter: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8

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Teaching Objectives

Goal 1: Students appreciate how we depend on the biodiversity of our planet.

• Objective 1A: Students can tell others about changes they have observed in their local environment, and categorize the changes by the impact on people and other species.
• Objective 1B: Students can describe the many values of biodiversity, and explain why the extinction of species is a problem.
• Objective 1C: Students can describe ethical issues related to sustaining biodiversity and give examples of laws that support environmental ethics.

Goal 2: Students perform scientific and mathematical studies and experiments that reveal the importance of conserving biodiversity.

• Objective 2A: Students can draw, map, document, and compare the diversity of species in a study plot.
• Objective 2B: Students can apply mathematics to: comparing species diversity, graphing population growth, simulating natural selection, and predicting the outcome of hybrid crosses.
• Objective 2C: Students can design and conduct experiments to investigate the properties of soil.

Goal 3: Students recognize the interdependence of life in the global system.

• Objective 3A: Students can give examples of renewable resources and why they are vulnerable to human impact. Objective 3B: Students can explain the concept of a keystone species, and give an example of how loss of a keystone species can impact the biodiversity of an entire region.
• Objective 3C: Students can explain the concept of natural selection and give examples of how this process can lead to the evolution of a new species. 
• Objective 3D: Students can explain why it is important to conserve Earth’s library of genetic codes.

Goal 4: Students identify the many human activities that are impacting other species.

• Objective 4A: Students can identify, read, and collect news articles on biodiversity issues.
• Objective 4B: Students can give examples of how habitat destruction, overharvest of species, new technology, pest control, introduced species, plastics in the ocean, and military operations have contributed to the loss of biodiversity.
• Objective 4C: Students can conduct supermarket research to identify and compare the impacts of products on the environment.

Goal 5: Students recognize the important roles that individuals play in preserving diversity of life on our planet.

• Objective 5A: Students can describe several different perspectives of people who consider themselves conservationists.
• Objective 5B: Students can describe the work of several people wellknown for their work to conserve biodiversity.
• Objective 5C: Students can describe several kinds of community and youth action projects that are improving environmental conditions for people and other species. 

Goal 6: Students contribute to educating others about the importance of conserving biodiversity, and take steps to reduce their own impact on the environment.

• Objective 6A: Students can recommend practical ways of improving the biodiversity of study plots.
• Objective 6B: Students can research both sides of a local issue and make recommendations for solutions based on evidence.
• Objective 6C: Students can share their findings about “green” products with others in the community. 
• Objective 6D: Students can discuss their plans for reducing their own impact on the environment.

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Objectives [] Assessment [] Resources
Guides for each Chapter: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8

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Assessment Tasks

1. Portfolio

We especially encourage the use of portfolios as a means of providing feedback to students and to demonstrate evidence of student progress to parents. Portfolios for Losing Biodiversity might include: 

• Drawings, maps, and descriptions of organisms observed during the “Biodiversity Assessment” Field study. 
• Mathematical calculations for “Estimate the Number of Bison Killed”. 
• A graph of bison population growth. 
• A letter to a newspaper editor about an environmental issue. 
• Lab reports on “Comparing Soils.” 
• Report for “Product Research” activity. 
• A final essay for Chapter 8. 

In addition to portfolios, we suggest that you use assessment tasks both before and after presenting the unit. The papers that students’ complete before beginning the unit will help you diagnose their needs and adjust your plans accordingly. Comparing these papers to the students’ responses on the same tasks after completing the unit will allow you to determine how their understanding and attitudes have changed as a result of instruction. The following are two tasks that can be used for pre- and post- assessment: 

2. Questionnaire

These questions are designed to determine how students’ knowledge of key concepts have changed during the unit, and whether or not they have changed their opinions concerning personal actions and environmental issues. 

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[Losing Biodiversity Questionnaire page 2]

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3. Concept Map

Asking students to create a concept map before and after the unit is one way to determine which concepts they have learned and their understanding of the connections among these concepts. If students have not had experience in concept mapping, you might want to start them out with a hand-out showing an example (master on p. 7), a general idea of what they are to map, and starting word(s) to help get them started. Once they have had experience with concept maps, they can create them on blank sheets of paper (no photocopying required). Alternatively, they can use concept mapping software such as

• Inspiration (http://www.inspiration.com) 
• Decision Explorer (http://www.banxia.com). 
• CMap (http://cmap.ihmc.us/conceptmap.html – free for noncommercial use). 
• Compendium (http://compendium.open.ac.uk/institute/ – free download). 
• Omnigraffle (http://www.omnigroup.com/applications/omnigraffle Mac OSX) 
• Freemind (http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/ 
• Main_Page – open source software for mind-mapping.) 
• Microsoft Draw (comes with Microsoft Office)

Losing Biodiversity—Concept Map

Life

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Some possible key words to use: biology, biodiversity, extinct, extinction, species, inheritance, soil, bird, predatory, ocean, sustainable, habitat, bison, renewable, buffalo, Darwin, natural selection, evolution, population, organism, trait, mutation, genetic, diversity, soil, prairie, organizm, dust bowl, predatory bird, bird, ornithologist, ornithology, DDT, falcon, peregrine, ocean, ecosystem, food web, coral, coral reef, wetland, jellyfish, audubon, sea turtle, whale, dolphin, manatee, sea lion, marine, pollution, plastic, tuna, conservation, conserve, desert, old growth, forest, environmental ethics, ferret, Endangered Species Act, condor, woodpecker, wolf, eagle, owl, coyote, toxin, bald eagle, compost, garden, gardening, organic, organic gardening.

Interpreting Student Responses
The tasks should be interpreted in terms of the objectives listed above This is straightforward in the case of the questionnaire, where questions correspond to the objectives as follows:

Goal	Objective	Questionnaire #
1	1B	1, 2
2	2B	3
3	3A	2, 3
	3B 3C	2 3
4	4B	4
	4C	5
5	5B	5
	5C	5
6	6B	4
	6D	5

The Concept Map is more loosely related to specific objectives. Comparing students’ papers before and after instruction may show that they have learned more about some objectives than others, and that some misconceptions persist while others have been corrected.  

Pair students’ pre-and post-assessment papers and compare them. With the list of objectives in mind, look for changes in the students’ attitudes and understanding. As you look through the papers, write comments for individual students concerning main points they may have missed, or praise them for their insights and ideas. After looking over all of the papers, write down some generalizations for what the class as a whole learned or did not learn during the course.

–Get PDF of the Assessment Tasks—

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Student Self Assessments
Developed by Janet Baker and Valerie Ayala
Student self assessments can be particularly useful in providing
feedback about group work. It is difficult for teachers to observe all aspects of teamwork. The self assessment can serve as a powerful reminder to the student that cooperative skills are an important aspect of learning. The following sample assessment can be used with many of the group activities in this unit.

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Objectives [] Assessment [] Resources
Guides for each Chapter: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8

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Guides for Each Chapter

Before You Start

• At least a day or two before you begin Losing Biodiversity, distribute copies of the two assessment tasks on the previous pages and ask your students to answer the questions. Explain that they will not be graded on these. The purpose is for them to show you what they already know so that you can plan the course accordingly.
• Invite students to bring in news clippings about the diversity of life on our planet, endangered species, and other related topics. Put these on a bulletin board, or in a clipping file, organized by topic. Relate the articles to class discussions, and make them available for students to use when they are selecting a topic for the final essay

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Guide for Chapter 1:
Seeking Biodiversity 

• Most urban youth have little experience with environmental studies. The intent of this chapter is to give them a taste of the amazing and enjoyable work of the ecologist, and to sharpen their awareness of the changes occurring in their communities. 
• For openers, facilitate a class brainstorm of the changes to the local environment students have seen in the last few years. Ask them, “In what ways do these changes make the environment better or worse for people? In what ways do the changes benefit or harm other species that inhabit the area? 
• Show students the Losing Biodiversity Student Guide, and define “biodiversity” as the total of all life forms on Earth, including the different varieties as well as all the habitats that support them. Explain that biodiversity refers to the number of different kinds of organisms, as well as the variety of natural environments. Point out that humans have evolved as part of Earth’s living systems, so people and their cultures are also an important part of Earth’s biodiversity.

• Direct students to examine the graph of Human Colonization and Associated Species Loss at the end of section II. In which region was the percent of species lost the smallest? (Africa) Invite their ideas to explain this graph. (One possible explanation is that humans and large animals co-evolved in Africa, so that species were better adapted to survive human hunting.
• Ask students why they think the large species tended to be more susceptible to extinction (lower reproductive rate, including longer time to maturation, more limited habitat, more visible and slower, to name a few).
• Invite volunteers to comment on why they think people are concerned about the loss of biodiversity 

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1-IV. Why Conserve Biodiversity?

• Begin the next class session with the question: Why Conserve Biodiversity? Record their responses on chart paper that can be saved.
• Point out that rain forests and the ocean depths are obvious frontiers for finding unknown species, but even in North America there are many habitats that need more study. Curiosity and delight in finding new things have always driven humans to explore, yet in every area of the world, people are greatly changing natural environments without first knowing what lives there. 
• You may want to show students the June 20, 1994 Issue of Time, in which Eugene Linden describes the 1992 expedition of Vietnamese biologists who explored the isolated mountains along the border of Vietnam and Laos. Describe how the research team discovered several new genera of large mammals related to cattle. Add the article to the class clipping collection for students to borrow.
• Tell students that as they progress through the unit you expect them to gather scientific and societal evidence from various sources to support the arguements for conserving biodiversity.

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Objectives [] Assessment [] Resources
Guides for each Chapter: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8

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Guide for Chapter 2 
The Trail Back from Near Extinction

The drama that unfolded on the vast grasslands of North America will be the example for understanding the world-wide problem of extinction. The story of the near-extinction of the buffalo and the Indian nations provides the following lessons about biodiversity.

• Unregulated competition for resources can lead to species extinction (Brown et al. 1994, Dunlap 1988, Hornaday 1913, National Research Council 1994, Rorbacher 1970, Youth 1994).
• Declining populations of some species can cause a chain reaction of negative effects on people, other species, and environments (Sunquist 1988, Wilson 1988).
• Wars can have large negative impacts on species and environments, as well as on indigenous cultures (Parfit 1989, Nabokov 1978, Shaller 1995, Waldman 1985).
• With wise management, endangered resources like bison can be renewed and sustained (Ausuble 1996, Hodgson 1994). 
• There is a need to improve the ways people interact with each other and the environment that sustains all communities and nations. (Convention on Biodiversity 1994, Harrison 1993, Sale 1990).
• If possible, show students segments from the movie Dances with Wolves, to provide a powerful visual recreation of the prairie ecosystem and Native American way of life in the 1800’s. 
•  Assign students to read section 2-II. What Happened To the Buffalo?, and encourage them to share their reactions. Ask them to help you list some modern day examples of species near the brink of extinction (California condor, manatee, right whale, whooping crane, black footed ferret, to name a few). 
• You may want to use the wolf as an example of a species that once had a distribution even greater than the bison. Wolf populations have been reduced to fewer than 1000 animals in the lower 48 States. 

2-I. Bison–A Keystone Species

• Provide some further examples of keystone species by describing the northern tundra ecosystem which supports vast herds of caribou feeding on lichens, dwarf trees, and shrubs. The Masai Mara plains and Serengeti plains of East Africa, are additional examples in which the wildebeest are a keystone species, shaping the land and vegetation, while supporting a diversity of predators and scavengers.  

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• Provide time for a discussion of the military campaign against the Indians. Genocide continues today in various parts of the world. We suggest you craft the session so that students examine the global picture of genocide and the loss of human and biological potential that accompanies such destructive efforts.
• Encourage students to also suggest losses to human society that result from the loss of individual cultures (knowledge about the land and medicines, ideas for solving human problems, human biological diversity, art, and technology, to name a few).
• Use the following video documentaries to provide insights into the demise of Native American cultures:
  Ishi, Last of the Yahi, The American Experience Series of WBGH Boston, 1994 Shanachie Entertainment Corp. 
  Attack on Culture, 500 Nations productions, a Jack Leustig Film, 1994, TIG Productions.

2-III. Renewable Resources

• Point out that during the same period of 1700- 1900, the vast hardwood and conifer forests east of the Mississippi were clearcut and converted to farmland. Another example of overharvest, is the case of the commercial feather trade for women’s hats, which caused the extinction of some species and dramatically reduced the populations of many other bird species (Dunlap 1988, Hornaday 1913). 
• Explain that during those times of unregulated consumption of the nation’s natural resources, what seemed to many to be unlimited supplies of wildlife, timber, and land, were depleted and often wasted.
• Ask students if they can think of some modern day examples of rapid consumption of what appear to be vast natural resources (Amazon forests, ocean fisheries). 

2-IV. Who Helped Save the Buffalo?
This section describes the grass roots and legal efforts, from the 1860’s through the early 1900’s, to save the bison. It serves as a powerful case study for the sustained efforts of people from diverse backgrounds.

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Objectives [] Assessment [] Resources
Guides for each Chapter: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8

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Guide for Chapter 3: 
The Origin of Species

This chapter adopts an historical approach to show how Darwin and Wallace synthesized their ideas from the results of extensive scientific observations and the ideas of other theorists like Charles Lyell and Thomas Malthus. In the last two decades, there have been more than 100 scientific studies that directly demonstrate that natural selection occurs in populations of plants and animals. New species of fruit flies, bacteria, yeast, and viruses have evolved in the laboratory, and DDTresistant varieties of insects have arisen in the wild. Darwin’s and Wallace’s work stimulated a flurry of scientific research and debate that is still going strong today.

The Theory of Evolution draws on physical evidence from many fields of biology, earth science, and chemistry. To make this abstract theory tangible, teachers should give students a variety of experiences that include observations and comparisons of fossils and living organisms, simulations of complex processes, and opportunities to discuss explanations for observed phenomena.

The National Science Education Standards (1995) identify biological evolution as a content area to be learned by all students grades 9-12. The content examples listed include: “Natural selection and its evolutionary consequences provide a scientific explanation for the fossil record of ancient life forms, as well as for the striking molecular similarities observed among the diverse species of living organisms…The millions of different species of plants, animals, and microorganisms that live on Earth today are related by descent from common ancestors.”

This topic remains controversial, especially with respect to religious beliefs, therefore, it is important to present the theory in the context of the nature of scientific inquiry. 

The Benchmarks for Scientific Literacy provide the following national guidelines: “Controversy is an important aspect of the scientific process. Students should realize that although virtually all scientists accept the general concept of evolution of species, scientists do have different opinions on how far and by what mechanisms evolution proceeds.” (page 122) “In the short run, new ideas that do not mesh well with mainstream ideas in science often encounter vigorous criticism. In the long run, theories are judged by how they fit with other theories, the range of observations they explain, how well they explain observations, and how effective they are in predicting new findings.” (page 13)

The National Center for Science Education has a number of excellent pamphlets, newsletters, books, and videos that are designed for high school teachers and students. The organization also provides assistance and information for teachers who are under pressure not to teach the science behind the Theory of Evolution. (See the Resources section at the end of this book.)

3-I to 3-IV

• Have students read these sections, during which they are introduced to the following concepts: variation of traits within a population, competition for scarce resources, and natural selection of favorable traits. 
• Invite students to comment on Darwin’s trip and what it might have been like to work as a naturalist for five years aboard a ship.
• Point out that many scientists encouraged Darwin and Wallace to make public their ideas in the joint paper, “On the tendency of Species to form Varieties and on the Perpetuation of Varieties and Species by Natural Means of Selection”, presented to the Linnean Society in 1858. The paper stimulated great scientific dialogue, much of it in support of the new ideas. Partly because of the abstract nature of the theory, it has continued to be misinterpreted and misrepresented by many who are unfamiliar with the extensive research revealing the process of evolution. 
• Ask volunteers to explain how the populations of finches and pepper moths changed over time. 

3-III. The Theory of Natural Selection 

1. Every population includes individuals with a variety of physical and behavioral characteristics, or “traits” that are inherited.
2. Every population produces more offspring than can survive. 
3. Competition for scarce resources and the natural hardships of living favor the survival of individuals whose traits make them well-adapted to their environment. 
4. The better-adapted offspring survive in greater numbers to pass on their characteristics. Over many generations, the population is dominated by individuals that have inherited the most favorable traits for that environment. 
5. Organisms less suited to the environment have a greater risk of dying young from predation, starvation, and other mortality factors or of failing to produce offspring. 

Your students might enjoy hearing you read a passage from letter written during, the voyage of the Beagle. The following excerpt is from The Autobiography of Charles Darwin and Selected Letters, edited by his son Francis Darwin (1892, 1958). 

May 18, 1832, to J. S. Henslow (Cambridge professor and friend):
            “Here [Rio], I first saw a tropical forest in all its sublime grandeur— nothing but the reality can give any idea how wonderful, how magnificent the scene is. If I was to specify any one thing I should give the preeminence to the host of parasitical plants….I am now collecting freshwater and land animals; if what was told me in London is true, viz., that there are no small insects in the collections from the Tropics, I tell Entomologists to look out and have their pens ready for describing.” page 141.

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• Assign students to read the remainder of the chapter.
• Scientist E.O. Wilson (1975) was one of the first to theorize and demonstrate with mathematical models how the social behavior of giving up one’s life defending one’s relatives can provide a survival advantage to the genes of the altruist. Important genetic traits common to both the altruist and the surviving relatives can thereby be passed on to the next generation.
• Have students work in small groups to list examples of social behaviors that have improved survival of our species.
• Rotate among the groups, calling on volunteers to share examples.
• Assign question 4.1, “Looking for Human Variation” as homework, to encourage students to look for examples of genetic variation. Direct students to choose a characteristic that can be inherited such as face, nose, or ear shape, and make a tally of all the different examples they can identify during a TV broadcast.

Chapter Extensions
by Janet Baker and Valerie Ayala

Assign students library research on niche invasion by introduced species such as starlings, English sparrows, Africanized bees in the United States, and rabbits and foxes in Australia.

Work with the social studies teacher to promote student research on the Scopes trial and current efforts to inhibit teaching of evolution in states such as Tennessee and Kansas.

Have students write and illustrate a poem or a haiku about natural selection, adaptations, predator prey relationships, or extinction.

Request that students write a review of a book written by a scientist who is describing his or her work, such as:

• The Voyage of the Beagle. Charles Darwin
• Hen’s Teeth and Horse’s Toes. Stephen J. Gould
• King Solomon’s Ring, Konrad Lorenz 

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Resources
Cambridge Encyclopedia of Human Evolution, Cambridge University Press, 1992, ISBN 0-521-323703. This is an excellent resource for brushing up on the human evolutionary perspective. A range of subjects are included: genetics, primatology, fossil origins, human biology and ecology, demography, and disease. Special emphasis is placed throughout on the biological diversity of modern people and the increasing evidence

Darwin’s Revolution, Program 8 of the series, The Day the Universe Changed.

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Objectives [] Assessment [] Resources
Guides for each Chapter: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8

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Guide for Chapter 4 
The Puzzle of Inheritance 

This chapter provides a very brief sketch of the complex field of genetics and DNA science. The purpose is to provide students with a sense of how this field continues to emerge, revealing the natural processes that enable the continuity of life and the evolution of new species. 

The following topics are introduced: Mendel’s mathematical model Cell division—mitosis Formation of sex cells—meiosis Mutations— crossing over, jumping genes, polyploidy, radiation damage DNA structure Molecular evidence for evolution Natural Selection for Sickle-Cell

Inform students that they will just scratch the surface of this amazing area of research. Invite them to dive more deeply into the fascinating subject by visiting some of the engaging web sites referenced at the bottom of this page.

The following topics are not addressed in this unit: incomplete dominance, gene linkage, sex chromosomes, sex linkage, polygenic inheritance, genes with multiple alleles, and DNA replication.

Have students read the introduction. Direct their attention to the diagram of Five Kingdoms of Life Forms. Point out that the ovals depict only a minute sample of organisms, showing the broad relationships between the major groups of life and implying a common ancestor for plants, fungi, animals and protists. 

Tell students that by the end of the chapter, they should be able to answer the following questions:

1. How do organisms pass on their traits to their offspring?  
2. Why do certain traits, such as blue eyes or straight hair, seem to be absent in offspring, but then show up several generations later.
3. Why do offspring have only some of the traits of their parents but not others? 
4. What causes mutations? 
5. How is understanding genetics important to the problem of losing biodiversity

Introduce Father Gregor Mendel as the first person to publish a scientific investigation of inherited traits. He was a contemporary of Darwin, but neither scientist was aware of the other’s work. Mendel’s studies did not catch the attention of scientists until after his death in 1900. 

Mendel was lucky in his choice of the pea plant, which shows several very visible traits that can be inherited independently. Mendel was able to develop a mathematical model to predict the frequency that “masked” traits would show up in successive generations. His model is still useful for understanding some basic genetic relationships, although today we know that inheritance of traits can be affected by many additional factors (location on the chromosome, sex of the offspring, multiple genes contributing to the trait, and tendency for the chromosomes to exchange segments). 

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Organize a laboratory session with microscopes for students to prepare and observe slides of onion root tip cells in various stages of mitosis and their own cheek cells. Students should stain the tissue with iodine or methelene blue to make the cell structures more visible.

Provide time for students to read 4-III,4-IV, and 4-V, and use overhead transparencies of mitosis and meiosis to lead the students through the simplified stages of cell division. 

Assuming this is an introductory course, don’t ask students to memorize the detailed sequences of the two kinds of cell division. The important points they should gain from the comparison are:

• Mitosis is how the body grows, providing more new cells identical to the cells that are dividing;
• Meiosis results in sex cells with half of the total compliment of chromosomes. For this reason sex cells exhibit various combinations derived from the total set of paired chromosomes. Sexual reproduction enables new combinations of genes.
• When two sex cells unite the new growing organism has one of each kind of chromosome from each parent.
• A mutation during meiosis can be inherited by the offspring. 

Internet Web Sites for Genetics Education

• DNA Learning Center at Cold Spring Harbor http://www.dnalc.org/home.html
• Genetics Education Center, University of Kansas Medical Centerhttp://www.kumc.edu/gec/
• ACCESS EXCELLENCE about biotechnologyhttp://www.accessexcellence.org/AB/GG/structure.html
• Science Explained, The Cloning of Dollyhttp://www.synapses.co.uk/science/clone.html
• Thornridge High School Biology Home Pagehttp://wwwed.fnal.gov/help/97/peretz/inherit/biology.html

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Objectives [] Assessment [] Resources
Guides for each Chapter: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8

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Guide for Chapter 5  
Soil: the Living Skin of the Earth 

• In this chapter students learn how the fate of individual species is linked to the quality of their habitats, and ultimately to the health of the soil that supports terrestrial life. As an introduction, invite students to speculate on what Earth would be like without its covering of soil. 
• Following a discussion about the value of soil, assign students to read sections 5-I and 5-II . 
• Invite their comments on the controversy surrounding the “Rivet Popper Hypothesis” and the “Redundancy Hypothesis”. Encourage their suggestions for research projects that could provide useful information to support each premise. 
• Two examples of biodiversity research are described briefly to give students ideas for designing their own soil experiments. Both the Minnesota study and the Ecotron experiments focused on growth of plant matter as the indicator of productivity.
•  Recent scientific research on how species diversity affects productivity is providing information to help resolve the controversies over which species should be saved. Ask student to propose possible improvements, extensions and new experiments related to the two studies described in the Student Guide. 

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Additional Resources
Hicks, Craig, “Minimum Standard Needed to Protect U.S. Rangelands,” NewsReport National Research Council, Spring 1994, pg. 12-15. A new report from the National Research Council’s Committee on Rangeland Classification concludes that protecting the ecological health of the nation’s rangelands should be the first consideration in decisions about grazing, recreation, or other uses. Unfortunately the criteria for determining the health of the range have varied between federal agencies such as the Department of Agriculture’s Soil Conservation Service and Forest Service, and the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management.  

Pimentel, David et al. “Environmental and Economic Costs of soil Erosion and Conservation Benefits,” Science February 24, 1995 Vol. 267 pg. 1117-1122.

This article from Science magazine contains a very complete overview of the rate of worldwide soil loss and the economic costs. The article describes the nature of damage to soils and how this affects plant productivity. Students may find it very helpful in providing ideas for their soil experiments.

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Objectives [] Assessment [] Resources
Guides for each Chapter: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8

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Guide for Chapter 6
Field Trip:
Predatory Bird Research Group

• This chapter is a view into the lives of scientists on the job. The Predatory Bird Research Group (PBRG), at the University of California at Santa Cruz, provides the setting for the research efforts that helped to bring the peregrine falcon back from near extinction. Brian Walton and Janet Linthicum, the two biologists featured in this field trip, are involved with several fascinating studies of predatory bird populations, including bald eagles, golden eagles, burrowing owls, and Harris hawks. 
• The Predatory Bird Research Group web site is an excellent resource for student projects. It is updated frequently and has links to recent news articles, research findings, and leading national and international sites involved with bird research. The program has a strong public education component, and students may contact the program via an email address posted on the web. http://www2.ucsc.edu/scpbrg/ 
• The case of the peregrine falcon, briefly described here through the PBRG research, raises the issue of toxins in the food web. The web site includes the biology behind the effects of DDT/DDE on bird reproduction. 
• You may want to give students extra credit for reading Rachael Carson’s, eloquent Silent Spring, which continues to be one of the most powerful stories of investigative science and the conservation efforts of concerned citizens. 
• The topic of “toxins in the food web” is addressed again in Chapter 8 of the Losing Biodiversity Student Guide. 
• Encourage students to visit the Ventana Wilderness Society web site where they can view the Condor release site through the Condor Cam. This site also posts the monthly Condor field notes, and annual Bird Banding Totals for the the species found in the area. http://www.ventanaws.org

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Objectives [] Assessment [] Resources
Guides for each Chapter: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8

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Guide for Chapter 7
One Global Ocean

• The ocean is ultimately the source of all life on the planet, yet this vast system is very vulnerable to the impacts of our technological society. This chapter examines the productivity of this vast system, how we are reducing the biodiversity of the global ocean, and what people are doing to prevent the destruction of marine organisms and environments.
• We suggest that you show a video segment from one of the many inspirational programs that features Jacques Cousteau’s marine explorations. 
• The Cousteau Log and Dolphin Log, published by the Cousteau Society, are excellent sources of reports on the activities of citizens working to improve the public’s understanding of ocean environmental problems. (Visit the web site: http://www.cousteau.org)
• The Discovery Channel program Blue Planet is available as a series of videos, and may also be accessed on the internet at  www.discovery.com.
• Give students time to read section 7-II, then facilitate a discussion of the International Bill of Environmental Rights. Invite students to share their thoughts and impressions about the impact Cousteau has had on public education.

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7-III. Where Have All the Fish Gone?

• Give students time to read the section, then have them tally the different kinds of fish mentioned in the text and on the map which they have eaten at some time in their life (National Research Council 1994).
• Students will have questions about the terms “depleted” and “fully exploited”. Explain that these are very general ratings. “Depleted” refers to species that have declining fish catches and populations; whereas, “fully exploited” refers to species in which the fish catch has remained about the same for the past few years, and fish populations seem to be remaining about the same. 
• Remind students that fish are renewable resources, and Invite them to suggest ways to build cooperation among people and nations for sustaining the world’s fisheries, including corral and reef fish (Derr 1992, Lawren 1992, Craft, 1994). 

Shrinking Wetlands
There are many different wetland environments distinguished by unique communities of plants, animals, and microorganisms. They range from brackish water mangrove forests of the tropics to fens and bogs in temperate regions. Find out what aquatic environments are located in your area, and contact local park and water resource agencies for educational materials to help you describe local wetlands.

• A field trip to a local wetlands area (pond, stream, marsh) will stimulate student interest and make the science of aquatic biology come alive. The activities, Habitats of a Pond (OBIS 1984) and Water Canaries (Aquatic Project Wild 1988) guide students through several sampling techniques as they investigate the environmental quality of the area.
• If a field trip is not possible, arrange to show segments of a video documentary of an aquatic area, and ask students to be on the look out for examples of relationships between the land and water environments. For example, they may observe the following: a food web that includes aquatic and terrestrial organisms; erosion of soil coupled with sedimentation; breeding and migratory cycles that include land and water environments; and water pollution, to name a few.
• Organize a microscope laboratory session to investigate and compare the amazing diversity of organisms in samples taken from different water environments.
• Have students work in groups to list products that come from wetland environments. How many of the items have their families eaten or used? 

7-VI. Plastic Jellyfish

• Direct students to read this section. Introduce the phenomenon of plastics by inviting students to speculate on how their lives would be different without these amazing substances. Point out that the plastics industry has benefited from the availability of cheap waste and byproducts from the petroleum industry. The emergence of plastics in the second half of the 20th century has had a major impact on economics, environments, and cultures around the world.
• Ask students to suggest some of the warning signs they have noticed in their own lives, that plastics might pose problems (litter that doesn’t break down, children and animals harmed by eating plastic objects, some students may live in neighborhoods subjected to emissions from plastics factories, etc.).
• Poll students to fine out how many of them recycle plastics with their families. Invite them to describe some of their successes and frustrations. This can serve to validate their efforts and generate problem solving ideas.
• Many people who diligently recycle plastics may wonder if their seemingly small contributions make a difference. Local municipal recycling groups can supply impressive data on the annual recycled plastic tonnage from your area. Mention the jobs and services created by recycle efforts.
• Draw students’ attention to Question 7.1 at the end of the section. Invite them to suggest additional questions that they have about the plastics industry and recycling.
• States and cities vary greatly on the extent and kind of recycling services they provide. Some western states have little or no plastic recycling programs. Point out that there are many opportunities for students to initiate educational programs on recycling.
• Plastic recycling is a growth industry. Describe some examples of companies that are creating jobs and profits from reusing our discarded plastics. The book Good Green Jobs by Joel Makower (1995) describes how Talco Plastics, Inc. in Whittier, California has become one of the top ten recyclers of post consumer plastics in the country, working to make recycled plastic products cost-competitive with those made from new materials.
• The Lawrence Hall of Science, Science Education for Public Understanding (SEPUP) Program has excellent activities and materials on plastics that allow students to conduct tests and explore the issues.

7-VII. How Can Consumers Help?
Direct students to read this section.

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Objectives [] Assessment [] Resources
Guides for each Chapter: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8

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Guide for Chapter 8  
Champions of a Sustainable World

In this chapter, students examine the evolution of stewardship ethics and how students, scientists, journalists, citizens, and lawmakers have worked together to solve environmental problems.  

• While students are reading this chapter, draw the Venn diagram from 8-I. What is Conservation?
• Ask students in which circles of the diagram they would place John Muir (resource preservation) and Gifford Pinchot (resource use). Write Aldo Leopold’s name in the circle representing maintenance of global stability, and explain that Leopold was one of the first scientists to address issues of ecosystem management. 
• Point out that people who consider themselves to be conservationists and environmentalists may vary in their perspectives, depending on the issue at hand. For example, Leopold favored the wise use of resources as did Pinchot. Their viewpoints overlapped on certain resource issues. (Shade in or indicate the overlap of circles.) While Pinchot tended to focus on the crop to be harvested, Leopold was concerned with the whole ecosystem and relationships between the species affected by harvest. Both men were in favor of parks and shared some common ground with people like John Muir (Point to the overlapping areas with preservationists).
• Encourage students to suggest the names of people past and present who might be classified as conservationists or environmentalists. As you list these on the board, invite them to suggest how they might classify the person’s position with respect to the Venn diagram.
• Caution students that the purpose of using the diagram is not to label or pass judgment on people—just the reverse. The intent is to recognize that there are many different perspectives that need to be acknowledged in order to promote constructive dialogue about controversial issues. 
• Because there is so much competition for our dwindling natural resources, it is increasingly important for conservationists to look for common ground and ways to collaborate with others in finding solutions to sustaining biodiversity.
• Ask students to write down an environmental issue that is important to them. Tell them to sketch a Venn diagram showing where they would classify their own perspective. Have them jot down their ideas for how they might seek common ground with other conservationists and environmentalists to build support for their cause. 
• Comment on the important role students have played in educating the public about environmental issues, and encourage them to share their knowledge with family and friends.

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Endangered Habitats and Species

• Have students read 8-IV to 8-IX and the Biodiversity Timeline at the end of the book. 
• Explain that the timeline provides only a small sample of all the events that have influenced public policy about the environment. While students read and discuss the timeline in pairs, ask that they jot down any additional events they think of that could be added to the timeline.
• Invite students to comment on trends they notice in the timeline. (increase in setbacks, relationships between citizen action and government action, etc. )
• This would be a good time for you and your students to present information about local environmental initiatives and success stories. 

8-IX. How Can We Protect Habitats?

• Some students will have powerful and negative experiences related to environmental justice issues described in this section. Remind students of classroom protocol in discussing sensitive topics. Point out that the goal of the discussions is to inform and educate each other in a safe environment. Participants should share feelings without making accusations, and should speak in turn without being interrupted.
• Direct students to this section, then invite their discussion of the term “environmental justice.” This term implies that all socioeconomic and ethnic groups should bear an equal burden or benefit from environmental conditions, laws, and policy. For example, employers should be required and monitored to provide equally safe working conditions for all employees regardless of whether the worker is at minimum wage or in management.

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Objectives [] Assessment [] Resources
Guides for each Chapter: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8

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Resources for
Teaching Losing Biodiversity

For latest material relevant to Losing Biodiversity, 
see the Stay Current section of the GSS website. 

The list below is from the original development of GSS and is out of date and in no way exhaustive for the resources that are available for teaching ecosystem change and related topics.  

Organizations
Convention on Biological Diversity. The Convention on Biological Diversity is now located in Canada. The address is: Secretariat for the Convention on Biological Diversity World Trade Center, 413 St. Jacques St., Office 630, Montreal, Quebec, H2Y 1N9, Canada Tel. (514)-288-2220, Fax. (514)-288-6588, e-mail address: http://www.unep.ch/biodiv. 

Cousteau Society, 7 rue de l’Amiral d’Estaing 75116 Paris; Telephone (1) 53 67 77 77. Founded in 1974, the Society has extensive educational materials for teachers and students that focus on worldwide overharvest of marine life and pollution. The Society continues to circulate the “Petitions for the Rights of Future Generations”, and publishes Calypso Log and Dolphin Log. 

Green Seal, 1730 Rhode Island Ave., NW Suite 1050 Washington DC 20036- 3101. (202) 331- 7337. This non-profit organization provides educational materials about products and companies that have earned the “Green Seal” of approval.

National Audubon Society, P.O. Box 52529, Boulder CO 80322-2529. Membership information Tel. 1-800-274-4201. This organization provides educational materials and programs for teachers and the public, and publishes the magazine: Audubon.

National Center for Science Education Inc. This organizations has an extensive collection of educational materials on evolution for teachers and the public including: pamphlets, books, newsletters, book reviews, and video programs. P.O. Box 9477, Berkeley, CA 94709

National Geographic Society, P.O. Box 96583 Washington DC 20078-9973. The Society has extensive educational materials for teachers and the public, inlcuding National Geographic, and World, and dozens of video productions on wildlife. For information on the Radio Expeditions Program with National Public Radio (which has CDs, audio cassettes, and Teachers” Kits) call 1-800-555-2875. Visit the Radio Expeditions World Wide Web site at http://www.npr.org/RE/

National Wildlife Federation, 8925 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, Virginia 22184. This organization has extensive educational materials for teachers and the public, and publishs: National Wildlife, International Wildlife, EnviroAction News Digest, Ranger Rick, and Your Big Backyard.

World Resources Institute, from World Resources Institute, 1709 New York Ave, N.W., Washington, DC 20006, (202) 638-6300. The institute deals with population education and activities.

World Watch Institute, from World Watch Institute, 1776 Massachusetts Ave. N.W., Washington, DC 20036, (202) 452-1999. This institute deals with population education and activities.

CD-ROM
Bathymetry of Monterey Bay Region, from USGS Department of the Interior, 810 National Center. Reston, VA 22092. High Resolution bathymetry and selected geoscience for the Monterey Bay region.

Birds of America: Multimedia, from CD-ROM Inc., 1667 Cole Blvd., Ste 400, Golden, CO 80401, 303-231-9373; FAX: 303-231-9581. Full text and images on CD-ROM contains Audubon’s Original 1840 1st Edition Octavio Set with full-text and beautiful full color lithographs. Bird calls form Cornell University Library of Natural Sounds, IBM or Macintosh.

Audubon’s Mammals: Multimedia, from CD-ROM Inc., 1667 Cole Blvd., Ste 400, Golden, CO 80401, 303-231-9373; FAX: 303-231-9581. John James Audubon’s beautiful, classic mammal prints are now available on multimedia CD-ROM disc. The rare and complete 1840 edition of “Quadrupeds on North America” includes plates in full color and the text, as well as CD quality sounds from Cornell University’s Library of Natural Sounds for many of the mammals. One of the leading naturalists of his time, Audubon compiled detailed information about each mammal. This disc is a companion to Birds of America: Multimedia and is ideal fro students, history buffs, fine art collectors, libraries, and schools, IBM/compatible or Macintosh.

Wildlife and FIsh Worldwide — Volume I, from CD-ROM Inc., 1667 Cole Blvd., Ste 400, Golden, CO 80401, 303-231-9373; FAX: 303-231-9581. 1971-present. More than 200,000 citations from the US Fish and Wildlife Services Wildlife Review and Fisheries Review. Excellent subject coverage, taxonomic, and geographic identifiers as specific as the county, community, lake, and stream level make this CD-ROM an excellent choice for the natural resource researcher. Semi-annual updates. IBM/compatible only.

Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries, from Cambridge Scientific Abstracts Contains citations, abstracts, etc., from leading journals and other publications. Coverage includes biological, ecological, social, economical, and technical aspects of marine, freshwater, and brackish environments. IBM/compatible only.

1989 Toxic Release Inventory, from Government Printing Office, N. Capitol and H Streets, NW, Washington, DC 20401, 202-783-3238. The complete National 1989 Toxic Release Inventory and Hazardous Substances Fact Sheets containing reference materials on the health and ecological effects of the regulated substances. IBM/compatible only.

Science Activities
O.B.I.S. Outdoor Biological Instructional Strategies, Eureka! Lawrence Hall of Science, UC Berkeley, CA, 94720-5200, 510- 642-1016. Series of stand-alone activities that enable students to explore biology outdoors in the grasslands, woods, streams, and rivers or urban environments within their community. The activities range from the collection of organisms to experiments and similation games.

Video References
Attack on Culture, 500 Nations productions, a Jack Leustig Film, TIG Productions 1994.

Blue Planet, Discovery Channel, 2002, Champions of the Land, with David Hartman;, broadcast, 1/11/1995, Rediscovering America, Discovery Productions of Communications Inc.

Ishi, Last of the Yahi, The American Experience Series of WBGH Boston, Shanachie Entertainment Corp., 1994.

The Medicine Man  
Never Cry Wolf
New Range Wars, National Audubon Society, World of Audubon TV Series, 1987. 

Bibliography for Losing Biodiversity

Adams, L.W. and Dove, L. E.Wildlife Reserves and Corridors in the Urban Environment. National Institute for Urban Wildlife, Columbia, MD, 1989.

Adams, L.W. and Leedy, D. L. editors, Wildlife Conservation in Metropolitan Environments. National Institute for Urban Wildlife, Columbia, MD, 1991.

Adler, J. and Hager, M. How Much is a Species Worth? National Wildlife1992:30(3): 4-15.

Allison, A.C. Abnormal hemoglobin and erythrocyte enzyme deficiency traits. pp. 101-122 in D.F. Roberts, ed., Human Variation and Natural Selection. Symp. Soc. Study Hum. Biol.1975:13.

American Association for the Advancement of Science, Project 2061, Benchmarks for Science Literacy. Oxford University Press, New York, 1993.

American Institute of Biological Sciences,  High School Biology. Biological Sciences Curriculum Study, Green Version, Rand McNally & Co., Chicago, 1963.

Angermeier, P. L. and Karr, J. R. Biological Integrity Versus biological Diversity as Policy Directives.  BioScience, 1994: 44(10): 690-697.

Ausubel, J. H. Can Technology Spare the Earth? American Scientist, March/April 1996. 84:166-178.

D’Antonia, C. and Dudley, T. L. Alien Species: How Inadvertent Immigrants Affect Habitats.  Pacific Discovery 1993:46(3): 8-11.

Arthur, D. and Holechek, J.L., The North American Bison. Rangelands, June 1992: 4(3):123-125.

Bibliography for Losing Biodiversity Baker, O. Where the Buffaloes Begin. Puffin Books, 1984. 

Bakken, G.S. 1990. Creation or Evolution? National Center for Science Education Inc. series, P.O. Box 9477, Berkeley, CA 94709. 

Baskin, Y. Ecosystem function of biodiversity. BioScience, 1994: 44(10): 657-660.

Bennetta, W.J. ed. Scientists Decry a Slick New Packaging of Creationism. Science Teacher, May 1987:36-43.

Berg, P., Magilavy, B. and Zuckerman,S. A Green City Program for the San Francisco Bay Area and Beyond. Planet Drum Books, San Francisco,1989.

Blaustein, A. et al. UV Repair and Resistance to solar UV-B in Amphibian Eggs. Proceedings National Academy of Science, 1994:91:1791-1795.

Bohlen, J.T. For the Wild Places: Profiles in Conservation. Island Press, Washington, DC 1993.

Boldenkov, S. V. Reintroduction of the European Bison, Bos Bonasus in the Ukraine. XIIIth Congress of Game Biologists, 1977.

Boy Scouts of America, Jaques Cousteau, Keeper of the Sea. Boy’s Life, Sept.1994: 20-22.

Brickson, B. A Drop of Blood, a Tuft of Hair, and a Little DNA. Pacific Discovery, 1994: 47(4):25-30.

Brown, L., Hane, H., and Roodman, D. (ed. Starke, L.) Vital Signs. W. W. Norton and Co., New York, 1994.

Burdick, A. Invasion of the Naure Snatchers. The New York Times Magazine, Nov. 13, 1994.

California State Department of Fish and Game, Plastic Jellyfish. Aquatic Wild, Western Regional Environmental Education Council, 1987.

Carson, Rachel, Silent Spring. Houghton Mifflin Company Boston, 1962.

Chadwick, D.H. What Good is a Prairie? Audobon, Magazine of the Audubon Society, 1995. 97(6):36- 47.

Chadwick, D. H. Dead or Alive: The Endangered Species Act? National Geographic, 1995:187(3):2- 41.

Costanza, R.  Ecological Economics, the Science and Management of Sustainability. Columbia University Press, New York, 1991.

Cousteau, Jacques, The Ocean World of Jacques Cousteau. The Danbury Press, 1973.

Cousteau, Jacques, The Cousteau Almanac, an Inventory of Life on our Water Planet. Doubleday & Co., Inc., New York, 1981.

Craft, L. $20,000 for One Fish? International Wildlife, National Wildlife Federation, 1994:24(6):18- 21.

Darlington, Philip J. Jr. Evolution for Naturalists. John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1980. 

Darwin, Charles, Autobiography. Edited by Nora Barlow, New York: Norton, 1969.

Darwin, Charles,  The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, 1859. Avenel Books, New York, 1979 ed. 

Darwin, Charles, Charles Darwin’s Beagle Diary. Edited by R.D. Keynes. Cambridge: Cambridge Univeristy Press, 1988. 

Darwin, F. ed. The Autobiography of Charles Darwin and Selected Letters. Dover, NY, 1958.

Dary, D.A. The Buffalo Book, the Saga of an American Symbol. Avon Books, 1974.

Dasmann, Raymond F. The Destruction of California. Macmillan Company, NY, 1965.

Dunlap, T. Saving America’s Wildlife. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 1988. 

Durrell, L. Gaia State of the Ark Atlas, World Conservation in Action. Anchor Books, Doubleday, New York, 1986. 

Edwards, M. Pollution in the Former U.S.S.R. National Geographic, 1994:186(2): 70-99. 

Edwards, M. Chernobyl. National Geographic, 1994:186(2):100-115. 

Ehrlich, Paul R. and Anne H. Ehrlich, Extinction: the Causes and Consequences of the Disappearance of Species. Ballantine, New York, 1983. 

Eifert, V.S. The Buffalo Trace, Nature, 1955:65-68. 

Eldridge, N. The Monkey Business: A Scientist Looks at Creationism. New York: Washington Square Press, 1982. 

Emerson, Ralph Waldo, Nature. in Nature, Addresses and Lectures, the Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Standard Library edition 14 vols. Boston, 1883. 

Endler, J.A. Natural Selection in the Wild. Princeton University Press, 1986. 

Evans, J. E. Charles Darwin, Revolutionary Biologist. Lerner Pub. Inc., Minneapolis, MN, 1993. 

Farb, P. Tragedy on the Plains. in Ecology. Time-Life Books, New York, 1963. 

Fleischner, T. L. Ecological Costs of Livestock Grazing Western North America. Conservation Biology, 1994:8(3):629- 644. 

Friend, T. Power Tool. National Wildlife, National Wildlife Federation, 1995:33(6):16-23. Garber, S. D. The Urban Naturalist. Wiley, New York, 1987. 

Ghiselin, M. T. Alfred Russel Wallace and the Birth of Biogeography. Pacific Discovery, 1993:46(2):17-23. 

Gilbert, B. Earth Day Plus 20, and Counting.  Smithsonian, 1990:21(1): 47-55. 

Goodavage, M. The Plastic Tide. Adopt-A-Beach School Education Program, California Coastal Commission, 1992. 

Gore, Al, Vice President, Earth in the Balance, Ecology and the Hmman Spirit, Plume Books, New York, 1992. 

Gould, S. Ever Since Darwin. W.W. Norton & Co., New York, 1977.  

Gould, S. Hen’s Teeth and Horse’s Toes. W.W. Norton & Co., New York, 1980.  

Gould, S. The Panda’s Thumb. W.W. Norton & Co. New York, 1980. 

Graham, F. Jr. Winged Victory. Audubon, Magazine of the National Audubon Society, 1994:96(4): 36-40. 

Harrison, G.H. Is there a Killer in your House? National Wildlife, National Wildlife Federation, 1992:33(6):10-21. 

Harrison, P. Wildlife and People: Scrambling for Space. People and the Planet. United Nations Population Fund, World Conservation Union & Internation Planned Parenthood Federation, 1993: 2(3):6-9. 

Harter, J. ed. Animals,1419 Copyright-Free Illustrations of Mammals, Birds, Fish, Insects, etc. Dover Publications Inc., New York, 1979. 

Heck, J.G. Heck’s Pictorial Archive of Nature and Science. Dover Publications, N.Y.

Heizer, R.F. and Kroeber, T. Ishi the Last Yahi. University of California Press, Berkeley, 1989. 

Hicks, C. Minimum Standards Needed to Protect U.S. Rangelands. NewsReport, Vol.XLIV No. 2, National Research Council, Office of News and Public Information, Washington DC, 1994. 

Hodgson, B. Buffalo—Back Home on the Range. National Geographic, 1994:185(5):64-89. 

Hornaday, W.T. Our Vanishing Wild Life. Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, 1913.

Howe, H.F. Managing Species Diversity in Tallgrass Prairie: Assumptions and Implications. Conservation Biology, Sept.1994:8(3): 691-704 

Hyman, R. Rise of the Rubber Tappers. International Wildlife, National Wildlife Federation Sept.-Oct.1988:18(5): 24- 28. 

Jimenez, J. In the Mouth of a Whale. Pacific Discovery Winter 1996. pg. 3. 

Katz, P.  The New Urbanism: Toward an Architecture of Community. McGraw-Hill, New York, 1993. 

Kettlewell, H. B. D. A survey of the frequencies of Biston betularia L.(Lep.) and its melanic forms in Britain. Heredity 1958:12: 51-72. 

Kroeber, T. Ishi in Two Worlds, A Biography of the Last Wild Indian in North America.  

Kutner, L. A. and Mares, R. Environmental Discrimination: An Annotated Bibliography. Council of Planning Librarians Bibliography Series (Issue #306), Justice Booksellers, Washington, DC. 

Lawren, B. Net Loss. National Wildlife, National Wildlife Federation Oct.- Nov. 1992:33(6):46-53. 

Lean, Carston, Olympic Battleground. 1994. 

Leopold, Aldo, A Sand County Alamanac, And Sketches Here and There. Oxford University Press, New York, 1949.

Limbaugh, Rush, The Way Things Ought to Be. Pocket Star Books, New York, 1992. 

Limbaugh, Rush, See I Told You So. Pocket Star Books, New York, 1993. 

Linden, Eugene, Ancient Creatures in a Lost World Time, June 20, 1994:143(25): 52-54.

Lipske, M. Green Seal of Approval. National Wildlife, National Wildlife Federation June-July 1994:32(4): 22-24. 

Makower, J. Good, Green Jobs, How Business is Putting the Environment to Work for California. California Department of Conservation, 1995. 

Marsh, George Perkins, Edited by David Lowenthal, Man and Nature. originally published in 1864, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1965.

Marshall, R. Impressions from Wilderness. Nature Magazine, 1951:44:481.

McCollister, B. ed.Voices for Evolution. National Center for Science Education Inc., 1989.

McDonald, J. N., North American Bison: Their Classification and Evolution. University of California Press, Berkeley, 1981.

McHugh, T. The Time of the Buffalo. A.A.A. Knopf, New York,1994. 

McIntosh, P. Embracing Dilemmas the World Over. International Wildlife, Nov-Dec. 1990:20 (6): 12-16.

McKisson, M. and MacRae-Campbell, L. Endangered Species: Their Struggle to Survive. Zephyr Press, Tucson, AZ 1990.

Maxwell, J. True Nature. Audubon, Magazine of the Audubon Society, July-Aug. 1994:96(4): 28-33.

Meadows, D., et al. “Fish Banks” Institute for Policy and Social Science Research, Univeristy of New Hampshire, 1993.

Meagher, M. Bison, Big Game of North America, Ecology and Management. ed. John L. Schmidt and Douglas L. Gilbert, Stackpole Books, 1990.

Meagher, M. The Bison of Yellowstone Park. National Park Service Scientific Monograph Series, No. 1, 1974.

Meagher, M. and Meyer, M.E. On the Origin of Brucellosis in Bison of Yellowstone National Park: A Review. Conservation Biology, 1994:8(3): 645-653. 

Miller, B., Ceballos, G. and Reading, R. The Prairie Dog and Biotic Diversity. Conservation Biology, 1994:8(3): 677-681.

Miller, J. and Van Loon, B. Darwin for Beginners. Random House, New York,1985.

Mitchell, J.G., Saved Just in Time, the Buffalo Graze Again on Our Plains. Smithsonian, 1981:12(2): 71-79. 

Mitchell, J.G., Our Polluted Runoff. National Geographic, 1996:189(2):106-125.

Nabokov, P. ed. Native American Testimony: An Anthology of Indian and White Relations, First Encounter to Dispossession. Thomas Y. Crowell, 1978.

Nash, R. Wilderness and the American Mind. Yale University Press, New Haven, CN,1967.

National Geographic, 1491 America Before Columbus. 1991:180(4): 4-99.

National Research Council, Ecological Knowledge and Environmental Problem-Solving. National Academy Press, Washington DC, 1986.

National Research Council,  Improving the Management of U.S. Marine Fisheries. National Academy Press, Washington DC, 1994.

National Wildlife Federation, People Who Make a Difference. National Wildlife, 1993: 31(6): 44-51.

Naeem,S., K. Haakenson, L.J. Thompson, J.H. Lawton and M.J. Crawley. Biodiversity and plant productivity in a model assemblage of plant species. Oikos, 1996:76:259- 264.

O’Hara, K., Iudicello, S., and Bierce, R. A Citizen’s Guide to Plastics in the Ocean. Center for Marine Conservation, Washington DC, 1988.

Parfit, M. Facing Up to Reality in the Amazon. Smithsonian, 1989:20(8): 58-77.

Parkman, Francis, The Oregon Trail: Sketches of Prairie and Rocky-Mountain Life. Boston, 1873.

Paulson, Gary, Dogsong. Puffin Books, New York, 1985.

Pick, M. How to Save Your Neighborhood, City or Town: The Sierra Club Guide to Community Organizing. Dell, New York, 1993.

Pimentel, David et al. Environmental and Economic Costs of soil Erosion and Conservation Benefits. Science Feb. 24, 1995:267:1117-1122.

World Resources 1994-95, Short Duration Grazing: Reclaiming or Ruining the Range. World Resource Institute. 1709 New York Ave. NW, Washington, DC, 20006.

Poten, C.J. A Shameful Harvest, America’s Illegal Wildlife Trade.  National Geographic. 1991:180(3):106-132.

Pyle, R.M.  The Thunder Tree: Lessons from an Urban Wildland. Houghton Mifflin, New York, 1993.

Reading, R.P. and Kellert, S.R. Attitudes toward a Proposed Reintroduction of Black-footed Ferrets (Mustela nigripes). Conservation Biology, 1993:7(3): 569-580.

Register, R. Ecocity Berkeley: Building Cities for a Healthy Future. North Atlantic Books, 1987. Rendall, S., Naureckas, J. and Cohen, J. The Way Things Aren’t. 1993.

Roger, Lewin, Thread of Life, The Smithsonian Looks at Evolution. Smithsonian Books, Washington, DC, 1982.

Rorabacher, A.J., The American Buffalo in Transition, an Historical and Economic Survey of the Bison in America. North Star Press, 1970.

Sale, K. The Conquest of Paradise. Alfred A. Knoph, New York, 1990.

Salopek, P. Gorillas and Humans: an Uneasy Truce. National Geographic, 1995:188(4):72-83.

Seal, U. S. Conservation Biology and the Black-footed Ferret. 1989.

Seton, Ernest Thompson, The Buffalo. Lives of Game Animals, Vol. III, Hoofed Animals. Literary Guild of America Inc. New York, 1937.

Shaw, J.H. How Many Buffalo Originally Populated the Western Rangelands? Rangelands, 1995:17(5):148-150.

Shaller, G. Gentle Gorillas, Turbulent Times. National Geographic, 1995:188(4):65-69.

Slack, G. Natural Law: Congress Reconsiders the Endangered Species Act.  Pacific Discovery, 1992:45(2):22-31.

Slack, G. Emerald Cities. Pacific Discovery 1994: 47(2):27-33.

Smith, C. H., editor, Alfred Russel Wallace: An Anthology of his Shorter Writings. New York, Oxford University Press, 1991.

Stebbins, R. and Brockenbrough, A. Simulating Evolution.  American Biology Teacher, 1975:37(4): 206-211.

Stebbins, R. and Nathan, W. A Natural History of Amphibians. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 1995.

Stegner, W. It All Began with Conservation.  Smithsonian, 1990:21(1): 34-43.

Stein, S. The Evolution Book. Workman Publishing, New York, 1986.  

Stein, S. Noah’s Garden: Restoring the Ecology of Our Own Backyards. Houghton Mifflin, New York, 1993.

Steinhart, P. The City: An Evolutionary Crucible.  Pacific Discovery, 1994:47(2): 6-9.

Steinhart, P.  California’s Wild Heritage, Threatened and Endangered Animals in the Golden State. California Department of Fish and Game, 1990.

Sunquist, F. Zeroing in on Keystone Species. International Wildlife, National Wildlife Federation. 1988:18(5):18- 23.

Swan, L.W., The Scientific Spiritualist. Pacific Discovery, 1993:46(2):24-25.

Thelander, C.G. Ed. Life on the Edge, a Guide to California’s Endangered Natural Resources: Wildlife. Biosystems Books, Santa Cruz, CA 1994.

Thomas, J.W., Forsman, E.D., Lint, J.B., Meslow, E.C., Noon, B.R. and Verner, J. A Conservation Strategy for the Northern Spotted Owl, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 1990.

Thoreau, Henry David, Walking. in Excursions, the Writings of Henry David Thoreau. Riverside edition, Boston, 1983. 

Tilman, D. and J.A. Downing. Biodiversity and stability in grasslands. Nature (London), 1994:367:363-365.

Trefethen, J. An American Crusade for Wildlife. Winchester Press, 1975.

Trefil, J.  A Scientist in the City. Doubleday, New York, 1994.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The National Bison Range. Refuge Leaflet 12-R, U.S. government Printing Office, 1961.

Vessel, M.F. and Wong, H.H. Natural History of Vacant Lots. University of California Press, Berkeley, 1987.

Waldman, C. Atlas of the North American Indian. Facts on File Publications, New York, 1985.

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Index of Teacher Guide Investigations

• TG-LB1-1. Biodiversity Assessment
• TG-LB2-1. Estimate the Number of Bison Killed
• TG-LB2-2. Graph the Population of the Buffalo
• TG-LB2-3. Biodiversity Issues
• TG-LB3-1. Simulate Natural Selection with “Beetles”
• TG-LB3-2. Designer Beaks
• TG-LB3-3. Ideas for Research Projects
• TG-LB3-4. Evolution of Symbiotic Relationships 
• TG-LB4-1. Hybrid Cross Coin Toss
• TG-LB5-1. Comparing Soils
• TG-LB5-2. BLM and Money
• TG-LB7-1. Ocean Food Web Game
• TG-LB7-2. An Apple as the Planet
• TG-LB7-3. Product Research
• TG-LB7-4. Introducing Product Evaluation 
• TG-LB8-1. Environmental Debates: Dittoheads vs Eco-Nuts
• TG-LB8-2. Final Essay