Liv

 Thompson    

Lesson  Objectives:  To  identify  and  analyze  the  difference  between  intrinsic  and  instrumental  value  of  
wildlife  species.  

Read  the  Future  of  Life,  interact  with  the  text  using  sticky  notes,  please  DO  NOT  WRITE  ON  THE  PACKET.    
Skim  the  entire  article  and  answer  the  questions  below,  pages  are  given  as  a  reference,  but  you  are  
expected  to  read  the  entire  article.    

Future  of  Life  Reading  Guide.  

Skim  pages  42-­‐47  

1.   What  is  the  rate  that  the  Living  Planet  Index  is  decreasing  a  year?  
 
It  is  decreasing  by  3%  a  year  since  the  early  1990s.    
 
2.   How  many  bird  species  were  native  to  Hawaii?  How  many  are  still  in  existence  today?  
 

Between  125-­‐145  species  of  birds  were  native  to  Hawaii.  Only  35  of  these  species  are  still  in  
existence  now.    

3.   At  the  start,  what  was  the  principal  destroyer  of  Hawaiian  flora  and  fauna?  
 
Initially,  the  destruction  of  Hawaii’s  natural  habitat  destroyed  the  state’s  flora  and  fauna.  This  
consisted  of  the  clearing  of  a  large  amount  of  land  in  order  to  make  room  for  major  export  crops.    
 

Read  47-­‐50  

4.   What  are  the  arch-­‐destroyers  of  Hawaiian  biota?  Why?  

One  of  the  largest  destroyers  of  the  Hawaiian  biota  is  the  African  Big-­‐Headed  Ant.  This  
aggressive  species  overtakes  the  area  in  which  they  are  colonizing  and  drive  any  other  species  of  
insect  out,  even  the  ones  that  were  helpful  to  the  biota.  This  overpopulation  of  the  Big-­‐Headed  
Ant  then  causes  a  series  of  detrimental  effects  to  the  surrounding  plants.  The  pig  is  also  a  
destroyer  of  the  Hawaiian  biota,  due  to  the  fact  that  they  disrupted  the  coverage  of  the  forest  
floor.    

5.   What  does  HIPPO  stand  for?  

Habitat  Destruction  
 
  Invasive  Species  
 
  Pollution  
 
  Population  
 
   Overharvesting  
 
6.   Which  element  of  HIPPO  is  the  most  incursive  in  the  world?  
 
Population  is  the  most  incursive  element  in  the  world.    
 
 
Read  pages  52-­‐54  
7.   What  is  the  reason  for  the  Marmot’s  decline?  
 
After  their  original  habitat  is  disrupted  by  clear-­‐cutting  of  forests,  the  marmots  emigrate  down  the  
mountain,  where  the  absence  of  trees  tricks  them  into  thinking  it  is  a  meadow  in  which  they  can  live.  
However,  since  it  is  not  their  natural  habitat,  they  are  unable  to  survive.  They  die  from  predators,  harsh  
weathers,  and  other  unfit  conditions  that  they  are  not  used  to.    
 
 
8.   The  story  of  the  snails  presents  a  new  problem.  What  happened  with  the  introduction  of  a  
new  snail  species?    What  does  this  warn  against  in  current  agriculture  and  development?  
 
After  large  African  land  snails  were  introduced  to  the  Pacific  and  Indian  islands,  their  population  became  
much  too  large,  and  they  began  to  harm  both  native  snails  and  crops.  To  combat  this,  a  new  species  of  
snail  was  introduced  in  hopes  that  they  would  be  able  to  prey  on  the  land  snails  to  control  them.  
Instead,  these  rosy  wolfsnails  targeted  the  native  snails,  to  which  they  ended  up  killing  off  a  very  large  
amount  of  them.  This  serves  as  a  lesson  to  not  interfere  with  the  natural  ecological  system,  and  to  be  
completely  aware  of  the  risks  involved  before  introducing  a  new  species.    
 
 
Read  page  55  
9.   The  “Declining  Amphibian  Phenomenon”  was  caused  by  which  HIPPO  element?  How  is  this,  
ultimately  attributed  to  a  human  problem?  
 
The  Declining  Amphibian  Phenomenon  is  ultimately  due  to  the  destruction  of  natural  habitat.  Not  only  
that,  but  increased  levels  of  pollution  in  the  air,  and  chemicals  pumped  into  bodies  of  water  are  also  
causing  a  decrease  in  the  Amphibian  population.  All  of  these  things  are  ultimately  attributed  to  a  
pollution  problem  that  humans  have  caused.    
 
Read  page  56  
10.  What  is  an  inbreeding  depression?  
 
Inbreeding  depression  occurs  when  a  population  becomes  so  small  that  the  last  members  of  the  species  
begin  to  mate  together,  despite  being  closely  related.  This  causes  many  birth  defects  and  a  high  early  
mortality  rate,  causing  the  population  of  the  species  to  decrease  even  more.    
 
Read  page  58  
11.  What  is  the  most  consequential  form  of  habitat  destruction?  Why  (provide  2  examples)?  
 
The  most  consequential  form  of  habitat  destruction  is  the  destruction  and  clearing  of  forests.  This  high  
rate  of  forest  clearing  causes  a  large  amount  of  negative  consequences,  such  as  cutting  down  the  
number  of  species  that  are  able  to  survive,  thus  disrupting  the  natural  order  and  biodiversity  of  the  
forest.  In  addition,  it  decreases  the  number  of  trees,  which  are  necessary  in  our  world  in  order  to  clean  
the  air.    
 
 
Read  page  61  
12.  The  savanna  and  coastal  sagebrush  take  up  ______  percent  of  the  world’s  land  surface.    These  
lands  are  home  to  _____  percent  of  the  world’s  plant  species  and  ____________  of  all  species  
of  birds,  mammals,  reptiles,  and  amphibians.    
 
1.4,  44,  more  than  a  third  
 
Read  page  63  
13.  Why  are  rainforests  so  fragile?  (Think  of  soil  and  rain)  
Rainforests  are  especially  fragile  due  to  their  nutrient-­‐poor  soil  that  is  not  able  to  withstand  very  
heavy  rain  or  a  lack  of  coverage  from  trees  and  humus.  When  large  sections  of  the  forest  are  
destroyed,  the  trees  and  humus  are  not  able  to  regenerate  quickly  enough,  which  is  very  bad  for  
the  soil.    

Read  pages  67-­‐70  

14.  What  does  this  article  say  about  global  warming?      (provide  evidence)  
 
The  author  states  that  global  warming  may  not  be  considered  a  possibility  anymore,  but  a  fact,  complete  
with  an  array  of  evidence.  For  example,  he  states  that  if  the  world  continues  down  the  same  path  of  
pollution  that  we  have  been,  there  will  be  66-­‐90%  increase  in  floods  and  droughts  caused  by  global  
warming.  In  addition,  he  backs  up  his  argument  with  research  done  on  the  temperature  of  the  earth,  
saying  it  has  increased  at  an  alarmingly  high  rate  compared  to  previous  rates  of  increasing  from  the  last  
several  centuries.  He  states  that  this  is  due  to  the  emission  of  toxic  greenhouse  gases  and  poisonous  
chemicals,  along  with  the  high  amounts  of  deforestation.    
 
Read  pages  67-­‐70  
15.  For  the  ten  introduced  species,  pick  5,  list  how  they  came  to  America,  the  problem  caused,  
and  the  benefits.  
1.   Tamarisks:    
-­‐   came  from  Eurasia  and  are  now  present  in  American  deserts  
-­‐   decreases  amount  of  biodiversity  by  sucking  up  water  from  the  ground    
-­‐   provide  shade    
2.   Kudzu:    
-­‐   Came  to  US  in  1876  for  the  Japanese  Pavilion  during  the  Philadelphia  Centennial  Exposition    
-­‐   Grows  in  incredibly  fast  to  the  point  that  it  requires  a  large  amount  of  upkeep  in  order  to  
keep  it  from  spreading  and  overtaking  gardens  or  agricultural  fields    
-­‐   Able  to  hold  soil  together  very  well    
 
3.   Miconia:    
-­‐   From  tropical  America  
 -­‐  
Must  be  kept  under  control  with  weeding  due  to  its  ability  to  completely  dominate  an  area  
and  crowd  out  any  other  plant  life    
-­‐   A  very  attractive  plant,  if  taken  care  of  correctly    
4.   Balsam  Woolly  Adelgid:    
-­‐   Came  from  Europe,  exits  in  the  southern  US    
-­‐   Small  bug  that  behaves  similar  to  a  fungus;  wiped  out  majority  of  fir  trees  in  the  Great  
Smoky  National  Park    
-­‐   No  benefits    
 
5.   Asian  subterranean  termite:    
-­‐   From  Asia,  now  in  southern  US    
-­‐   Very  hard  to  find  and  kill,  eats  away  at  everything  and  costs  lots  of  damage    
-­‐   No  benefits    
 
 
 
Read  pages  71-­‐75  
 
16.  What  do  you  think  of  Wilson’s  portrayal  of  earth  in  2100  and  the  testament  that  the  21st  
century  that  we’ll  leave?  
 
I  thought  that  Wilson  brought  up  many  interesting  points  in  this  futuristic  portrayal.  It’s  interesting  to  
think  about  how  in  the  year  2100,  humans  will  have  evolved  and  become  much  more  advanced  in  terms  
of  curing  diseases,  using  technology  to  improve  the  wellbeing  of  the  population,  and  sustain  resources  
that  we  once  thought  would  not  last  much  longer  into  the  future.  However,  there  was  a  sadness  in  it  as  
well;  Wilson  did  a  good  job  of  portraying  the  artificial  nature  of  the  world  that  will  be  at  that  time,  in  
both  his  prediction  and  testament.  Humans  may  have  more  advanced  technological  systems,  but  only  
due  to  the  fact  that  we  have  already  destroyed  the  most  beautiful  and  natural  parts  of  our  planet,  which  
will  never  be  able  to  be  replaced.  Although  we  may  figure  out  a  way  to  artificially  simulate  the  
ecosystems  that  we  have  destroyed,  or  genetically  modify  our  food  in  order  to  sustain  overpopulation,  
the  world  will  inevitably  continue  to  fail  under  our  harsh  conditions.