Diversity

by John A. Cigliano, Ph.D., Cedar Crest College
 * Do we really need all those species?**

__**Learning Goals for DVI Fellows:**__

Scientists estimate that there are between 5-100 million species on the planet. Many of them are going extinct due to human causes. Do we really need all of these species? Are species worth saving from extinction? During this workshop, we will explore some answers to thes questions.

The **Learning Goals** of this workshop include:
 * learning the value of species and biodiversity and why it is beneficial to not only ecosystems but human welfare to preserve biodiversity

The **Learning Objectives** of this workshop include:
 * understanding the ecological effects of species extinction on the structure of an ecosystem
 * constructing a food web to predict the ecological effect of species extinction on an ecological community and analyzing data to test this prediction
 * designing a study to illustrate an ecological effect of extinction that can be used in the classroom

__**Summary of Activities:**__

Species are going extinct. So, what? Do we really need all those species? Anyway, trying to save them can be expensive. It probably better to let them go than spend all that money to keep them around.

Believe it or not, these are questions and statements that conservation scientists hear all the time. But, these are appropriate questions. Does biological diversity (“biodiversity”) have value? Is it worth saving? In this workshop, we will explore whether biodiversity has value through a discussion of a case study and a group activity that presents real data that we will analyze to determine if extinction had an effect on the structure and function of a tropical ecosystem. As part of this group activity, participants will develop a food web and predict the ecological effect of extinction on this ecosystem and then determine if their prediction is correct. We will also develop experiments that can be done in the classroom to illustrate an ecological effect of extinction.

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