Title: Goals & Learning Objectives - chp 59
Course: BIO-182 RTZ > Section: week 15 - Conservation Biology

GOALS and LEARNING OBJECTIVES (Chapter 59: Conservation Biology)

GOALS:

- Understand the science of conservation biology, including methods, consequences, and applied nature.
- Describe the value of biodiversity and the threats to biodiversity posed by human activity.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

1. Describe the field of conservation biology and contrast it with other biological disciplines.
2. Explain why the escalating loss of Earth’s species is problematic for human beings.
3. Explain how island biogeography and species-area relationships can help us estimate current extinction rates.
4. Provide examples of habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation. Explain how habitat corridors can help some species survive.
5. Explain the relationship between edge effects and patch size. Provide examples of terrestrial and aquatic overexploitation.
6. Explain how deliberately and inadvertently introduced species can have major detrimental effects on biodiversity.
7. Provide examples of species that may be either more or less susceptible to the environmental changes anticipated as a consequence of climate change (global warming).
8. Define “hotspot” and explain why those habitats are especially important to preserve. Explain why centers of imminent extinction are importance.
9. Explain why some periodic disturbances can be beneficial to ecosystems.
10. Provide examples of the impact of species invasions in aquatic and terrestrial environments.
11. Provide an example of how reconciliation ecology can benefit both humans and biodiversity.
12. Describe the outcome of a successful captive breeding program.

KEY TERMS:

Biodiversity, biodiversity hotspot, conservation biology, ecological economics, ecotourism, edge effect, endemism, fragmented, invasive, protected area, reconciliation ecology, restoration ecology