Exploration questions: biodiversity and the tree of life

Grab your notebook or computer and write out your answer to each of the following questions. Then compare your answer to the suggested answer found in the “Answers to the exploration questions” document. Have fun! Hint: the information needed to answer these questions can be found in the videos and article.

1.     After watching the videos in this tutorial, your friend is confused about the scenario in which local government agencies were trying to decide which of three lakes (Lakes A, B, and C) should be protected. Your friend says, “If all three lakes have the same species richness, then it doesn’t matter which lake is protected, because each lake has the same amount of biodiversity.” In few sentences, explain why it would be better to protect the Lake C ecosystem rather than A or B. Be sure to include an explanation of the type of information that helped shape this decision.

2.     After you and a friend have watched the videos in this tutorial, your friend asks you a couple of questions about the sea urchin cladogram shown in one of the videos.

Briefly answer your friend’s questions in a few sentences.