Web Activities

UNIT 5: POPULATION DYNAMICS

Unit 5 - Performance Task and Review

Page Number
Question
p. 755

Performance Task

You will be provided with a list of suggested species. After choosing one of these species, or after you have obtained teacher approval to research another species, you can begin you research assignment. The specific expectations for your research are outlined in Table 1 (page 755 of the Nelson Biology 12 Student Text). Details of the assessment criteria are also provided.

p. 755
Species at risk

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) is a conservation agreement that is currently legally binding in 150 countries. It outlines what constitutes illegal traffic of endangered animals. Canada’s customs officers are trained to enforce CITES.

Some of the Major Laws Protecting Endangered Wildlife in the US
Some of the Major Laws Protecting Endangered Wildlife in the US outlines The Endangered Species Act, The Protected Marine Mammal Act, and The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The page is posted by the conservation organization, EarthTrust.

BOS-USA
BOS-USA is an organization dedicated to the conservation of orangutans and their rainforest habitat in Southeast Asia.

Asian Conservation Awareness Programme
The Asian Conservation Awareness Programme is an initiative of WildAid. Their goal is to educate the global public of the plight of endangered Asian animals that are currently being killed for commercial gain.

World Wildlife Fund
World Wildlife Fund is one of the better-known conservation groups, with a worldwide presence. Their site is extensive, with a link near the bottom right leading to WWF sites for specific countries, including Canada.

Greenpeace
Greenpeace is an activist organization with a wide environmental mandate. They have had a longstanding campaign against whaling, with a dramatic history of attempting to protect whales by extreme measures - like placing themselves between the hunter and the prey.

Species at Risk
Species at Risk is the Government of Canada’s searchable database of all species in Canada that have some kind of endangerment status. Information is also given on the classification of organisms as ‘at risk’, as well as current recovery programs.

Jane Goodall Institute
The Jane Goodall Institute was initiated by the famous biologist of the same name. The mandate of the organization is broadly conservation and education, with a particular emphasis - unsurprisingly - on chimpanzees.

Project Seahorse
Species-specific conservation programs tend to focus on cute, fuzzy mammals. Project Seahorse breaks that mold, with a model approach that incorporates research, education, politics, culture, and activism.

p. 758

Review

28. (c) Research the events that actually occurred in Ireland before 1900 that led to this decline in carrying capacity.

Ireland’s Potato Famine
Ireland’s Potato Famine gives a good, basic description of the famine, its causes, and its consequences.

Interpreting The Irish Famine, 1846-1850
Interpreting The Irish Famine, 1846-1850 was created by a history student at the University of Virginia. It outlines the factors contributing to this disaster and its consequences, and provides a selection of links, including some photos and illustrations.

A Concise History of Ireland
Chapter Ten in A Concise History of Ireland deals with the events surrounding the Great Famine of Ireland in the late 1840s. The author seems to possess an anti-British sentiment; you decide whether or not it is with reason!

The Act of Union and The Great Famine
The Act of Union and The Great Famine presents a concise rendition of the 19th century history of Ireland. It portrays the English's role in the famine as rather benign, in contrast to some other sources that place blame.

p. 758

Review

30. Healthy, natural ecosystems play an important role in controlling the emergence and spread of infectious diseases by maintaining a balance between predators and prey, and parasites and their hosts. The deer tick, Ixodes dammini, feeds in white-tailed deer and occasionally bites people. Lyme disease is spread by the bite of ticks that are carrying the bacteria Borreila burgdorferi. Today, the only area of Ontario with a risk of Lyme disease is Long Point on the shore of Lake Erie. Research Lyme disease and answer the following:

a. Is Lyme disease a serious health concern? Justify your answer.
b. Is there a natural balance between predators and the deer population of Long Point?
c. What strategies in both wildlife management and human behaviour might reduce the risk of acquiring this disease?

What is Lyme Disease?
What is Lyme Disease?, by the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, provides excellent coverage of this condition, its causes, prevention, and incidence in Canada.

Lyme Links
A huge list of Lyme Links are organized topically on this Web page. Choose sites from organizations and governments around the globe featuring newsletters, factsheets, statistics, and much more.

Lyme Disease
Comprehensive coverage of Lyme Disease is provided by the US Center for Disease Control.

Deer Protection and Control
Deer Protection and Control discusses the effect of overpopulation growth of deer, including their influence on lyme disease, and outlines some solutions.

p. 459

Review

35. Research one CIDA funded project that invests in food-production technologies. For the project, identify the following:

(a) What specific problem(s) does the project address?
(b) What role does CIDA have in the project?
(c) Outline specific details of the project.
(d) Evaluate and discuss the potential of the project to enhance the long-term sustainability of the population and natural environment.

CIDA
CIDA stands for the Canadian International Development Agency, which funds projects in over 150 countries around the world. Information on these projects is provided on their Web site, organized by region.

p. 759

Review

36. Lake Victoria in central Africa was home to large populations of hundreds of different species of cichlid fishes. Although small in size they were a source of food for the local human population. In the 1960s the Nile perch was introduced into Lake Victoria in hopes of establishing a population of this much larger edible species. Research the outcome of this intentional introduction.

a. Describe the initial population growth rate if the perch population.
b. Describe the ecological relationship of the perch. What were its new sources of food? Did it have any predators?
c. What impacts did its introduction have on cichlid species?
d. Describe the long-term success or failure of the introduction. Is it a valuable food source for the local human population? What were the long-term impacts on the native species inhabiting Lake Victoria?

Nile Perch, Trade and Environment
Nile Perch, Trade and Environment is a report on the ecological and economic impact of the introduction of this fish species into Lake Victoria in the 1950s and 1960s.

Lake Victoria: Nile Perch
Lake Victoria: Nile Perch is an excellent news program delivered by the American Museum of Natural History. It explains how this voracious predator winded up in Lake Victoria. A link at the bottom of the page leads to further news programs on the same subject.

Lake Victoria: A Sick Giant
This short article covers a brief history of Lake Victoria and explains the damage that the Nile perch has caused to the lake and its endemic species and also explains what can be done to remedy the situation.