Biodiversity

Author And Page Information

• by Anup Shah
• This Page Last Updated Sunday, January 19, 2014

• This page:http://www.globalissues.org/issue/169/biodiversity.
• To print all information e.g. expanded side notes, shows alternative links, use the print version:
  • http://www.globalissues.org/print/issue/169

The variety of life on Earth, its biological diversity is commonly referred to as biodiversity. The number of species of plants, animals, and microorganisms, the enormous diversity of genes in these species, the different ecosystems on the planet, such as deserts, rainforests and coral reefs are all part of a biologically diverse Earth. Appropriate conservation and sustainable development strategies attempt to recognize this as being integral to any approach. Almost all cultures have in some way or form recognized the importance that nature, and its biological diversity has had upon them and the need to maintain it. Yet, power, greed and politics have affected the precarious balance.

Biodiversity is different species of resources or tings 

Rates of Reaction

Endothermic Reactions - a chemical reaction that requires heat
Exothermic Reaction - a chemical reaction in which heat is released to the surroundings
Rates of Reactions - a measure of how fast a reaction takes place
Activation Energy - the minimum amount of energy required to start a chemical  reaction

The five factors that can affect the rates of reactions:
.  Temperature
.  Concentration
.  Surface Area
.  Inhibitors
.  Catalysts

All of the factors affect the rate of the reaction some make the particles move faster, and some makes it move slower, or stop.

Definitions and Examples

Definitions

Biodiversity- the number and variety of organisms in a given area during a specific period of time.

Environmental Degradation- is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources

Assistive Bioengineering- engineering the results in a product or process that helps living organisms but does not change them permenently

Adaptive Bioengineering- engineering the results in a product or process that changes living organisms


Examples

Biodiversity- blue whales, white-tailed deer, white pine trees, sunflowers and microscopic bacteria

Environmental Degradation- air, water and soil

Assistive Bioengineering- hearing aids, eye glasses, prosthetic limbs,

Adaptive Bioengineering- cochlear implants, insulin pumps,

Designed experiment

What is the effect of the density of different mediums (e.g., air and glass) on the speed at which light travels?

Independent variable: Density of different mediums

Dependent variable: Speed at which light travels

The process of building an electric motor.

Materials: battery, cup, plastic-foam, magnet, paperclips (2), sandpaper, permanent marker, tape, tube, and wire, insulated, with alligator clips.
Step 1: Wrap the coil around a circular tube; turn the wire into a coil, leaving about 5cm of free wire on each end.
Step 2: Sand the free ends of the wires about halfway.
Step 3: Unfold 2 paperclips, but make a hook at the top.
Step 4: Place two magnets inside the cup, at the bottom and then turn it over on the outside and put it on the bottom of the cup, Leaving the cup placed down.
Step 5: Tap the paper clips to the side of the cup, should keep the coil from touching the magnet.
Step 6: Test the coil, slighty hit on side of the coil and see if it will spin . The should not be wobbly or sliding to one side.
Step 7: Make changes if it did not spin.
Step 8: Attach one end of the alligator clip to one of the paperclips.
Step 9: Attach the free end of the same wire to the battery.
Step 10: Do the same thing with the alligator clip to the other paperclip and to the other part of the battery. SPIN IT!!!!!!!!! Record your observations.
Step 11: Stop the coil, and spin it the opposite way. Record your observations.
Step12 : If the coil doesn't keep spinning, check to see if only the bare wire is touching the paperclips for the other half to rotate.
Step 13: If removed too much enamel, hust color some of it with the permanent marker.
Step 14: Switch the connections to the battery, and redue steps 10 and 11.

Building a DC motor.

The results after the experiment is that in our experiment we converted electrical energy into mechanical energy by connecting the wires to a bunch of things, and eventually the coil spun around and around, but when we tried to reverse the direction of the coil spinning it refused and spun back aorund the other way.

Solenoid (definition)

Definition- A wire that acts as a magnet when it carries out electric curr