Classroom Studies

The Extinction Crisis: The human species, one of millions of life forms on this planet, is threatening the very existence of many other species. Biological diversity, or biodiversity, is the variety of life…(continue reading)

Why Extinction Matters: Should it matter to humans that other life forms are disappearing? Many people think so. Human populations depend on plants and animals for much of their food, medicines, clothing, and…(continue reading)

Threatened and Endangered Species: Under the Endangered Species Act in the United States, a species or subspecies is regarded as “endangered” when it is in danger of extinction throughout all…(continue reading)

The Causes of Extinction: Habitat Loss; Overexploitation; Introduced Species; Global Pollution and Climate Change are all factors contributing to the extinction of species. Learn more about each of these and other causes of extinction…(continue reading)

Conservation Biology: Biological diversity, or biodiversity, is the variety of life forms that interact to support and sustain the balance of nature. The discipline of conservation biology has developed to respond to the increased threats to…(continue reading)

Conservation Actions: There are many ways conservation biologists are addressing the extinction crisis. These include 1) Establishing protected areas where wildlife habitat is preserved or restored…(continue reading)

Questions for Thought: Society does not have the resources to save every species from human-caused extinction. Should our primary aim be to preserve a maximum amount of biodiversity? Or, in light of what we know about…(continue reading)