Biodiversity and Global Change: Science & Action
Description
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About this course: In this course, featuring many researchers at the University of Zurich, you will learn about the amazing diversity of biological organisms in the world around us. You will discover the field of "biodiversity science", experience the countless forms that biodiversity takes, look at the values and importance of this diversity, understand the processes that create and maintain diversity, and hear about how biodiversity is distributed across the Earth. You will also experience how biodiversity is threatened, and what conservation, management, and individual actions can do for its protection. Having been equipped with such knowledge through the course, we encourage you to take …
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When you enroll for courses through Coursera you get to choose for a paid plan or for a free plan .
- Free plan: No certicification and/or audit only. You will have access to all course materials except graded items.
- Paid plan: Commit to earning a Certificate—it's a trusted, shareable way to showcase your new skills.
About this course: In this course, featuring many researchers at the University of Zurich, you will learn about the amazing diversity of biological organisms in the world around us. You will discover the field of "biodiversity science", experience the countless forms that biodiversity takes, look at the values and importance of this diversity, understand the processes that create and maintain diversity, and hear about how biodiversity is distributed across the Earth. You will also experience how biodiversity is threatened, and what conservation, management, and individual actions can do for its protection. Having been equipped with such knowledge through the course, we encourage you to take action, however small, to positively influence the future of biodiversity, and thereby become a Biodiversity Ambassador. This course is unique in several respects: - The video lectures are presented by many of the biodiversity scientists at the University of Zurich, with each of them speaking about their own area of expertise, and the general area in which this resides. - It covers topics ranging from quite conceptual to very applied, and from natural to social sciences. - Video lectures vary in their depth and technical content, so there is something to challenge even more advanced learners. - Assessments are designed to test core knowledge. - There are two novel peer assignments, in which you will get feedback from peers about your submission. This will create for you a more interactive experience than otherwise. - The final course module and its peer assignment encourages you to become a "Biodiversity Ambassador" -- someone who speaks out on behalf of biodiversity. - We encourage and facilitate building of a community and to pair up with other participants to become active Biodiversity Ambassadors together. Please like our Facebook page to help us build a community of like-minded people from around the world: https://www.facebook.com/BiodiversityandGlobalChangeMOOC WATCH THE TRAILER: https://youtu.be/u7nQn3KTW7Q TOPICS OF THE 8 MODULES OF THIS MOOC Module 1: What is biodiversity? What facets of diversity can we observe? Module 2: How does evolution work? How do you interpret evolutionary trees? How are species described and classified? Why are there sometimes different classifications for a group of organisms? Module 3: Biodiversity in our diets. This includes an exercise in which you will look at the diversity in your diet and classify it. Module 4: Ecological patterns and processes: how do you find out which species are where, what spatial patterns can be observed, remote sensing of functional diversity. Module 5: Why is biodiversity important? Values of biodiversity. Description of the Ecosystem services framework. Module 6: History of life on Earth. The current climate change ("global warming"). What is the "Great Acceleration"? Global change in general and how it affects amphibians and the Arctic. How do scientists make predictions about the future of species? Module 7: Some ways in which humans are helping biodiversity: Conservation of nature in protected areas, politics, sustainable (green) business, conservation actions to save species and restore habitats, and researching biodiversity with the help of natural history collections and citizen science. Module 8: What can you do to help biodiversity and mitigate climate change? How can you be a Biodiversity Ambassador?
Who is this class for: This course is designed for people with a high school education, though the material is varied, so some may appear rather straightforward and some quite challenging.
Created by: University of Zurich
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Taught by: Owen Petchey, Professor of Integrative Ecology
Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies -
Taught by: Susanne Schulmeister, eLearning Instructor and Project Manager
Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies
Level Intermediate Commitment Eight weeks of study, 2-4 hours per week. Language English How To Pass Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. User Ratings 4.9 stars Average User Rating 4.9See what learners said Coursework
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University of Zurich Founded in 1833, the University of Zurich
(UZH) is Switzerland’s largest university, with a current
enrollment of over 26,000 students. Made up of seven faculties
covering approximately 100 different subject areas, UZH is proud to
offer the most comprehensive academic program in the country.
Syllabus
WEEK 1
What is Biodiversity?
This first module of the course focuses on the foundations of
biodiversity and the science surrounding it. The first two video
lectures cover what we mean by the term "biodiversity", overview
the vast diversity of organisms that inhabit the Earth, and put
this diversity into the context of the "tree of life", thereby
recognising the evolutionary relationships among organisms as a
fundamental component of biodiversity. The next video lecture
outlines what is the relatively new field "Biodiversity Science",
and suggests thinking of biodiversity science in terms of questions
about patterns, processes, and consequences, and relationships
among these. The final four video lectures, each presented by a
different expert working at the University of Zurich, survey some
of the key facets of biodiversity: taxonomic, genetic, functional,
metabolic, behavioural, and interactions. Assignments for this
module include the End-of-Module-Assessment.
8 videos, 7 readings expand
- Video: Introduction to the MOOC
- Reading: The Lecturers of this MOOC
- Discussion Prompt: Icebreaker -- Introduce yourself!
- Reading: Course community: Where are you all from?
- Reading: About the 'Further Viewing and Reading' Sections
- Reading: Community Guidelines and Code of Conduct
- Reading: Further Reading for the Course Introduction
- Video: The Tree of Life, Part 1
- Video: The Tree of Life, Part 2
- Video: Introduction to Biodiversity Science
- Reading: Further Reading for Lesson 1.1
- Video: Species, Genetic, and Functional Diversity
- Video: Metabolic Diversity
- Video: Behavioural Diversity
- Video: Interactions Diversity
- Reading: Further Reading for Lesson 1.2
Graded: Your motivation
Graded: (1.1) Introduction to Biodiversity and
Biodiversity Science
Graded: (1.2) Facets of Diversity
WEEK 2
Evolution and Classification of Biodiversity
Evolution is the process by which all the amazing biodiversity on
Earth arose from a single species. This module will give you an
overview of what is evolution, how it works, and the importance of
sex (a key contributor to diversification via evolution). You will
learn how to read evolutionary trees (phylogenies) and about one of
the most fundamental aspects of biodiversity science: naming and
classifying organisms (naming conventions, classification systems,
and their relationship with evolution).
7 videos, 2 readings expand
- Video: How Does Evolution Work?
- Video: Sex and Evolution
- Video: How to Read Evolutionary Trees
- Reading: Further Reading for Lesson 2.1
- Video: The Linnean System
- Video: Finding, Describing and Naming Species
- Video: From Tree to Classification, Part 1
- Video: From Tree to Classification, Part 2
- Reading: Further Reading for Lesson 2.2
Graded: (2.1) Evolution of Biodiversity
Graded: (2.2) Classification and Description of
Biodiversity
WEEK 3
Biodiversity in Your Lives
You just spent two weeks watching video lectures and answering
quizzes. This week / module is different, and gets you "hands-on"
with some of the biodiversity in your lives. Specifically, you will
learn about "dietary diversity": the diversity of organisms that
people eat, about why dietary diversity is important, why it might
vary globally, and most exciting of all, you will record and
explore your own dietary diversity, in a Peer Assignment. Because
the Peer Assignment will take some time, there are relatively fewer
video lectures. (The Peer Assignment is mandatory and is assessed.
There is no other method of assessment in this module.)
2 videos, 2 readings expand
- Video: Dietary Diversity
- Video: The Diversity of What You Eat
- Reading: About Taxonomic Trees
- Reading: Further Reading for Lesson 3.1
Graded: The Diversity of What You Eat
WEEK 4
Biodiversity in Space and Time
Biodiversity varies greatly through space and time, and information
about this variation is one of the most important ingredients of
biodiversity science. The first part of the module concerns how we
can discover where species are located, and hence create knowledge
about the spatial and temporal distribution of biodiversity. You
then learn about some of the fascinating and often puzzling ways in
which biodiversity is distributed across the Earth.
6 videos, 2 readings expand
- Video: Finding out Which Species Are Where
- Video: Remote Sensing of Biodiversity
- Video: Geographic Patterns of Biodiversity
- Reading: Further Reading for Lesson 4.1
- Video: Spatial Ecology
- Video: Why so Many Species
- Video: The Diversity - Stability Debate
- Reading: Further Reading for Lesson 4.2
Graded: (4) Biodiversity in Space and Time
WEEK 5
Importance of Biodiversity
This modules concerns thinking and ideas about the importance of
biodiversity. One way to think about the importance of biodiversity
is to consider and document its values, for example the vast array
of products that are derived from organisms. A recent development
has been to think about the "services" provided by biodiversity. As
well as learn about "ecosystem services", you will hear about why
some people think the concept not very useful, and perhaps even
dangerous. In the second set of video lectures, you will learn
about how biodiversity scientists have gone about discovering if,
when, and why more biodiversity might be a better thing.
6 videos, 2 readings expand
- Video: Values of Biodiversity
- Video: Ecosystem Services
- Video: Economics, Technology, and Nature Based Solutions
- Reading: Further Reading and Viewing for Lesson 5.1
- Video: How Much Biodiversity Do We Need?
- Video: Researching How Much Biodiversity We Need
- Video: Why Biodiversity is Often a Good Thing
- Reading: Further Reading and Viewing for Lesson 5.2
Graded: (5.1) Types of Value of Biodiversity
Graded: (5.2) Is Biodiversity Better?
WEEK 6
Threats to Biodiversity
The history of biodiversity on Earth is full of extinctions of
species, and indeed at least five mass extinctions. And yet there
is great concern, based on considerable evidence, that effects of
humans on the Earth, from small to global scales, is threatening
biodiversity. You will learn about the historical context in which
contemporary changes in biodiversity and global environments need
to be considered. You will hear about some of the current threats
being studied by researchers at the University of Zurich. In the
final of the three parts of this module, you will learn about what
the future may hold in store for biodiversity, and why predicting
this future is so fascinating, so difficult, and so important.
7 videos, 4 readings expand
- Video: History of Biodiversity
- Video: The Current Climate Change
- Reading: Further Reading for Lesson 6.1
- Video: Global Change
- Video: Global Change and Amphibians
- Video: Global Change and the Arctic
- Reading: Further Reading for Lesson 6.2
- Video: Predicting the Future of Biodiversity
- Video: Chaos, Tipping Points, and Extinction
- Reading: Further Reading for Lesson 6.3
- Reading: Further Reading and Viewing for Module 6
Graded: (6) Threats to Biodiversity
WEEK 7
Helping Biodiversity
Given the importance of biodiversity, and the threats it currently
faces, there is considerable ongoing effort to help biodiversity.
You will learn about conservation ethics, organisations, and
treaties, and about the relationships between business and
conservation of biodiversity. The second section of the module
concerns conservation in action, covering single species and
ecosystem conservation, and including the critical role of natural
historians and museum collections of organisms for conservation
biology, and more broadly for biodiversity science.
5 videos, 2 readings expand
- Video: Ethics and Rationale of Conservation
- Video: Biodiversity Organisations, Policies, and Treaties
- Video: Business and the Conservation of Biodiversity
- Reading: Further Reading for Lesson 7.1
- Video: Conservation in Action: From Single Species to Ecosystems
- Video: Natural Historians and Natural History Collections
- Reading: Further Reading for Lesson 7.2
Graded: (7) Helping Biodiversity
WEEK 8
Be a Biodiversity Ambassador
The final module of course focuses on the action that you can take
to help biodiversity. That is, how you can be a Biodiversity
Ambassador. The first video covers the many things that people and
organisations are doing to help, conserve, and protect
biodiversity. The second lecture encourages you into action,
particularly by doing what biodiversity cannot do: speak and stick
up for itself. Biodiversity does not have a voice of its own; it
needs Biodiversity Ambassadors -- people who will speak on it's
behalf. The course concludes with its most important assignment (a
peer assignment) for which you will prepare a short statement /
presentation about how you will aim to be a Biodiversity
Ambassador.
2 videos, 2 readings expand
- Video: What You Can Do to Help Biodiversity
- Discussion Prompt: Things We Can Do to Help
- Video: Be a Biodiversity Ambassador
- Reading: Further Reading and Viewing for Lesson 8.1
- Reading: Further Reading and Viewing for this MOOC
Graded: You as a Biodiversity Ambassador
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