Ch 44: Human Effects on the Biosphere
Correction: The first question in the review quiz, the correct answer should be “Sichuan, China”.
Today You Will Learn
- Why are so many species threatened or endangered?
- What are the effects of desertification and deforestation?
- How does trash degrade habitats?
- What are the effects of acid rain?
- What are the effects of ozone depletion and pollution?
- What are the effects of global climate change?
- How can we reduce our impact?
Lecture Links
Review all lecture links available on this page.
| United States Fish and Wildlife Service on endangered species | Link |
| “The Dust Bowl” by Library of Congress | Link |
| “Reforestation: Impact on Climate” by The Nature Conservancy (YouTube.com) | Video |
| Overview on the acid rain by National Geographic | Link |
| The Nature Education Knowledge Project on conservation biology | Link |
Question of the Day
Answer a question below after you go through this video-lecture by clicking on the correct answer. I collect student answers for the review purposes only. Your answer is not graded, and your name stays anonymous.
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What did you like about this lesson most of all? Scroll down and leave your answer in the “Comments” field below.
Canvas
My name is Isabelle Hervey, and I took BIO 101 during the summer of 2022. This class fulfilled requirements for my Baccalaureate Core and major requirements.
My favorite activities from this term included the discussion boards and interactive lab experiments. I really enjoyed having the chance to hear others’ thoughts in the discussion boards and to have dialogue with others in the class in this way. I also found the labs, such as the timeline (lab 2), “population genetics in a fish bowl” (lab 4) and “Moose on the Loose” (lab 10), that were really interactive to be a fun way to see how what we are learning is applied.
The assignments I liked a bit less were typically quizzes and exams, but I believe that if I had managed my time more effectively, I would have had a better experience with these. On some lab assignments, I felt unable to find the information I was looking for in the textbook, and I was unsure if I was to look up this information online. While some lab assignments mentioned using educational websites to find the answers, others didn’t, and I was unsure on those if I was meant to find answers only in the textbook. So, sometimes, lab assignments weren’t my favorite depending on the week. In the future, if the information isn’t in the textbook, I think it might be helpful for students to have this stated.
I look forward to being able to apply the knowledge I have gained from this course in lesson planning for my future elementary classroom. I can incorporate the information I know into non-science lessons, and, having taken this class, I can better teach biology concepts to young kids.
I really appreciated the structure, organization, and numerous resources (and supplemental materials) that this class offered. It sets students up for success. My only thoughts for improvement might be to have the labs be turned in rather than having lab tests. I think this might help students to better stay on top of their work.
Thank you for a great term!
Your name.
Kale Lanza
The date you were taking this course.
July 18th-September 3
A reason you have taken this class?
I needed to finish prerequisites for my bachelor’s degree at Whittier College
What were your favorite activities and assignments and why?
My favorite assignments were the labs as they allowed us to do more hands-on activities with the course material
What were your least favorite activities and assignments and why?
The bread bacteria lab was perhaps my least favorite due to the fact I was just wasting bread
How you will be able to use materials learned in BI 101?
I think I will apply the material in everyday life and also help guide future knowledge in courses to come
Your suggestions on BI 101 online course improvements.
N/A
Ryan M.
I took the course summer 2022
This class is required to get into my program.
I enjoyed the digital labs the most – I thought it was fun and I could go at my own pace.
My least favorite was the reading, I am just not into biology very much so it was difficult for me.
I think the general knowledge the course provides in regards to how the world works will be useful.
The only improvements I can think of is verifying all the links provided in the labs are working. I believe one of them was broken – other than that It was structured very well.
My name is Kourtney and I took this course in Summer term 2022. I took this course as a required course for my degree. I really enjoyed the weeks we spent learning about animals, the endangered and threatened discussion was my favorite, specifically. I also really enjoyed using the digital microscope at the beginning of the term. Reading the textbook is my least favorite part. I enjoy more hands-on lessons. I have already found myself using the knowledge I acquired during this class, and will continue to do so as I can. I don’t have any suggestions. I thought having all of the modules opened early on was very kind too.
My name is Jesika Guido and I took this class Summer 2022. I took this class as one of my last pre-req’s before graduating with my Bachelor’s degree at SOU. My favorite activity were some of the labs, especially the last two. My least favorite was the reading assignments because I do not retain information easily, so the lecture notes were SUPER helpful for me. I can use the materials from this class to help me understand our ecosystem and be more aware of life on our planet and how it evolves. One area where I suggest improvement is in some of the labs I struggled to find the necessary content and it took me a while to figure it out. Maybe more detailed instructions or examples of what the completed labs look like, or include a discussion for students to troubleshoot if they need support. I also had the newest edition of the book and sometimes it seemed like it didn’t align with assignments. Overall I am happy with this class! I was scared to take a science/lab online, especially because it is not a major interest area for me and my degree is hanging in the balance, but it turned out to be very interesting, straightforward, and informative. I am grateful that it was online because I was unable to attend in person. Thank you!
Anna Sickler
Summer term 2022
To fill required credits and an interest in Earth History.
I really enjoyed learning about early humanity, it was very cool to see the different time periods and how humans were evolving.
I found the genetics section really difficult, but I’ve never been very good at genetics. However this class did help me understand it much better than I did before.
I’m going into Archeology, so this class will be really helpful for understanding evolution as well as how things are made up.
Could work on the links in the worksheets, some of them work, and some of them don’t. Another thing is that the textbooks page numbers really needs to be updated in the worksheets, I’m using the 10th edition and it was nearly impossible to find the curriculum I needed to read. Otherwise, great class and great term!
I took Bio 101 during the summer course of 2022. I appreciated that this was an online course and I was able to work at my pace. I did struggle with the content of the notes not matching up with the tests, so it was a lot to memorize. Mrs. Green was always quick to respond to any concerns or e-mails and address the issues.
Hello I am Reese Weight, I took this course Summer Term of 2022, I took this class because I needed a science with a lab for my Associates and I thought this class could be fun and informational, which it was. My favorite activities were the discussion boards, they were fun and helped me learn the material. I would say my least favorite assignments were the lecture exams, mainly because I get test anxiety. I will be able to use my knowledge from Bio 101 to teach my future children when I homeschool them. One suggestion that I have would be to have us be able to take the quizzes twice, but other than that I absolutely loved this class!
Jeffry Stern
Class of Summer 2021
I took this class because, for one; science is my favorite subject and also I need the credit to graduate. My favorite part of this class was the experiments and research. My least favorite part was not being able to join in on this class in person. I really don’t have any suggestions for improvement on the class, I hope to take one of your classes in person some day though.
My name is Morgan Flanagan and I participated in Biology 101 during summer term 2021. I took this class because science is a basic requirement for all degrees. I enjoyed the structure of the class. I like that we are given the opportunity to do the labs and lab quizzes throughout the weeks and then be tested overall in the Lab tests. It makes studying much easier if I have already visited the topic a few times. I am not such a fan of the discussion boards, but that is mainly because I find them tedious. I don’t think discussion boards should be discontinued, I just need to work on that personally.
I’m not sure how much of this I will be able to use since I learned most of it in middle and high school so this course was really just a refresher. With that said, I was able to tell friends about endangered species that I had never heard of.
I really can’t think of anything that would improve the course as a whole.
I took this class during Summer 2021. I took it because I was interested in some other higher level science courses and this class was a necessary prerequisite.
I liked the lecture format where interactive exercises were displayed during lectures. That helps break up the flow of the material. My favorite activities and assignments were definitely the labs. I felt like most of them took material from the chapters and created a straightforward, practical application of the material. Specifically, I enjoyed being able to refer to the shapes of bacteria and the different behaviors. I also thought mapping trophic levels and food webs were a great foundation for understanding ecology and the impacts that affect it. It helps change the way I look at the world.
I really disliked the format of the exams for this section. Obviously, summer courses mean a lot of information compressed into a short amount of time, but in my opinion, the exams had questions that were either too specific or the timeline was too short to be able to double check my notes. Case in point, I had 40 pages of notes, not including handouts, for just the last exam, and I still had knowledge gaps in my notes.
My suggestions for an online summer term would be to either (a) make the exams weekly, so that the material is more spread out or (b) make the exams more like the lab quizzes, which I found to be straightforward. Adding a higher weight to assignments during the summer might also help those of us who do the work and understand the material but still test poorly.
Most of what I have learned in BI 101 was to do with the way I view systems and ecology. I think that is knowledge that will be useful in many contexts. I also think everyone should have at least a basic understanding of the world through that viewpoint!
The date you were taking this course.
Summer term 2021
A reason you have taken this class?
I took this course as a required science course for my degree.
What were your most favorite activities and assignments and why?
I enjoyed the labs because they provided a deeper understanding of the material. The earthworm lab was especially interesting. The labs gave life to what we were learning. I really enjoyed the ecology portion of the class as well.
What were your least favorite activities and assignments and why?
I guess my least favorite assignments would be the labs that were less interactive. I like the labs that provided a more visual understanding of the material.
How you will be able to use materials learned in BI 101?
This class drew a lot of attention to human effects on plant and animal species as well as climate change. It will help me make more educated choices in the future and move me in the direction of more sustainable living. The class was also dense with interesting information, which I am excited to share with my kids.
Your suggestions on BI 101 online course improvements
In my opinion, the best way to improve this course would be to allow a second attempt for tests. The first test would help students see where the holes are in their understanding of the material. They can then study those topics in more depth and retake the test with a better understanding.
Logan Sinor
Summer 2021
Science requirement
I liked the labs where there were different simulations we could do alongside our lab papers.
I didn’t love when some of the labs were just reading and filling out the questions. I’m more of a hands on learner so when I was able to to do a little simulation like the fish bowl I learned better.
At times I thought the way the modules were set up were a little confusing. I wasn’t used to having every assignment under one tab but after the first week I had it figured out. I thought the assignments were good and the different learning tools we used were helpful.
My name is Ashley Johnson. I took this class for Summer term 2021. I took this class to fulfill my science requirement as part of my degree program. Because we didn’t have as many discussion board postings as in my other classes, I enjoyed the ones we did have the most this term so I would say they have been my favorite. My least favorite activity has been the lab worksheets and that is because it was a lot to do over 8 weeks in conjunction with all my other classwork. Since they weren’t graded, sometimes I felt unsure about if I had the correct answers for everything. I will be able to use the materials from BI 101 to understand life processes and contextualize the way we exist in our environment. Thanks, Professor Green!
My name is Janina Butler, I am taking this course Summer term in 2021, I took this class because it was a requirement to graduate my AAOT. I didn’t think I would like this class because I am bad at math and science but I found myself really enjoying this class. The discussions were great for me, to be able to compare information with fellow students and research some of the biology content on my own. I didn’t like the Lab quizzes. I fully did each of my labs and would have rather of turned those in then to take a test each week. A lot of students put the time in their labs but have test anxiety. 15 minute timed tests are stressful and impact the overall grade of the class. In the future I will be able to use what I have learned for higher biology classes when I get my masters and bachelors. Overall, this class was very informational and there was so much content to watch and learn from. Though the lab quizzes are something that to me-need improved, I am very happy I took this class.
I took this class during Summer 2020 and took it due to a science general education requirement at my university. I enjoyed the labs pretty well and really enjoyed the small anecdotal clips especially ones narrated by David Attenborough.
Jamie Williams
I took this course summer 2020
I needed 4 credits of science to complete my prerequisites for my degree through PSU.
I enjoyed the labs and actually getting to preform experiments. However, there were two specific experiments that had directions difficult to follow for the table of information provided or requested. I emailed you about this issue already.
I will be able to use this knowledge when my daughter starts to ask questions about how the world or our environment works!
My only suggestion would be a review of lab 10 instructions for the first part of the lab.
I really appreciate your constructive feedback Jamie. The lab 10 worksheet is reflecting the latest updates from eScienceLabs.com now.
I thought these lectures were intuitive and well descriptive of the covered material; definitely a great option to go for in place of an on-campus lecture (especially the in-video quizzes!).
The discussions were very interesting as well, for it encouraged more individual research than what was already given, which is a method of teaching I prefer for it allows students to explore and learn about their given topic in a more flexible and productive manner (the constructive replies to my discussion posts were also very helpful for future discussions).
The labs were very engaging, and I did like the flexible combination of at-home and digital labs because it allowed students to access and conduct these labs in accordance to their schedule rather than it being strictly consistent (to one day per week).
I did enjoy this course, and I am glad I took the opportunity to join it and learn about the diverse world of biology!
The class has been very informative. The labs can be confusing to keep up with at times, but as an online class I think that you did a very good job maintaining a decent workload even as class progressed throughout the year. Just keep looking to interact with your students, and be open to giving honest and beneficial feedback. Its honestly been a great class, and I look forward to taking what I’ve learned in this online class elsewhere.
Thank You!
God Bless
Thank you for taking this class. See you next semester!