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Understanding of Biodiversity Among Western Canadian University Students

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Campion College, University of Regina, 3737 Wascana Parkway, Regina, SK, Canada, S4S 0A2

    Katherine D. Arbuthnott

  2. University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada

    Daniel Devoe

Authors
  1. Katherine D. Arbuthnott
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  2. Daniel Devoe
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Katherine D. Arbuthnott.

Appendix A

Appendix A

Expert-Identified Categories and Details

I. Definition (Total: 8)

  • variety at many levels of life organization

  • species (legal definition)

  • animals

  • plants

  • insects

  • microorganisms

  • genetic diversity, both within and across species

  • distribution of species

II. Source and maintenance processes (Total: 4)

  • evolution

  • over very long time periods

  • continual process of adaptation to existing conditions

  • variety of niches and interactions between existing species create ecosystems which provide the template in which evolution can work; ecosystems = community of life; independent of size scale

III. Value (Total: 8)

  • maintains life

  • without genetic diversity individual species can’t survive

  • creates conditions for continual adaptation; preserves options

  • impacts individuals

  • food, medicine

  • ecological services

  • inspiration — meaning beyond ourselves

  • aesthetics, pleasure

IV. How is it threatened? (Total: 2)

  • pace of change due to human modifications of environment too rapid for species adaptation

  • we are simplifying (reducing variety) without understanding the consequences; e.g., soil modifications (fertilizers, pesticides); genetic modification of organisms

V. Human responsibility? (Total: 3)

  • humans have responsibility to other species because we have the power to influence everything

  • we have laws that reflect this responsibility (Species at Risk Act) and political jurisdictions for different categories of life forms (federal — migratory birds, aquatic life; provincial — terrestrial animals)

  • public organizations express this responsibility — e.g., WWF, Sierra club, justice groups

Total: /25

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Arbuthnott, K.D., Devoe, D. Understanding of Biodiversity Among Western Canadian University Students. Hum Ecol 42, 147–158 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-013-9611-y

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