1. Construct a system diagram relating what you learned about biodiversity and the case study done in the Amazon rainforest.  
2. In 150-200 words describe the diagram you made in question 1 and how biodiversity can be related to the Amazon rainforest.
3. In 175-300 words describe biodiversity in your own hometown and some events that might or have affected it.

2.

Biodiversity and the Amazon rainforest are very closely intertwined.  The Amazon rainforest is the largest rainforest in the world, producing many crops for export such as bananas, pineapples, and sugarcane.  Rainforests are often called the “lungs of the planet” because of their large intakes of carbon dioxide and larger releases of oxygen.  Rainforests are also called the “cradles of biodiversity” as there are home to 50% of the World’s biodiversity.  It is because of this that issues such as deforestation and clear cutting are such a problem, not only for sustainability and renewable resources, but also the life of biodiversity.  Deforestation occurs in the Amazon rainforest through processes such as mining or construction of new roads.  However, it can also be caused by poor farmers accepting to clear land in order to farm it.  Farming does not last very long in one area though. This is because the soil is not very fertile.  Cutting down the trees is also leaving many animals without homes and as a result, there is a lack then of biodiversity.  Farmers also hunt the remaining forested areas, furthering the lack of biodiversity in the vast area. 

3.There is quite a lot of biodiversity in my hometown.  My home in Snow Shoe, PA  is surrounded by the outdoors and is home to many species of animals.  Over last few years there has been a disturbance however, in the amount of untouched land.  Many gas wells have popped up in the area, which disrupts not only wildlife, but also the water systems.  In the past, there also used to be a shallow coal mine close to my home.  Mining very much disrupted the wildlife in the area for some time.  Now, many years later, the land has been reclaimed by the state.  Although this land is back to the way it was before the mining took place, it still is just a wide open field with much fewer trees than before as well as loss of habitat.  Another activity that many would argue contributes to a lack biodiversity in the area is hunting.  Where I come from everybody hunts as a way to fill their freezer and feed their family.   Although some would say this decreases the population of certain species, it is another means of controlling the population as well as a food source.  For instance, my county participates in a yearly coyote hunt.  This is an organized hunt, but while others may see it as a cruel way of hunting for sport, its larger, original purpose was to help control the overwhelming population in the area.