Better understand the core concepts of this lesson and then test your knowledge below.
Select an animal that exists in your community, or one that interests you, and answer the following:
- What are your animal’s dominant and recessive traits?
- Are there any known subspecies?
- Is your animal able to adapt to changes in the environment (food source shortages, seasonal weather, habitat alteration, etc)?
- What is your animal’s mating process (do males fight each other for dominance)?
- Does your animal produce young every year, or does it take longer?
- At what age can your animal reproduce? What are the odds of young surviving their first year?
- Are there any Indigenous teachings about your animal? If so, what can be learned from traditional knowledge?
General Questions
- What are the similarities between black bears and grizzly bears? What are the differences?
- What is a subspecies? Why do they exist?
- Should more research be done on the value of subspecies to biodiversity?
- Gather as a group and discuss the importance of subspecies. Do they matter? Should they receive more attention and protection? Does science do a good enough job of considering the role of subspecies in specific ecosystems?
