BIO 220 rainforest biodiversity discussion: a guide
The second question asks for a chain of causation across an ocean. General statements about the lungs of the planet will not carry it; specific services will.
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Last reviewed · August 10, 2026
What does this biodiversity discussion require?
Two questions here and they operate at different scales. The first is general biology: why is biodiversity important for the survival of species, including humans. The second is specific and much harder: how could rainforest destruction affect people living in the United States. That second question is asking for a chain of causation that crosses an ocean, and the commonest failure is to assert the conclusion without building the chain. Saying that rainforests are the lungs of the planet is a slogan, and it is also inaccurate enough that a marker may notice: mature forests consume roughly as much oxygen through respiration and decomposition as they produce. Build each answer as a mechanism instead, and the post becomes much harder to argue with. The forest's real climate contribution is that it stores carbon, which is a different claim from the one the slogan makes and a considerably stronger one.
On the first question, biodiversity matters for the survival of species through several distinct mechanisms and naming them separately is what turns an opinion into biology. Genetic diversity within a species is what allows it to respond to a new pressure, because adaptation requires variation to select from, and a population without it cannot evolve out of trouble. Species diversity within an ecosystem provides functional redundancy, so that when one species is lost another can occupy its role and the system continues functioning. Diversity also stabilises: more diverse systems tend to fluctuate less in productivity, because a bad year for one species is often a good year for another. And species are interdependent, so a loss propagates through the network rather than simply subtracting one node from it, which is why removing a pollinator or a seed disperser can affect species that never interact with it directly.
For humans specifically, the argument runs through ecosystem services, and this is the frame that will get you to the second question. Pollination is the most quantifiable: a large share of global food crops depends on animal pollinators, and pollination services are demonstrably reduced where habitat is lost near farmland. Medicine is the second: a substantial fraction of pharmaceuticals derives from natural products, and medicinal plants remain the primary source of healthcare for many communities. Water regulation, soil formation and climate regulation complete the list. Say which service you are talking about each time, because ecosystem services is a category and the individual services behave very differently under the same pressure. Pollination collapses fairly quickly when habitat near farmland is lost, while soil formation degrades over decades, and a post that treats them as one thing cannot say anything useful about either timescale.
The second question then needs at least two chains built end to end. The climate chain is the strongest and the most quantifiable: tropical deforestation releases stored carbon, roughly half the tropical forest present at the start of the twentieth century has already gone, and carbon released anywhere affects a global system, which reaches the United States through the same warming that drives its own droughts, storms and fire seasons. The pharmaceutical chain is more concrete: compounds isolated from tropical species are already in American medicine cabinets, and a species lost before it is studied is a compound that never gets found. The trade chain is the most immediate: coffee, cocoa, fruit and timber come from these regions, and yields depend on the pollinators and soils that deforestation removes, so the effect arrives as price and availability rather than as anything anyone would recognise as an environmental event.
A fourth chain is worth mentioning because it is less obvious and increasingly well evidenced. Habitat destruction brings people and livestock into sustained contact with wildlife populations they were previously separated from, and that contact is the recognised mechanism behind a number of emerging infectious diseases. Disease does not respect distance at all, and the interval between a spillover event somewhere tropical and a case in a North American hospital is now measured in days rather than in seasons. Whichever chains you choose, make each one explicit, step by step, from the deforestation event to the person in the United States. Two chains built properly will outscore five asserted, and the ones you can attach a figure to will do the most work, because the second question is really asking whether the effect is large enough to notice from several thousand miles away.
On format, keep to your course's stated length and source requirements for an initial post. Prefer a source that quantifies a service over one that describes the rainforest, because the second question is fundamentally about magnitude: everything is connected to everything, so the interesting claim is not that there is a connection but that it is large enough to matter. A connection you cannot size is a connection a sceptical reader can dismiss, and this particular question invites exactly that reader. If replies to peers are graded, the most useful reply is to take a classmate's chain and ask which link in it is weakest, since that is a question about evidence rather than about opinion, it can actually be answered, and it is far more useful to the person who wrote the post than agreement would be.
Likely learning objectives
Inferred from the brief — check these against your own rubric.
- 01Explain biodiversity's importance through named mechanisms rather than assertion.
- 02Distinguish genetic, species and functional diversity.
- 03Use ecosystem services as the bridge from biology to human consequence.
- 04Build explicit causal chains from deforestation to the United States.
- 05Attach a figure to at least one chain.
- 06Avoid slogans that do not survive checking.
Read the full question
Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.
Course-wide instructions that accompany this question
Important information for writing discussion questions and participation Hi Class, Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts. Contact me if you have any questions. Important information on Writing a Discussion Question Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references) There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article. Include in-text citations in your response Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information Follow APA-7th edition Points will be deducted if the above is not followed Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week. Each response needs at least ONE reference with citations—best if it is a peer reviewed journal article Each response needs to be at least 75 words in length (does not include your list of references) Responses need to be substantive by bringing information to the discussion or further enhance the discussion. Responses of “I agree” or “great post” does not count for the word count. Follow APA 7th edition Points will be deducted if the above is not followed Remember to use and follow APA-7th edition for all weekly assignments, discussion questions, and participation points. Here are some helpful links Student paper example Citing Sources The Writing Center is a great resource Welcome to class Hello class and welcome to the class and I will be your instructor for this course. This is a -week course and requires a lot of time commitment, organization, and a high level of dedication. Please use the class syllabus to guide you through all the assignments required for the course. I have also attached the classroom policies to this announcement to know your expectations for this course. Please review this document carefully and ask me any questions if you do. You could email me at any time or send me a message via the “message” icon in halo if you need to contact me. I check my email regularly, so you should get a response within 24 hours. If you have not heard from me within 24 hours and need to contact me urgently, please send a follow up text to. I strongly encourage that you do not wait until the very last minute to complete your assignments. Your assignments in weeks 4 and 5 require early planning as you would need to present a teaching plan and interview a community health provider. I advise you look at the requirements for these assignments at the beginning of the course and plan accordingly. I have posted the YouTube link that explains all the class assignments in detail. 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There is a 5%-point deduction for every day your assignment is late. This only applies to approved extensions. Late assignments will not be accepted. If you think you would be needing accommodations due to any reasons, please contact the appropriate department to request accommodations. Plagiarism is highly prohibited. Please ensure you are citing your sources correctly using APA 7th edition. All assignments including discussion posts should be formatted in APA with the appropriate spacing, font, margin, and indents. Any papers not well formatted would be returned back to you, hence, I advise you review APA formatting style. I have attached a sample paper in APA format and will also post sample discussion responses in subsequent announcements. Your initial discussion post should be a minimum of 200 words and response posts should be a minimum of 150 words. Be advised that I grade based on quality and not necessarily the number of words you post. A minimum of TWO references should be used for your initial post. For your response post, you do not need references as personal experiences would count as response posts. If you however cite anything from the literature for your response post, it is required that you cite your reference. You should include a minimum of THREE references for papers in this course. Please note that references should be no more than 5 years old except recommended as a resource for the class. Furthermore, for each discussion board question, you need ONE initial substantive response and TWO substantive responses to either your classmates or your instructor for a total of THREE responses. There are TWO discussion questions each week, hence, you need a total minimum of SIX discussion posts for each week. I usually post a discussion question each week. You could also respond to these as it would count towards your required SIX discussion posts for the week. I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receive strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course! Exit Grid View List View BIO 220 Week 5 Discussion 1 How could the destruction of the rainforest, and its biodiversity, affect people living in the United States Excellent Point range: 90–100 Good Point range: 80–89 Fair Point range: 70–79 Poor Point range: 0–69 In 4 or 5 sentences, describe the anatomy of the basic unit of the nervous sytem, the neuron. Include each part of the neuron and a general overview of electrical impulse conduction, the pathway it travels, and the net result at the termination of the impulse. Be specific and provide examples. 12 (16%) – 13 (17.33%) The response accurately and clearly describes in detail the anatomy of the neuron. The response accurately and clearly describes in detail each part of the neuron, and it includes a detailed explanation of the general overview of electrical impulse conduction, the pathway it travels, and the net result at the termination of the impulse. Examples fully support the response provided. 11 (14.67%) – 11 (14.67%) The response accurately describes the anatomy of the neuron. The response accurately describes each part of the neuron, and it includes a general overview of electrical impulse conduction, the pathway it travels, and the net result at the termination of the impulse. Examples support the response provided. 10 (13.33%) – 10 (13.33%) The response provides an inaccurate or vague description of the anatomy of the neuron. The response inaccurately or vaguely describes each part of the neuron, and it includes an inaccurate or vague overview of electrical impulse conduction, the pathway it travels, and the net result at the termination of the impulse. Examples vaguely support the response provided. 0 (0%) – 9 (12%) The response provides an inaccurate or incomplete description of the anatomy of the neuron, or is missing. The response inaccurately or incompletely describes each part of the neuron, and it includes an inaccurate or vague overview of electrical impulse conduction, the pathway it travels, and the net result at the termination of the impulse, or is missing. Examples do not support the response provided, or is missing. Answer the following (listing is acceptable for these questions): a. What are the major components that make up the subcortical structures? b. Which component plays a role in learning, memory, and addiction? c. What are the two key neurotransmitters located in the nigra striatal region of the brain that play a major role in motor control? 12 (16%) – 13 (17.33%) The response accurately and clearly details the major components that make up the subcortical structures. The response accurately and clearly details which component plays a role in learning, memory, and addiction. The response accurately and clearly identifies the two neurotransmitters located in the nigra striatal region of the brain that play a major role in motor control. 11 (14.67%) – 11 (14.67%) The response accurately identifies the major components that make up the subcortical structures. The response accurately identifies which component plays a role in learning, memory, and addiction. The response accurately identifies the two neurotransmitters located in the nigra striatal region of the brain that play a major role in motor control. 10 (13.33%) – 10 (13.33%) The response inaccurately identifies the major components that make up the subcortical structures. The response inaccurately identifies which component plays a role in learning, memory, and addiction. The response inaccurately identifies two neurotransmitters located in the nigra striatal region of the brain that play a major role in motor control. 0 (0%) – 9 (12%) The response inaccurately and incompletely identifies the major components that make up the subcortical structures, or is missing. The response inaccurately and incompletely identifies which component plays a role in learning, memory, and addiction, or is missing. The response inaccurately and incompletely identifies two neurotransmitters in the nigra striatal region of the brain that play a major role in motor control, or is missing. In 3 or 4 sentences, explain how glia cells function in the central nervous system. Be specific and provide examples. 12 (16%) – 13 (17.33%) The response accurately and clearly explains in detail how glia cells function in the central nervous system. Examples fully support the response provided. 11 (14.67%) – 11 (14.67%) The response accurately explains how glia cells function in the central nervous system. Examples support the response provided. 10 (13.33%) – 10 (13.33%) The response inaccurately or vaguely explains how glia cells function in the central nervous system. Examples inaccurately or vaguely support the response provided. 0 (0%) – 9 (12%) The response inaccurately and vaguely explains how glia cells function in the central nervous system, or is missing. Examples do not support the response provided, or is missing. The synapse is an area between two neurons that allows for chemical communication. In 3 or 4 sentences, explain what part of the neurons are communicating with each other and in which direction does this communication occur? Be specific. 12 (16%) – 13 (17.33%) The response accurately and clearly explains in detail the part of the neurons that communicate with each other and the direction in which this communication occurs. 11 (14.67%) – 11 (14.67%) The response accurately explains the part of the neurons that communicate with each other and the direction in which this communication occurs. 10 (13.33%) – 10 (13.33%) The response inaccurately or vaguely explains the part of the neurons that communicate with each other and the direction in which this communication occurs. 0 (0%) – 9 (12%) The response inaccurately and vaguely explains the part of the neurons that communicate with each other and the direction in which this communication occurs, or is missing. In 3–5 sentences, explain the concept of “neuroplasticity.” Be specific and provide examples. 12 (16%) – 13 (17.33%) The response accurately and clearly explains in detail the concept of neuroplasticity. Examples provided fully support the response provided. 11 (14.67%) – 11 (14.67%) The response accurately explains the concept of neuroplasticity. Examples provided support the response provided. 10 (13.33%) – 10 (13.33%) The response inaccurately or vaguely explains the concept of neuroplasticity. Examples inaccurately or vaguely support the response provided. 0 (0%) – 9 (12%) The response inaccurately and vaguely explains the concept of neuroplasticity, or is missing. Examples do not support the response provided, or is missing. Written Expression and Formatting – English writing standards: Correct grammar, mechanics, and proper punctuation 5 (6.67%) – 5 (6.67%) Uses correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation with no errors. 4 (5.33%) – 4 (5.33%) Contains a few (1 or 2) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. 3.5 (4.67%) – 3.5 (4.67%) Contains several (3 or 4) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. 0 (0%) – 2 (2.67%) Contains many (≥ 5) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors that interfere with the reader’s understanding. Written Expression and Formatting – The paper follows correct APA format for title page, headings, font, spacing, margins, indentations, page numbers, 5 (6.67%) – 5 (6.67%) Uses correct APA format with no errors. 4 (5.33%) – 4 (5.33%) Contains a few (1 or 2) APA format errors. 3.5 (4.67%) – 3.5 (4.67%) Contains several (3 or 4) APA format errors. 0 (0%) – 2 (2.67%) Contains many (≥ 5) APA format errors. parenthetical/in-text citations, and reference list. Total Points: 75
Two questions at two different scales
- 01An explanation of why biodiversity is important for the survival of species, including humans.
- 02An explanation of how rainforest destruction could affect people living in the United States.
- 03Any sources your course requires for an initial post.
Why diversity matters, then the chains to here
Why biodiversity matters biologically
Cover genetic variation and adaptation, functional redundancy, stability and interdependence.
Ecosystem services
Move from species survival to human dependence through pollination, medicine, water and climate regulation.
The climate chain
Trace stored carbon released by deforestation to global warming to specific consequences in the United States.
A second chain
Build a pharmaceutical, trade or emerging disease chain end to end.
Where the argument is weakest
Note which link in your chains rests on the least evidence, which is more persuasive than claiming certainty.
Where the ecosystem services evidence sits
Recommended databases
- PubMed Central for ecosystem services and tropical forest research
- The IUCN Red List, for what is actually being lost and where
- Agricultural and trade statistics, for the goods your country imports from these regions
- Your course textbook chapter on biodiversity
Search sequence
- 1.Find a quantified estimate of tropical forest loss, with its baseline year.
- 2.Find one measured ecosystem service, such as pollination, with a figure attached.
- 3.Search for natural products in medicine and record what share of drugs derive from them.
- 4.Identify one product imported from a tropical region that depends on an ecosystem service.
- 5.For each chain, check that every step has a source, and note the weakest one.
Reference shortlist
These are authoritative starting points, not a ready-made bibliography. A qualified reviewer must confirm that each source fits the assignment and supports the claim beside which it is cited.
Nothing here is cleared for citation until you have read it.
- 01
Biodiversity Loss Threatens Human Well-Being
PLOS Biology · 2006
Connects biodiversity loss to human consequences service by service, which is the structure the second question needs.
- 02
Anthropogenic impacts on tropical forest biodiversity: a network structure and ecosystem functioning perspective
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B · 2010
Gives the scale of tropical forest loss and explains why losing species removes function rather than only removing organisms.
- 03
The impact of climate change on medicinal plants and natural products: A scoping review
PubMed Central · 2025
The pharmaceutical chain, evidenced. Useful because it treats medicinal plants as a resource under threat rather than as a rhetorical point.
- 04
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
International Union for Conservation of Nature · 2025
What is being lost, where, and why, with assessments you can cite for specific species rather than for deforestation in general.
Review before submission
Common mistakes
- Describing rainforests as the lungs of the planet, which does not survive scrutiny.
- Asserting that everything is connected without building a chain.
- Treating ecosystem services as one thing rather than several with different behaviour.
- Answering the second question with concern rather than with mechanism.
- Listing five effects instead of explaining two properly.
- Choosing sources that describe rainforests rather than quantify services.
- Omitting genetic diversity, which is where the survival argument actually starts.
Submission checklist
- At least three distinct mechanisms are given for why biodiversity matters.
- Genetic diversity is distinguished from species diversity.
- At least two named ecosystem services appear.
- Two causal chains run from deforestation to a consequence in the United States.
- Each chain has every step stated, not implied.
- At least one chain carries a figure.
- The post meets the course's length and source requirements.
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