Introduction

Chapter 1. Mountain Pine Beetle

Video Case Study

In this activity you will be watching a 3:37 video clip entitled Path of Destruction produced by Design for Social Good (featuring images by Nina Berman of Noor Images). This video highlights the devastating effects of the Mountain Pine Beetle throughout British Columbia. This clip uses still images to show the landscape in areas where pine beetles have had a large impact.

You will be encouraged through this exercise to learn more about how humans both directly and indirectly affect the environment. You’ll also be asked to think about elements of the video’s content and presentation as they relate to environmental literacy, as you learned about in Chapter 1.

Instructions

Watch the video and answer the following questions:

1.

Are Mountain Pine Beetles an alien species?

2.

Are Mountain Pine Beetles an invasive species?

3.

How did this video make you feel about Mountain Pine Beetles?

Instructions

1. Watch the video again.

2. As you watch, note the answers to the following questions.

4.

Where is terrain featured in this video?

5.

What region is being affected?

6.

What is the scale of the impact shown?

7.

How does Mountain Pine Beetle infestation alter the landscape?

8.

How are people affected by the infestation?

9.

What is the root cause of the infestation?

Cause
Climate change
Invasion
Drought

Instructions

1. Watch the video again if necessary.

2. This time concentrate on the text shown in the video.

10.

What key factor kept Mountain Pine Beetles in check in their native ecosystems?

Factor
cold winters
insecticides
logging
altitude

11.

What factor has made trees more susceptible to beetle attack?

Factor
cold winters
drought
logging
fires

12.

What tree species has been most affected by the beetle infestation?

Species
Jack Pine
Lodgepole Pine
Sitka Spruce
Douglas Fir

13.

What proportion of mature trees might be dead by 2014?

Factor
20%
50%
60%
80%
90%

14.

What problem arises from having large expanses of dead trees?

15.

Dead trees have a very different role in carbon dynamics from living ones. What is the difference?

16.

Where is the Mountain Pine Beetle headed next?

17.

Draw a diagram of the ecological feedback mechanism illustrated in this video, including at least five factors

18.

Is the feedback you describe an example of:

Type of Feedback
positive feedback
negative feedback

19.

What does this video tell you about the (unexpected?) impacts of climate change?

Instructions

Having viewed the video clip and focused on information literacy, now read the following article.

"Time to Stop Worrying about Invasive Species?" Karen Hopkin, in Scientific American, Wednesday, June 8, 2011

20.

Question Yes, No, Not Sure?
Are all alien species invasive?
Are all native species non-invasive?
Can alien species enhance biodiversity?

21.

How should we assess the impacts of alien and native species?

22.

How can we prevent the impacts of potentially invasive species?

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