This course will discuss the current loss of biological diversity ("biodiversity") around the globe. We will discuss the following topics: What biodiversity is, how biodiversity is distributed across the globe, the value of biodiversity, why certain species are vulnerable to extinction, the major threats to biodiversity,the role humans play in the process of declining biodiversity, and the best ways to preserve biodiversity. Through lectures, discussions and laboratories, we will address these questions, examine how populations are monitored and examine factors that result in decreasing biodiversity.