Biodiversity comes from two words Bio meaning life and diversity meaning variability.
Biodiversity is the variety of living organisms; the variety of plants, animals and microorganisms they contain, their genetic information, and the ecosystems they make up.
The diversity of life on Earth is defined as its biological variety and variability. It is the measure of variation at the genetic, species, and ecosystem level.
Genetic diversity
Genes are the basic units of all life on Earth. They are responsible for both the similarities and the differences between organisms.
Every species consists of individuals with their own genetic makeup.
Species diversity
Species diversity is the variety of species within a habitat or a region. Some habitats, such as rainforests and coral reefs, have many species. Others, like salt flats or a polluted stream, have fewer.
Ecosystem diversity
A community of organisms and their physical environment interacting is called an ecosystem. Ecosystem diversity is the variety of ecosystems in a given place. A single ecosystem can cover a large area, such as a forest, or a small area, like a pond.
The Importance of Biodiversity:
Ecological Stability
Every species has a specific role in an ecosystem. They capture and store energy and also produce and decompose organic matter. The ecosystem supports the services without which humans cannot survive. A diverse ecosystem is more productive and can withstand environmental stress.
Economic Importance
Biodiversity is a reservoir of resources for the manufacture of food, cosmetic products and pharmaceuticals.
Crops, livestock, fishery, and forests are a rich source of food.
Wild plants such as Cinchona and Foxglove plant are used for medicinal purposes.
Wood, fibres, perfumes, lubricants, rubber, resins, poison and cork are all derived from different plant species.
The national parks and sanctuaries are a source of tourism. They are a source of beauty and joy for many people.
Ethical Importance
All the species have a right to exist. Humans should not cause their voluntary extinction. Biodiversity preserves different cultures and spiritual heritage. Therefore, it is very important to conserve biodiversity.
Threats to Biodiversity:
Climate Change
The underlying cause of these changes is the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which traps more heat close to the Earth’s surface. Carbon dioxide is a product of burning fossil fuels to produce the energy that powers human civilization.
Deforestation
Forests are cut down for raw materials, burned to clear land for crops, or replaced by cities and roads.
Overharvesting
Overharvesting is when so much of something is taken that it can’t replenish itself and it disappears, for example the world’s fish stocks. Chinese medicines, exotic fur, ivory and wild meat are all products that are responsible for killing off threatened and endangered species.
Invasive Species
An invasive species is a species introduced to an ecosystem where it isn't a natural member, and that harms that ecosystem.
Pollution
Pollution can be any chemical, energy, light or noise that contaminates the air, water or soil. Pollutants can accumulate in the food supply, poison habitats and interfere with organisms’ abilities to reproduce.
Human activity is the biggest threat to biodiversity. The good news is that there are things people can do to reduce those threats and ensure Earth's diversity remains.
The best way to conserve biodiversity is to save habitats and ecosystems rather than trying to save a single species.
Many high profile conservation campaigns focus on rescuing a single endangered species from extinction, such as blue whale, bilbies, koala. No organism, however, exists in isolation. When a species is endangered, its habitat is probably at risk as well.
Megadiversity describes countries with very high levels of biodiversity.
Twelve of the megadiverse countries, including Australia, contain about 75% of Earth's total biodiversity.
Did you know Australia has about one million of these, which represents more than 7% of the world's total and is more than twice the number of species in Europe and North America combined?
Comments