Biodiversity is the term given to a variety of life on Earth and form a natural patterns. Biodiversity we see today is the result of the fruit of billions of years of evolution, shaped by natural processes and human influences. It forms the web of life that we call is an integral part and in which we so fully depend.
This diversity is often understood in terms of various plants, animals and microorganisms. So far, about 1.75 million species have been identified, mostly small creatures such as insects. Scientists calculate that there are actually about 13 million species, though estimates range from three to 100 million.
Biodiversity also includes genetic differences within each species - for example, between varieties of crops and livestock seed. Chromosomes, genes, and DNA-building blocks of life-determine the uniqueness of every individual and every species.
Yet another aspect of biodiversity is the variety of ecosystems such as in deserts, forests, wetlands, mountains, lakes, rivers, and agricultural landscapes. In each ecosystem, living creatures, including humans, form a community, interacting with each other and with air, water, and soil around the nature where they live.
It is a combination of life forms and their interactions with each other and with the rest of the environment that has made the world a unique place and deserves to be habitable for humans. Biodiversity provides a large amount of goods and services that sustain our lives.
Protecting biodiversity is important. Biological resources upon which we build the pillars of civilization. Natural products support a variety of industries such as agriculture, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, pulp and paper, horticulture, construction and waste treatment. Loss of biodiversity threatens our food supplies, opportunities for recreation and tourism, and sources of wood, medicines and energy. It also interferes with essential ecological functions.
Our need for a part of nature which we have often ignored is an important and unexpected. Time after time we have rushed back to the cabinet of nature for cures for diseases or for the infusion of genes from wild plants that are difficult to save our crops from pest outbreaks. What's more, a vast array of interactions between different components of biodiversity make the planet habitable for all species, including humans. Our personal health, and health of our economy and human society, depends on the continuous supply of various ecological services that would be very expensive or impossible to replace. This service is naturally highly variable to be almost limitless. For example, it would be impractical to replace, to a large extent, services such as pest control carried out by various creatures feeding on each other, or pollination by insects and birds going about their daily business.
This diversity is often understood in terms of various plants, animals and microorganisms. So far, about 1.75 million species have been identified, mostly small creatures such as insects. Scientists calculate that there are actually about 13 million species, though estimates range from three to 100 million.
Biodiversity also includes genetic differences within each species - for example, between varieties of crops and livestock seed. Chromosomes, genes, and DNA-building blocks of life-determine the uniqueness of every individual and every species.
Yet another aspect of biodiversity is the variety of ecosystems such as in deserts, forests, wetlands, mountains, lakes, rivers, and agricultural landscapes. In each ecosystem, living creatures, including humans, form a community, interacting with each other and with air, water, and soil around the nature where they live.
It is a combination of life forms and their interactions with each other and with the rest of the environment that has made the world a unique place and deserves to be habitable for humans. Biodiversity provides a large amount of goods and services that sustain our lives.
Protecting biodiversity is important. Biological resources upon which we build the pillars of civilization. Natural products support a variety of industries such as agriculture, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, pulp and paper, horticulture, construction and waste treatment. Loss of biodiversity threatens our food supplies, opportunities for recreation and tourism, and sources of wood, medicines and energy. It also interferes with essential ecological functions.
Our need for a part of nature which we have often ignored is an important and unexpected. Time after time we have rushed back to the cabinet of nature for cures for diseases or for the infusion of genes from wild plants that are difficult to save our crops from pest outbreaks. What's more, a vast array of interactions between different components of biodiversity make the planet habitable for all species, including humans. Our personal health, and health of our economy and human society, depends on the continuous supply of various ecological services that would be very expensive or impossible to replace. This service is naturally highly variable to be almost limitless. For example, it would be impractical to replace, to a large extent, services such as pest control carried out by various creatures feeding on each other, or pollination by insects and birds going about their daily business.
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