"Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth."
The variety of life across all levels of biological organization, from genes to species to ecosystems.
Ecosystems: The interaction of living organisms and their environment.
Species Diversity: The variety of species in an ecosystem.
Genetic Diversity: The variation in genetic characteristics within a population of a species.
Habitat Fragmentation: The breaking up of natural habitats into smaller, isolated fragments.
Endangered Species: Species that are at risk of extinction.
Invasive Species: Non-native species that disrupt native ecosystems.
Trophic Levels: The position of an organism in a food chain.
Biomes: Large areas characterized by specific types of vegetation and climate.
Evolution: The process by which organisms change over time.
Conservation Biology: The management of natural resources to preserve biodiversity.
Ecosystem Services: The benefits that humans receive from ecosystems.
Climate Change: The long-term alteration of Earth's climate.
Anthropogenic Activities: Human activities that have an impact on the environment.
Keystone Species: Species that have a disproportionately large impact on their ecosystem.
Biogeochemical Cycles: The cycling of nutrients and other chemical elements through ecosystems.
Genetic biodiversity: Refers to the variety of genes within a species, which enhances the adaptability of a species to a changing environment.
Species biodiversity: Refers to the variety of plant and animal species that exist within a particular ecosystem, which is important for ecological balance, nutrient cycling, and pest management.
Ecosystem diversity: Refers to the diversity of habitats, ecosystems, and landscapes, each having its unique set of species and environmental conditions. It plays a critical role in supporting life and providing ecosystem services.
Biome diversity: Refers to the diversity of the planet's biomes, which are large areas characterized by their distinctive climate, vegetation, and animal life. Examples include tropical rainforests, deserts, and savannas.
Functional diversity: Refers to diversity in the ecological functions performed by various species in an ecosystem or within a community, such as pollination, nutrient cycling, or decomposition.
Physiological diversity: Refers to the adaptability of organisms to different environmental conditions through physiological and behavioral adjustments, such as thermoregulation or hibernation.
Landscape diversity: Refers to the diversity of landscapes within a region or geography, characterized by differences in topography, geology, and land use. It is important for sustaining biodiversity and providing ecosystem services.
Microbial diversity: Refers to the diversity of microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, and fungi, which are essential for nutrient cycling and other ecological processes.
Community diversity: Refers to the variety of interactions, relationships, and dependencies among different organisms within a particular ecosystem, and is important for the stability and resilience of the ecosystem.
Temporal diversity: Refers to the variability of biodiversity over time, due to natural or human-induced factors like climate change, migration, or disturbance. It affects ecosystem functions, services, and sustainability.
"Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (genetic variability), species (species diversity), and ecosystem (ecosystem diversity) level."
"It is usually greater in the tropics as a result of the warm climate and high primary productivity in the region near the equator."
"Tropical forest ecosystems cover less than 10% of Earth's surface."
"Marine biodiversity is usually higher along coasts in the Western Pacific, where sea surface temperature is highest, and in the mid-latitudinal band in all oceans."
"Yes, there are latitudinal gradients in species diversity."
"Biodiversity generally tends to cluster in hotspots."
"More than 99.9% of all species that ever lived on Earth, amounting to over five billion species, are estimated to be extinct."
"About 1.2 million have been documented."
"The total amount of related DNA base pairs on Earth is estimated at 5.0 x 10^37."
"The age of Earth is about 4.54 billion years."
"The earliest undisputed evidence of life dates at least from 3.7 billion years ago."
"There are microbial mat fossils found in 3.48 billion-year-old sandstone discovered in Western Australia."
"Other early physical evidence of a biogenic substance is graphite in 3.7 billion-year-old meta-sedimentary rocks discovered in Western Greenland."
"More recently, in 2015, 'remains of biotic life' were found in 4.1 billion-year-old rocks in Western Australia."
"Since life began on Earth, five major mass extinctions and several minor events have led to large and sudden drops in biodiversity."
"The Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, occurred 65 million years ago and has often attracted more attention than others because it resulted in the extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs."
"The ongoing global biodiversity crisis not only involves biological extinctions but also the loss of experience and the gradual fading of cultural knowledge and collective memory of species. The reduction is caused primarily by human impacts, particularly habitat destruction."
"Biodiversity positively impacts human health in many ways."
"A few negative effects are studied."