"Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth."
The variety of life forms and genetic diversity within and among species, and the importance of preserving this diversity for the well-being of ecosystems and humans.
What is Biodiversity: Biodiversity refers to the variety of living organisms on Earth, including plants, animals, and microorganisms, as well as the diversity of their genes, habitats, and ecosystems.
Levels of Biodiversity: Biodiversity can be examined at different levels, including genetic diversity, species diversity, and ecosystem diversity.
Endangered Species: Endangered species are those threatened with extinction. Biodiversity conservation efforts often focus on protecting endangered species.
Habitat Destruction: Habitat destruction is a major threat to biodiversity. It involves the loss or degradation of habitats, such as forests, wetlands, and coral reefs.
Invasive Species: Invasive species are species that are not native to an ecosystem and often outcompete or prey on native species. Invasive species are a major threat to biodiversity.
Ecosystem Services: Ecosystem services are the benefits that humans derive from the natural world, including clean water, clean air, and pollination. Biodiversity conservation is important for maintaining ecosystem services.
Conservation Strategies: Conservation strategies include habitat restoration, protected areas, and species reintroduction. Effective conservation strategies can help preserve biodiversity.
Climate Change: Climate change is a major threat to biodiversity, as it can cause shifts in ecosystems and disrupt species’ ability to adapt.
Biogeography: Biogeography is the study of the distribution of species and ecosystems across space and time.
Ecological Niches: An ecological niche is a species’ role in its ecosystem, including its interactions with other organisms and its ecological requirements.
Biodiversity Hotspots: Biodiversity hotspots are areas with exceptionally high levels of species endemism and threat.
Threatened Ecosystems: Threatened ecosystems include coral reefs, wetlands, and rainforests. These ecosystems are critical for biodiversity, but are often under threat from human activities.
"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."