"Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth."
The variety and variability of life on Earth, including genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity.
Definition of Biodiversity: The different forms of life on earth; from the smallest microbes to the largest mammals.
Importance of Biodiversity: Biodiversity provides ecosystem services such as air and water purification, food, and medicine.
Threats to Biodiversity: The major threats to biodiversity are habitat loss, climate change, overexploitation, and invasive species.
Classification of Species: The different categories of living organisms, such as genus, family, order, class, and phylum.
Biomes and Ecosystems: Definition of biomes and ecosystems, their importance in biodiversity, and the different types of ecosystems as terrestrial, aquatic, and marine.
Evolution and Natural Selection: The factors that contribute to biodiversity and how evolution and natural selection play a role in it.
Biogeography: The study of the distribution of species across the world and the factors that affect it.
Ecological Diversity: The diversity of ecosystems and their species, and the ecological interactions between them.
Genetic Diversity: The genetic variation within and among species.
Species Diversity: The different species in an area and how they are related to each other.
Endangered Species: Understanding the threats faced by certain species and exploring ways to conserve them.
Conservation Biology: The scientific study of the world's biodiversity with a focus on environmental and species conservation.
Biodiversity Hotspots: Regions with high levels of biodiversity and high levels of threat.
Restoration Ecology: The process of repairing damaged ecosystems through ecological restoration.
Bioprospecting: The search for new biological resources and compounds for use in medicine, agriculture, and industry.
Indigenous Knowledge: The traditional knowledge of local communities about biodiversity and how it can be used for conservation.
Sustainability: The ability of ecosystems to maintain biodiversity for the future.
Environmental law and policy: Laws and policies that affect biodiversity conservation and management.
Genetic Biodiversity: It is the diversity of genes within a species. It helps in the adaptation of a species to changing environmental conditions and protects against inbreeding depression.
Species Diversity: It is the diversity of different species in a particular ecosystem. It can be measured by the number of different species present in a given area.
Ecosystem Diversity: It is the diversity of different ecosystems present in a particular area. Ecosystems can range from aquatic systems like rivers and lakes to terrestrial systems like forests and grasslands.
Functional Diversity: It is the diversity of different functions performed by different species in a particular ecosystem. These functions include pollination, nutrient cycling, and pest regulation.
Phylogenetic Diversity: It is the diversity of different evolutionary lineages in a particular area. This type of biodiversity considers the evolutionary history of different species and their relationships.
Landscape Diversity: It is the diversity of different landscapes or landforms in a particular area. For example, a landscape could include hills, valleys, and wetlands.
Temporal Diversity: It is the diversity of different species and ecosystems throughout different time periods. This type of biodiversity considers the changes in biodiversity over time.
Biogeographical Diversity: It is the diversity of different biogeographic regions in a particular area. Different biogeographic regions represent unique combinations of environmental conditions and species assemblages.
"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."