Global Biodiversity
Global Biodiversity - Related Videos
01:50
Threats to Biodiversity
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2019
There have been five major extinction events throughout geological history, resulting in the elimination of biodiversity, followed by a rebound of species that adapted to the new conditions. In the current geological epoch, the Holocene, there is a sixth extinction event in progress. This mass extinction has been attributed to human activities and is thus provisionally called the Anthropocene. In 2019 the human population reached 7.7 billion people and is projected to comprise 10 billion by...
07:49
Measuring Biodiversity - Student Protocol
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2019
Quadrats and Transects ExpandIn this activity, you will be using quadrats along transect lines to take biodiversity measurements of the plant species in three distinct habitats near your classroom. Begin by splitting into groups. Four works best. Select one person in your group to be the data recorder. The other three will be the data collectors. Next, take one quadrat, or hula hoop, per group and place it on one side of one transect, or rope, next to a knot to allow identification of the plant...
05:41
Measuring Biodiversity - Concepts
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2019
Diverse ecosystems are important for the health of the planet and our survival as humans; it is therefore incredibly important for us to understand and measure biodiversity, which is defined as the variability among living organisms in an ecosystem. Biodiversity can be measured at many different levels including genetic, species, community, and ecosystem. One way to measure biodiversity is to assess species richness of an ecosystem, which is the total number of distinct species within a local...
01:19
What is Biodiversity?
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2019
Biodiversity describes the variety of living things at multiple organizational levels: genetic, species and ecosystem diversity. Species diversity includes all branches of the evolutionary tree from single-celled prokaryotic organisms, bacteria, and archaea, to the eukaryotic kingdoms: plants; animals; fungi; and protists. To date, there have been about 1.75 million species identified, and new species are discovered every week. Biodiversity also includes the interactions that connect organisms...
01:24
Biodiversity and Human Values
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2019
Human civilization relies on biodiversity in many ways. Sudden changes in species biodiversity result in environmental changes that can modify weather patterns and therefore human civilizations. Humans are dependent on agriculture, which developed when ancestral humans found species that made suitable foods. At least 11,000 years ago, humans started to select plant and animal species to be cultivated on farms. Going back for thousands of years, humans have been artificially selecting species...
FAQs
Mutation, natural selection, gene flow, and speciation provide distinct evolutionary routes through which biodiversity changes. Together, they can alter genetic differences within populations, contribute to differences among species, and produce new species over time. Examining these processes helps biologists connect present-day patterns of life with the evolutionary history that produced them.
Ecological interactions help determine which populations persist and how communities are structured. Interactions among organisms can therefore influence biodiversity even when evolutionary processes have created the available variation. Studying these relationships alongside population persistence allows biologists to interpret why biodiversity differs among ecosystems and to recognize that species cannot be evaluated independently of their ecological setting.
Environmental conditions influence whether populations persist, so changes in those conditions can alter community structure and biodiversity. This makes biodiversity a dynamic biological subject rather than a fixed inventory of species. Comparing populations and communities across changing environments helps biologists identify patterns of persistence, detect ecological disruption, and understand how resilient ecosystems may be maintained.
Biologists use information about biodiversity to examine ecosystem health, monitor species loss, and identify changes in the populations and communities that make up an ecosystem. These observations provide a basis for recognizing ecological deterioration or concern and for deciding where conservation attention is most needed. The same information can guide habitat restoration and management of human impacts.
Monitoring species loss helps identify conservation priorities by showing where biodiversity is declining and which biological resources may require protection. In combination with knowledge of ecological interactions, environmental conditions, and population persistence, monitoring supports decisions about habitat restoration and the management of human impacts. Its value lies in linking biological change with practical conservation action.
Biodiversity preserves genetic resources and the ecological systems that support human well-being. Those resources are relevant to food systems and medicine, while functioning ecosystems provide services on which societies depend. Protecting biodiversity therefore has value beyond conserving species: it helps maintain biological options and ecosystem contributions that can support present and future needs.