What Is Biodiversity Biodiversity Biological diversity The number

What Is Biodiversity?

Biodiversity • Biological diversity • The number of different species in a given area • Number of known species: about 1. 7 million • Estimated total: greater than 10 million

Levels of Biodiversity Species diversity The number of different species in an area Most often what is meant by “biodiversity” Ecosystem diversity The variety of habitats, communities, and ecological processes within and between ecosystems Genetic diversity All the different genes contained within all members of a population

Benefits of Biodiversity • Species Are Connected to Ecosystems – Every species is probably dependent on or depended upon by at least one other species – Keystone species: a species that is critical to the functioning of the ecosystem in which it lives because it affects the survival and abundance of many other species in its community

Benefits of Biodiversity • Species and Population Survival – Genetic diversity is critical for survival – Increases the chance that some members will survive environmental change – When a population shrinks, its genetic diversity decreases

Benefits of Biodiversity • Medical, Industrial, and Agricultural Uses – Food, clothing, shelter, medicine – ¼ of the drugs prescribed in the US are derived from plants – Antibiotics from chemicals found in fungi – Undiscovered and poorly studied species represent a source of potential products – Food crops • Most new crops: hybrids (from combining genetic material from more than one population)

Benefits of Biodiversity • Ethics, Aesthetics, and Recreation – Do species and ecosystems have a right to exist whether or not they have any value? – Keeping pets, camping, picking wildflowers, watching wildlife – Ecotourism: a form of tourism that supports the conservation and sustainable development of ecologically unique areas