Biodiversity Lesson 5

Your standard Identify several reasons for maintaining the biodiversity of the earth.

Key terms Biodiversity Pollination

Why is it important to maintain the biodiversity of the earth? Guiding questions What is biodiversity? Why is it important to maintain the biodiversity of the earth?

There are millions of different kinds of living things that live on our planet from all six kingdoms. There are many different places for them to live. No matter what they are or where they live, they depend on each other to stay healthy and alive. The disappearance of even one living thing can affect the survival of all other living things.

For example, what do you would happen if these organisms became extinct? Mosquitos? Deer? Elephants? People?

Biodiversity The earth is home to a wide variety of living things. As far as we know, the earth contains more living things than any other place. Any part of the earth contains a great variety of living things. For example, a shovel of dirt from the front yard of our school could contain grass, weeds, bugs, worms, fungi, or bacteria. The variety of organisms in any place is called biodiversity. Bio means life. Diverse means different or variety. Humans cannot recreate the things provided by the diverse organisms of the Earth.

The greater the biodiversity is in an area, the healthier the area will be. Biodiversity keeps life in balance on earth and in any place on earth. Biodiversity provides optimal conditions for evolution. Think about it: What is the relationship between animals and people? Plants and people? Bacteria and people? Fungi and people? If one of these things is missing. It can greatly affect the rest.

Benefits of biodiversity Each of the five (or six) kingdoms have a role in the health of our planet. Animals provide carbon dioxide for plants. Plants provide food and oxygen for animals. Bacteria and fungi break down organisms after they die which provides nutrients for plants. In this way, a diverse population of living things helps each other survive.

Flowering plants Flowering plants are an excellent example of the importance of biodiversity. Plants need a pollinator to reproduce. Pollination is the transfer of pollen, or the male reproductive cells, to the female part of the flower. A pollinator could be a bat, bird, bug, bee, etc. The pollinator transfers the pollen while getting nectar for itself. The pollinator also gets oxygen from the plant. Pollination leads to fruit which is eaten by animals including humans. Fruit becomes waste that is food for fungi and bacteria. The plant itself gets carbon dioxide from the pollinator. The plant would eventually die, and fungi would aid in its decay. The diversity of plants and animals helps the survival of the plants and animals. If one of the organisms of this process is gone, the process is not as successful.

An arthropod (from Greek arthro-, joint + podos, foot) is an invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton (external skeleton), a segmented body, and jointed appendages (paired appendages). Arthropods form the phylum Arthropoda, which includes the insects, arachnids, myriapods, and crustaceans.

Biodiversity and medicine Lots of people take medications daily. We also need them for emergencies and first- aid. The World Health Organization estimates that about 75 to 80% of the population of the world uses plant-based medications. For example, aspirin is a common pain reliever. It is manufactured in a factory, but the chemical it is made from is found in the bark of the willow tree. Many of the plant-based medicines we take come from the rainforest. Rainforests are the most diverse environments on earth. Plant biodiversity from such places as the rainforest increases the chances that a new plant-based medicine will be discovered.

Remember that a variation is a different form of the same species. Variations Remember that a variation is a different form of the same species. An example is a brown-haired human. Variations can save a species from extinction. These variations also help maintain the earth’s biodiversity.

Threats to biodiversity Unfortunately, the biodiversity of the earth is threatened in many places by human activities. Rain forests and other areas are being destroyed to make room for communities, farms, lumber, mines, and roads. This threatens the species of the six kingdoms in the rain forests and reduces biodiversity. This reduces the chances that new medicines and species will be found that could hold potential cures for diseases. It also causes extinction in species that are not found anywhere else. Progress and growth are not bad things. We just need to be mindful of the harm that could be caused. Protecting environments such as rain forests, wetlands, and coral reefs can help preserve biodiversity.

Biodiversity also helps maintain a healthy food chain. Food chains Biodiversity also helps maintain a healthy food chain. If one thing is missing from the food chain, it will affect the things it eats as well as the things that eat it. If what eats you dies, you will live. If what you eat dies, you will die too.

What would happen if there were no more lizards?

What do we get from biodiversity? Oxygen Food Clean Water Medicine from plants Ideas and Inspirations Clothes Places to live

Each species has a role in our planet, and when one dies out, it can have catastrophic effects on the rest of us. We don’t want to get all “Butterfly Effect” on you but even a population dwindling can cause major problems for the human race. For example, with their role of pollination, the decline of the bee population has a direct effect on both the environment and food production. Currently, many other animals are in danger of becoming extinct, either from being forced out of their habitats by man or by climate change. This particular problem is more difficult for individuals to combat but we can start by educating ourselves with the facts and donating to organizations like the World Wildlife Fund that facilitate the preservation of animals on the brink of extinction.  This problem is also closely linked to deforestation and unchecked habitat destruction so by fighting those two issues, we can also slow down loss of biodiversity.