What is the concept of biodiversity?

Answer 1

Web definitions

• the diversity of plant and animal life in a particular habitat (or in the world as a whole); "a high level of biodiversity is desirable"

wordnetweb.Princeton.edu/perl/webwn

• Biodiversity is the variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or for the entire Earth. Biodiversity is often used as a measure of the health of biological systems. ...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodiversity

• the diversity (number and variety of species) of plant and animal life within a region

en.wiktionary.org/wiki/biodiversity

• biodiverse - Biotically diverse; having a high degree of biodiversity

en.wiktionary.org/wiki/biodiverse

• The vast variety of species and stocks within a species that sustain our fisheries through all of the changes caused by nature and humans. Earthquakes may destroy some stocks of fish, oil spills may destroy some stocks, and floods and droughts may hurt some stocks in some years. ...

www.genetics.cf.adfg.state.ak.us/kids/glossary.php

• usually considered at the genetic, species, and ecossytem levels. Includes the measure of the number and frequency in an assemblage.

oregonstate.edu/instruct/anth370/gloss.HTML

• Short for biological diversity. Refers to the wealth of ecosystems in the biosphere, of species within ecosystems, and of genetic information within populations.

web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTOED/EXTENVI…

• The totality of genes, species, and ecosystems in a region or in the world.

naturalsciences.org/microsites/invasives/glossary.htm

• The variability among organisms on Earth and within an ecosystem. Maintaining biodiversity is necessary to preserve the health and survival of an ecosystem.

www.job-hunt.org/green-jobs-job-search/green-industry-glossar…

• The tendency in ecosystems, when undisturbed, to have a great variety of species forming a complex web of interactions.

commpres.env.state.ma.us/content/glossary.asp

• The variety of life on Earth. "Bio" means life and "diversity" means difference. Biological control: the use of natural enemies (predators, parasites, etc…) to control a pest population.

www.ecokids.ca/pub/eco_info/glossary/index.cfm

• The variety and variability among living organisms and the ecological complexes in which they occur. bolide projectile; a meteor or meteorite. bright terrain A type of surface on Ganymede which is lighter than other regions on this moon which is often associated with grooves (see also dark terrain).

www2.jpl.NASA.gov/Galileo/sepo/atjup/fp.HTML

• the number (richness) and distribution (evenness) of species in an area.

www.nps.gov/plants/restore/library/glossary.htm

• A multiplicity of species in a given area, representing various interdependent life forms. Biodiversity usually refers to native species only.

www.pima.gov/cmo/sdcp/kids/gloss.HTML

• The natural world is multi-layered and interdependent-from the ecology of microorganisms to the ecology of plants, animals, and humans; renewal of species is dependent upon the diversity of living systems; biodiversity as the basis of life and to undermine it is to undermine life itself; the ...

www.ecojusticeeducation.org/index.php

Answer 2

Biodiversity

The variety of all living things; a contraction of biological diversity. Biodiversity can be measured on many biological levels ranging from genetic diversity within a species to the variety of ecosystems on Earth, but the term most commonly refers to the number of different species in a defined area.

Recent estimates of the total number of species range from 7 to 20 million, of which only about 1.75 million species have been scientifically described. The best-studied groups include plants and vertebrates (phylum Chordata), whereas poorly described groups include fungi, nematodes, and arthropods. Species that live in the ocean and in soils remain poorly known. For most groups of species, there is a gradient of increasing diversity from the Poles to the Equator, and the vast majority of species are concentrated in the tropical and subtropical regions.

Human activities, such as direct harvesting of species, introduction of alien species, habitat destruction, and various forms of habitat degradation (including environmental pollution), have caused dramatic losses of biodiversity; current extinction rates are estimated to be 100-1000 times higher than prehuman extinction rates.

Some measure of biodiversity is responsible for providing essential functions and services that directly improve human life. For example, many medicines, clothing fibers, and industrial products and the vast majority of foods are derived from naturally occurring species. In addition, species are the key working parts of natural ecosystems. They are responsible for maintenance of the gaseous composition of the atmosphere, regulation of the global climate, generation and maintenance of soils, recycling of nutrients and waste products, and biological control of pest species. Ecosystems surely would not function if all species were lost, although it is unclear just how many species are necessary for an ecosystem to function properly.

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Answer 3

It is the concept that a variety of species are necessary or contribute to the survival of a given ecosystem and its species.

Answer 4

The variabillity among living organisms on the earth including the variabillity within and between species and within and between ecosystems.

Answer 5

We discussed this a lot in Bio class. Biodiversity is diversity among and within plant and animal species in an environment. This is due to evolution within generations of species.

Answer 6

Biodiversity means the diversity of life forms. It is a word commonly used to refer to the variety of life forms found in a particular region.

Answer 7

Human Traits