This blog contains complete introduction to the term Biodiversity. Biodiversity includes the variety of Living systems and Organisms found on the surface of the earth. These organisms ranges from tiny Unicellular organisms to Huge organisms such as Blue Whale. We will have a detailed understanding about Biodiversity on Earth and its Relation with Environment and Climate Change.
1. What is Biodiversity?
Biodiversity is the variety of living organisms or life present on Earth. This term includes the kinds of living individuals in the World.
In the term Biodiversity, “Bio” means “Life” and “Diversity” means “Variety”. Biodiversity includes all the living creatures ranging from all shapes, sizes and Characteristics. The characteristics, sizes and shapes varies upon their environments and their genetic traits so as It includes animals from largest Mammal “Blue whale” to the “Unicellular Organisms” that consists of only a single cell. You will get to know some facts about Biodiversity in this blog and other blogs of this category. We will have a complete introduction of Biodiversity and Life on Earth. We will get to know about Important Bio hotspots on Earth that contributes in the environment or makes up the environment.
2. How did Life first begin on Earth?
An interesting question that comes in every person’s mind is that, How life begun or started on Earth? There are many concepts and theories of beginning of life on Earth, but none of them are proved right yet. One evidence about the start of life on Earth is found within the Rocks. There are microscopic organisms that left signals inside the rocks that tell us; they existed million of years ago and eventually end up in the Rocks. This signal was a Carbon Molecule that was made by any living creature a long time ago.
It is predicted through some evidences, that the life on Earth started around 4.3 billion years ago. And the Planet was formed about 4.5 billion years ago. This is also hypothesized that, at for many years the planet only contained non-living materials. And the life was created from non-living material for the first time by Abiogenesis process. These all are the predictions and evidences explained by the Science.
Abiogenesis:
Abiogenesis is a natural process in which life arises from a non-living material. This process made life possible on Earth according to Science. Because scientists argue that there was no life on Earth and life turned out from any non-living material and then it changes into different species and varieties with passing time.
Theory of Abiogenesis:
Theory of abiogenesis is a Scientific theory that was proposed after the research on the origin of Life. This theory proposed that, the life was originated for the first time on Earth through natural chemical process called Abiogenesis. This process indicates that life originated from non-living material and then transformed into complex individuals. This theory does not prove to be a Scientific Law yet. The next theory relies on the Change of Characteristics of organisms with passing time. This blog contains Complete introduction to Biodiversity.
3. What is the Theory of Evolution?
The theory of Evolution is the second step while explaining origin of Life on Earth. Evolution is the concept proposed by Charles Darwin for the first time in 19th century. He explained that every individual changes its Characteristic traits with passing time in its successive generations. In present time, we have more than 2 million species surviving on Earth, although millions are extinct from Earth and almost 20 to 30 million remains to be discovered. This theory explains a process by which we can understand the cause of Species Diversity or Biodiversity on Earth.
This theory reveals that many of the species originated from same ancestors and their characteristics varied with passing time according to their environment and selection of better genetic traits. The fundamental concept of this theory was Natural selection. Lets have a look on the concept of Natural Selection in Biodiversity:
Natural Selection:
Natural selection is the natural process of selection of useful traits within the populations of different organisms. It shows that the species with useful and suitable traits produce more survival rating as compared to the species living in less-favorable traits or are weaker. The good traits include natural defense ability and weak traits include lower immunity. This tends to be a natural ability in living organisms that supports useful traits and eliminate unsuitable traits in next generation of organisms. In this way, the normal and useful traits becomes common in generations and weaker traits are eliminates with passing time so this was the basic motive of the Theory of Evolution. This blog contains Complete introduction to Biodiversity.
4. What do you know about Genetics?
Gene is the basic unit of heredity that is passed from the parents to their child. Genes are formed by the sequence of DNA that carries traits to be passed to successive generation. Gene carries information about your health, appearance and our personality. That is the reason same traits are seen in the offspring. The term Genetics may be defined as; ” Genetics is the study that explains that how genes and traits are transferred to next generation from their parents”.
Genetics provides us explanation that how useful traits are transfers to the other generation while weaker traits have less chance or they eliminate while passing within the generations. This is the concept that explains the variations and similarities of Biodiversity within the same population. It is a natural process that produce identical offspring or offspring with similarities to the traits of their parents so without genetics, there will be no explanation about passing of the traits from parents to their child. This blog contains Complete Introduction to Biodiversity.
5. What are the Types of Biodiversity?
Biodiversity can be of three main types. In each type, individuals of any population adopt the traits and genes in different criteria according to their dominant feature for genetic transfer. These three Types of Biodiversity are below:
1. Species Biodiversity:
This type of Biodiversity refers to the variety of species that exist at the same location or a particular area. Specie diversity is the most basic level in Biodiversity. This will include all the living species found in the area that is under consideration. It includes Trees, Animals, insects and even Microorganisms found in an area.
Example: All species of plants and animals living in your garden. etc.
2. Genetic Biodiversity:
As obvious with its name, this type of Biodiversity includes the variation within the genetic resources of the organisms. We know that every individual differs genetically from the other individuals of the same specie, this counts as Genetic Diversity so as every population of species has a wide range of variations related to genetic makeup and traits. This characteristic is studied in Genetic Diversity. This is at higher level than Specie Diversity.
Example: Hair colors, Eye colors of humans, etc.
3. Ecological Biodiversity:
Ecological Diversity or Ecosystem Biodiversity refers to the variation in the plants and animal species that collaborates in their food chains in different ways so this takes count of studying an ecosystem with respect to the collaborative behavior of Biodiversity. Ecosystem consists on Living and Non-living interacting with each other in different ways. It is the study of Ecological Hotspots containing Biodiversity. Ecological Diversity explains this interaction. It is the largest scale of Biodiversity.
Example: Different in Desert ecosystem and Marine ecosystem etc.
These are different types of Biodiversity for grouping and studying the Species and Populations that exists on Earth. This blog contains Complete introduction to Biodiversity.
6. What is the Relation between Biodiversity and Environment?
There is a direct and basic relationship between Biodiversity and the Environment. As every specie that exists in the environment has a purpose to live and is responsible for relevant ecosystem services for the environment and also other living organisms. Biodiversity is the most important component of the environment. The varieties of life is responsible for many important and necessary environmental processes. So, without biodiversity nature cannot survive properly and it disturbs the nature with the extinction of even a single specie.
Biodiversity: Backbone of Environment:
Biodiversity is the “Backbone of the Environment”. Backbone is the most important part of body for the support of body structure and it also maintains its appearance and shape. In the way, biodiversity shapes, maintains and provide support to different biological processes that are necessary for the Environment to run.
Example of Relation of Biodiversity and Environment:
Following Examples shows the Relation between Biodiversity and Environment:
Pollination:
Pollination is the process of transfer for pollen grains over a land area with the help of sticky insects and flies. This process is necessary for the better development of new plants so as we know that plants are one of the integral component of the environment as it provide us oxygen, clean air, fresh environment and many more benefits. These plants grows with the help of pollination process that is possible with the organisms from Biodiversity.
Fights Air Pollution:
Air pollution is one of the most dangerous and extreme issue of the environment. Plants are the natural fighters against Air pollution so as Plants inhales Carbon dioxide CO2 (pollutant) and coverts it into the Oxygen (purifier) and adds it to the environment. The Plants are the reason why we can live on Earth and plants are only available on Earth. That is why earth is the only suitable planet for life in the whole universe. Plants cleanse the environment and make it healthy for the living organisms.
Nutrient Cycling:
The environment needs a stabilized cycle of nutrients. If the nutrients are present in excessive amounts, we will call it Pollution. Biodiversity collectively works for the proper nutrient cycling into the environment. They consume nutrients from the environmental resources and when they die, they return the biomass and nutrients to the environment. This completes the nutrient cycle. Only biodiversity and living things has the ability to complete this nutrient cycle or to convert the nutrients in consumable forms so as this conversion can never be possible without the existence of Biodiversity in the environment.
These are only few examples explaining the relation of Biodiversity and Environment. There are thousands of such examples and processes that makes Biodiversity the Backbone of the Environment. We will discuss all the environmental processes that involves species of Biodiversity in maintaining and protecting the environment in this category.
7. What is the relation between Climate Change and Biodiversity?
Climate change is the long term shift of weather patterns and temperature on Earth. Biodiversity is facing the climate variations since the start of the world. Present conditions and extents of Climate Change are disturbing, destroying and damaging Biodiversity at great levels. Following are some the impacts of Climate Change on Biodiversity:
- Migration problems
- Deaths due to extreme temperatures
- Wildfires
- Mass Extinction
- Habitat Loss
- Water supply crisis
- Changing of Environmental Composition
- Damage of Vegetation
As climate change cast extreme impacts on Biodiversity, in the same way the biodiversity loss creates impacts on Climate Change. These impacts may be positive or negative according to the activity related to biodiversity. Following are some Positive and Negative Effects of Biodiversity on Climate Change. For example, Vegetation can control the air pollution and reduces the temperature. It is the positive impact. While Deforestation can increase the temperature and pollute the environment at great levels. etc. In this way Biodiversity and Climate Change is interconnects in many ways. This blog contains complete Introduction to Biodiversity.
8. What is the Importance of Sustainability in the field of Biodiversity?
Sustainability is a suitable and healthy solution to save Biodiversity and our environment for a long period of time. This concept guides us to meet the needs of Present Generations without compromising the needs of Future Generation. In the context of Biodiversity, sustainability tells us to save and protect the nature environments consisting of biodiversity when you go towards development. It teaches us to build infrastructure while protecting and conservation all the trees on construction sights. For the living organisms, it propose strategies to limit the consumption of animals for food and provide us ways to implement Biodiversity Conservation so this will meet our present needs and this technique will help us to enjoy all the ecosystem services provided by Biodiversity for a long period of time. United Nations decade of Biodiversity is an example of Biodiversity Conservation program. This blog contains complete Introduction to Biodiversity.
9. Conclusion:
Biodiversity is the variety of life that helps in the maintenance of the Environment at great extent. There are many such procedures in nature that are impossible without existence of Biodiversity. At first, life was created from non-living material and then changed with time due to Evolution because of Environmental conditions and Genetics. These processes created all the species found on the Earth. Biodiversity has three types Specie Biodiversity, Genetic Biodiversity and Ecological Biodiversity. All have different parameters to understand Biodiversity.
The relation of Biodiversity and the Environment is very strong because many environmental processes relies on Biodiversity. That is why we call Biodiversity as “Backbone of Environment”. In the same way there is a deep relation between Biodiversity and Climate Change. We will discuss about these relations in this category and also study about Threats to Biodiversity in detail This blog contains complete Introduction to Biodiversity.
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