1 How much biodiversity is there?
Learning Objectives
In this chapter, students will be able to:
- Define biodiversity.
- Characterize the three level of biodiversity on earth.
Earth’s biodiversity is so rich that many species have yet to be discovered. Scientist have estimated that there are around 8.7 million species of plants and animals in existence. However, only around 1.2 million species have been identified and described so far, most of which are insect. This means that millions of other organisms remain a complete mystery.
When documenting life on Earth, we need to considered three level of biodiversity. View the following video to learn more!
Adopted from: "Biodiversity and its types | genetic diversity | species diversity | ecological diversity |" by Fukatsoft is licensed under CC BY 3.0
Click below to see what is the three level of biodiversity:
The relationship between species, genetic, and ecosystem diversities is complex and interdependent. That is, a species cannot exist without genetic diversity or ecosystem diversity, and vice versa. For that reason, it is virtually impossible to affect one aspect of diversity without affecting the other. We can therefore think of species, genetic and ecosystem diversity simply as different ways to measure variety of life.
Self-assessments
Now let’s test your understanding!
The variety of living species on Earth (plants, animals, bacteria and fungi).
A group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals
Relating to genes or heredity.
A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.
