Endangered Means There Is Still Time
Biodiverstiy

Ecosystems

Biodiversity 

Extinction

Endangered Species Act

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Kid's Corner

Biodiversity is the variety of all life on Earth

The term “biodiversity” refers to the number of organisms: animals, plants, microbes; all the life that exists within any given geographical area.

“Biodiversity” is a term that came into fairly common use during the 1990s. However, many people are still not sure of its meaning, and often associate the concept with non-native ecosystems and habitats such as “tropical rain forests.”

Simply stated, the term “biodiversity” refers to the full array of life on Earth. More generally, we use the term biodiversity to refer to the number of organisms that occur in a given place.

The United States ranks first in the world for diversity…

• among temperate fishes
• amphibians (salamanders),
• freshwater turtles, crayfish, mussels and,
• aquatic insects such as mayflies, caddisflies, dragonflies and others

Scientists have named 1.75 million different animals, plants, fungi, and micro organisms, and they estimate that there are still millions of unnamed species!

Aside from the range within ecosystems, biodiversity includes variety within genes, a segment of DNA that includes the coded information in an organism’s cells that makes each species and individual unique, and species, which is a population of individuals that are alike and able to breed and reproduce fertile offspring.

None are alike.

To understand what is meant by biodiversity in the gene pool, just look around you. Each person is composed of genes that when woven together form a unique individual.

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