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Biodiversity is the variety of life.

It can be studied on many levels. At the highest level, one can look at all the different species on the entire Earth. On a much smaller scale, one can study biodiversity within a pond ecosystem or a neighborhood park. Identifying and understanding the relationships between all the life on Earth are some of the greatest challenges in science.

Most people recognize biodiversity by species-a group of individual living organisms that can interbreed. Examples of species include blue whales, white-tailed deer, white pine trees, sunflowers, and microscopic bacteria that can't even be seen by the naked eye. Biodiversity includes the full range of species that live in an area.

Biodiversity at a Glance

Pretend you're taking a look at the species biodiversity within a local pond. At first glance, we can identify different plants, including cattails and water lilies. If we wait a while, we might be able to spot a garter snake, a bullfrog, or maybe a red-winged blackbird. With a closer look, we can see invertebrates and worms under leaves, on grasses and in the pond water.

Think you're done? You have not even scratched the surface of the biodiversity within the pond. Using a microscope, we would be able to see hundreds or even thousands of different bacteria that inhabit the pond water. They're all part of the species biodiversity of this small ecosystem.

More than Just Species

Species diversity is only one part of biodiversity. To properly catalogue all the life on Earth, we also have to recognize the genetic diversity that exists within species, as well as the diversity of entire habitats and ecosystems.

Genetic biodiversity is the variation in genes that exists within a species. A helpful way to understand genetic diversity is to think about dogs. All dogs are part of the same species, but their genes can dictate whether they are Chihuahua or a Great Dane. There can be a lot of variation in genes-just think about all the colors, sizes, and shapes that make up the genetic diversity of dogs.

Ecological biodiversity is the diversity of ecosystems, natural communities, and habitats. In essence, it's the variety of ways that species interact with each other and their environment. The forests of Maine differ from the forests of Colorado by the types of species found in both ecosystems, as well as the temperature and rainfall. These two seemingly similar ecosystems have a lot of differences that make them both special.

Five Facts on Biodiversity

1. Researchers have estimated that there are between 3 and 30 million species on Earth, with a few studies predicting that there may be more than 100 million species on Earth.

2. Currently we have identified only 1.7 million species, so we have a long way to go before we can come close to figuring out exactly how many species are on Earth.

3. There is more biodiversity within tropical ecosystems than temperate or boreal ecosystems. In fact, tropical rain forests have the most diversity.

4. The most diverse group of animals are invertebrates. Invertebrates are animals without backbones, including insects, crustaceans, sponges, scorpions, and many other kinds of organisms.

5. Over half of all the animals already identified are invertebrates. Of these, beetles are some of the most numerous species.

Biodiversity's Importance

Biodiversity is extremely important to people and the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity allows us to live healthy and happy lives. It provides us with an array of foods and materials, and it contributes to the economy. Without a diversity of pollinators, plants, and soils, our supermarkets would have a lot less produce.

Most medical discoveries to cure diseases and lengthen life spans were made because of research into plant and animal biology and genetics. Every time a species goes extinct or genetic diversity is lost, we will never know whether research would have given us a new vaccine or drug.

Biodiversity is also an important part of ecological services that make life livable on Earth. They include everything from cleaning water and absorbing chemicals, which wetlands do, to providing oxygen for us to breathe-one of the many things that plants do for people.

Biodiversity allows for ecosystems to adjust to disturbances like fires and floods. Genetic diversity even prevents diseases and helps species adjust to changes in their environment.

Threats to Biodiversity

Extinction is a natural part of life on Earth. Over the history of the planet, most of the species that ever existed evolved and then gradually went extinct. Species go extinct because of natural shifts in the environment that take place over long periods of time, such as ice ages.

Today species are going extinct at an accelerated and dangerous rate because of non-natural environmental changes caused by human activities. Some of the activities have direct effects on species and ecosystems, such as habitat loss and degradation, overexploitation (such as overfishing), and the spread of non-native species and diseases. Some human activities have indirect but wide-reaching effects on biodiversity as well, including climate change and pollution.

All of these threats have put a serious strain on the diversity of species on Earth. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), globally about one third of all known species are threatened with extinction. That includes 29 percent of all amphibians, 21 percent of all mammals, and 12 percent of all birds. If we do not stop the threats to biodiversity, we could be facing another mass extinction with dire consequences to the environment, and human health and livelihood.

Sources
International Union for Conservation of Nature
Comparing and Graphing Nine Environmental Threats, Researchers Find Unexpected Evils, Popular Science
Encyclopedia of Earth: Biodiversity
World of Biology. McGrath, Kimberley A., ed. The Gale Group, Farmington Hills, MI: 1999.
Precious Heritage: The Status of Biodiversity in the United States. Stein, Bruce A., Lynn S. Kutner and Jonathan S. Adams. Oxford University Press, New York: 2000
US Forest Service: Ecoregions of the United States

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Biodiversity | National Wildlife Federation

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Biodiversity is the variety of life. It can be studied on many levels. At the highest level, one can look at all the different species on the entire Earth. On a much smaller scale, one can study biodiversity within a pond ecosystem or a neighborhood park.

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"Invasive species"-they may not sound very threatening, but these invaders, large and small, have devastating effects on wildlife.

Invasive species are among the leading threats to native wildlife. Approximately 42 percent of threatened or endangered species are at risk due to invasive species.

Human health and economies are also at risk from invasive species. The impacts of invasive species on our natural ecosystems and economy cost billions of dollars each year. Many of our commercial, agricultural, and recreational activities depend on healthy native ecosystems.

What Makes a Species "Invasive"?

An invasive species can be any kind of living organism-an amphibian (like the cane toad), plant, insect, fish, fungus, bacteria, or even an organism's seeds or eggs-that is not native to an ecosystem and causes harm. They can harm the environment, the economy, or even human health. Species that grow and reproduce quickly, and spread aggressively, with potential to cause harm, are given the label "invasive."

An invasive species does not have to come from another country. For example, lake trout are native to the Great Lakes, but are considered to be an invasive species in Yellowstone Lake in Wyoming because they compete with native cutthroat trout for habitat.

How Invasive Species Spread

Invasive species are primarily spread by human activities, often unintentionally. People, and the goods we use, travel around the world very quickly, and they often carry uninvited species with them. Ships can carry aquatic organisms in theirballast water, while smaller boats may carry them on their propellers. Insects can get into wood, shipping palettes, and crates that are shipped around the world. Some ornamental plants can escape into the wild and become invasive. And some invasive species are intentionally or accidentally released pets. For example, Burmese pythons are becoming a big problem in the Everglades.

In addition, higher average temperatures and changes in rain and snow patterns caused by climate change will enable some invasive plant species-such as garlic mustard, kudzu, and purple loosestrife-to move into new areas. Insect pest infestations will be more severe as pests such as mountain pine beetle are able to take advantage of drought-weakened plants.

Threats to Native Wildlife

Invasive species cause harm to wildlife in many ways. When a new and aggressive species is introduced into an ecosystem, it may not have any natural predators or controls. It can breed and spread quickly, taking over an area. Native wildlife may not have evolved defenses against the invader, or they may not be able to compete with a species that has no predators.

The direct threats of invasive species include preying on native species, outcompeting native species for food or other resources, causing or carrying disease, and preventing native species from reproducing or killing a native species' young.

There are indirect threats of invasive species as well. Invasive species can change the food web in an ecosystem by destroying or replacing native food sources. The invasive species may provide little to no food value for wildlife. Invasive species can also alter the abundance or diversity of species that are important habitat for native wildlife. Aggressive plant species like kudzu can quickly replace a diverse ecosystem with a monoculture of just kudzu. Additionally, some invasive species are capable of changing the conditions in an ecosystem, such as changing soil chemistry or the intensity of wildfires.

Examples of Invasive Species

Cogongrass is an Asian plant that arrived in the United States as seeds in packing material. It is now spreading through the Southeast, displacing native plants. It provides no food value for native wildlife, and increases the threat of wildfire as it burns hotter and faster than native grasses.

Feral pigs will eat almost anything, including native birds. They compete with native wildlife for food sources such as acorns. Feral pigs spread diseases, such as brucellosis, to people and livestock. E. coli from their feces was implicated in the E. coli contamination of baby spinach in 2006.

European green crabs found their way into the San Francisco Bay area in 1989. They outcompete native species for food and habitat and eat huge quantities of native shellfish, threatening commercial fisheries.

Dutch elm disease (caused by the fungus Ophiostoma ulmi) is transmitted to trees by elm bark beetles. Since 1930, the disease has spread from Ohio through most of the country, killing over half of the elm trees in the northern United States.

Water hyacinth is a beautiful aquatic plant, introduced to the U.S. from South America as an ornamental. In the wild, it forms dense mats, reducing sunlight for submerged plants and aquatic organisms, crowding out native aquatic plants, and clogging waterways and intake pipes.

Curbing the Spread

One way to curb the spread of invasive species is to plant native plants and remove any invasive plants in your garden. There are many good native plant alternatives to common exotic ornamental plants. In addition, learn to identify invasive species in your area, and report any sightings to your county extension agent or local land manager.

Regularly clean your boots, gear, boat, tires, and any other equipment you use outdoors to remove insects and plant parts that may spread invasive species to new places. When camping, buy firewood near your campsite (within 30 miles) instead of bringing your own from home, and leave any extra for the next campers. Invertebrates and plants can easily hitch a ride on firewood you haul to or from a campsite-you could inadvertently introduce an invasive to a new area.

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Invasive Species | National Wildlife Federation

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Invasive species are among the leading threats to native wildlife. Learn about how they spread and how they threaten native wildlife in the United States.

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Succession - body, water, process, life, plants, form, energy, animals, primary

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The changes that take place during any form of succession depend on a variety of environmental factors, such as the amount of moisture, temperature, and wind. One possible scenario for primary succession might begin with the appearance of simple plants, such as lichens and mosses.

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Creation answers my quest for knowledge!

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Ecology is the scientific study of relationship between living organisms and the environment. A sub-set of biology, it involves the study of various attributes of lifeforms, including their life process, distribution, adaptation, succession, movement, and role in energy transfer. While it is not associated with environmental science directly, various aspects of this discipline have a crucial role to play when it comes a strong base of environmental studies. Ecological organization is one such aspect of this discipline, which makes things simple by classifying the environment in different levels, starting from individual organism to the biosphere as a whole.

What Are the 6 Levels of Organization in Ecology?

Biological organization is a hierarchy of complex biological structures and systems, ranging from atoms at the lowest level to biosphere at the highest, which are used to define life by resorting to what is referred to as the reductionist approach. Ecological organization refers to the levels of biological organization which lie at the higher end of the hierarchy, ranging from individual organism to the biosphere. The other part of the biological organization includes the different levels of organization of living things, which range from individual cells to an organism.

At the lowest level of ecological organization, you find individual species of living organisms. Every single plant and animal species on the planet, right from microscopic bacteria and fungi to mammoth blue whale and Giant Sequoias, finds a place at this level of the ecological pyramid. The distribution of these species is governed by abiotic factors of the said region.

The second level of this pyramid comprises the population of individual species featuring in the first level. In this case, population refers to a group of species living together in a demarcated geographical area. For instance, a herd of wildebeests in African Savannah or coyotes in North American Prairies.

The third level of ecological pyramid comprises communities of different species which live together in a demarcated geographical area and interact with each other. This interaction between the members of these communities often revolves around the concept of predator-prey and symbiotic relationships.

At the next level of ecological organization lies the ecosystem, a biological environment comprising all the living organisms and non-living things (or abiotic factors such as air, soil, and water) in a particular region and the interaction between them. Though many people refer to these levels as the levels of organization in an ecosystem, it is technically incorrect as ecosystem in itself is one of the levels of ecological organization.

The fifth level of an ecological pyramid is that of a biome, a major biotic community which is typically characterized by dominant forms of vegetation and climatic conditions. Some of the most prominent biomes of the world include the desert biome, rainforest biome, Savannah biome, etc.

The last level of the ecological pyramid is the biosphere, which is made up of the Earth's surface and atmosphere. It is also known as the zone of life on Earth, owing to the fact that all lifeforms found on the planet coexist here. Simply put, it is the sum of all the ecosystems of this planet.

Though technically there are six levels of organization in ecology, there do exist some sources which only identify five levels, namely organism, population, communities, ecosystem, and biome; excluding biosphere from the list. With the amount of biodiversity that the planet boasts of, the idea of classifying environment into different levels surely comes handy in studying the environment.

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The 6 Chief Levels of Organization in Ecology

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Being well-versed with the different levels of organization in ecology is a basic requirement when it comes to environmental studies. In this Buzzle article, we will stress on these ecological levels and help you get a better understanding of this concept.