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Biodiversity Is The Total Number and Relative Abundance

Biodiversity refers to the variety of species, their genes, and the ecosystems they inhabit. It is estimated that there are 15 million species on Earth, though less than 2 million have been identified and named. Extinction is the death of a species, and it is estimated that 400 species go extinct daily due to human activities like overfishing. Many biologists are concerned about the high extinction rate, which some think could rival past mass extinctions. The last mass extinction 65 million years ago caused the dinosaurs to go extinct. Preserving ecosystems is a key bioethical issue, as destroying biodiversity also destroys habitats for human life. Adopting a conservation ethic can help ensure humanity's continued existence.

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42 views2 pages

Biodiversity Is The Total Number and Relative Abundance

Biodiversity refers to the variety of species, their genes, and the ecosystems they inhabit. It is estimated that there are 15 million species on Earth, though less than 2 million have been identified and named. Extinction is the death of a species, and it is estimated that 400 species go extinct daily due to human activities like overfishing. Many biologists are concerned about the high extinction rate, which some think could rival past mass extinctions. The last mass extinction 65 million years ago caused the dinosaurs to go extinct. Preserving ecosystems is a key bioethical issue, as destroying biodiversity also destroys habitats for human life. Adopting a conservation ethic can help ensure humanity's continued existence.

Uploaded by

Shay Mitch
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Biodiversity is the total number and relative abundance

of species, the variability of their genes, and the different ecosystems


in which they live. The present biodiversity of our planet
has been estimated to be as high as 15 million species, and so
far, less than 2 million have been identified and named. Extinction
is the death of a species or larger classification category. It
is estimated that presently we are losing as many as 400 species
per day due to human activities.
For example, several species
of fishes have all but disappeared from the coral reefs of Indonesia
and along the African coast because of overfishing. Many
biologists are alarmed about the present rate of extinction and
hypothesize it may eventually rival the rates of the five mass extinctions
that have occurred during our planet’s history. The last
mass extinction, about 65 million years ago, caused many plant
and animal species, including the dinosaurs, to become extinct.
It would seem that the primary bioethical issue of our
time is preservation of ecosystems. Just as a native fisherman
who assists in overfishing a reef is doing away with his own
food source, so are we as a society contributing to the destruction
of our home, the biosphere. If instead we adopt a conservation
ethic that preserves the biosphere, we would help
ensure the continued existence of our own species.

Biodiversity is a contraction of the phrase "biological diversity," and refers to the variability of life
within a species (judged by the variations in its genetic makeup), an ecosystem, a region and
even across the planet. The biodiversity of the Amazon, one of the most biodiverse places on
Earth, would include the terrestrial species found in the rainforest, the birds that fly in its skies
and the aquatic creatures that swim in the Amazon River. But one could also examine the
biodiversity of the Amazon River itself. Biodiversity varies widely across the globe, from places
of high biodiversity, such as rainforests and coral reefs, and areas of lower biodiversity, such as
agricultural fields. High biodiversity is often considered a sign of a healthy ecosystem, and many
conservation efforts are aimed preserving biodiversity.
America is the continent that has the most countries rich in
biodiversity: Brazil,Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela and the United States. For
its part, in Asia, the countries with the greatest bio-diversity
are China, Indonesia, India,Philippines and Malaysia.

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