Biodiversity+Facts

=Our Ecosystems Todaytoc= Different species work together to provide for our ecosystems. Species like ants work together by building nests, which allow air to get into the soil. Ants also eat harmful insects and they help with decomposition. Earthworms work in the same manner. They help fertilize the dirt and build tunnels. These tunnels help plant growth because more oxygen and water can get to the plant roots. The ants and worms work together to keep the soil healthy for plants and other organisms. Animals such as ducks and geese keep lakes, ponds, and other bodies of water healthy by eating the harmful bugs that linger in the water. Many other organisms such as these work together to keep the ecosystem healthy. With the presence of biodiversity, ecosystems have a better chance of staying healthy compared to an ecosystem with the lack of organisms.

=Significance of Biodiversity Facts:= Climate change is slowly killing the coral reef. This is problematic because coral reef protects shores, supplies us with food and medicine, and is a key part of tourism. Also Biodiversity keeps everything in balance because all species depend on each other to live. And if one species is missing it could mess up the food chain. Biodiversity is important because the more diverse the ecosystem, the more medical discoveries can be made. 80% of our needs as humans are derived from biological resources. Pollution is the biggest threat to biodiversity in the world today.

Biodiversity is important and beneficial to mankind. As humans, 80% of our daily needs are derived from biological resources. We harvest the plants and animals for food sources, fuel, medicine,and construction materials. Some people use biodiversity for cultural experiences and see it as recreational value. Biodiversity is vital for humans and also for the ecosystem. It provides climate and water regulation, protects soil erosion, helps soil quality, decreases flooding, provides shoreline protection, and helps control problematic pests. Biodiversity is what controls the homeostasis inside an ecosystem. Without it, the ecosystem could fail, causing more problems for humans, animals, and plants. Agriculture could decrease, causing us to lose a food source. As the years go by there is a constant decrease in biodiversity, which is causing dramatic climate changes. The climate changes are causing loss of glaciers, rising sea levels, and sporadic changes in the weather patterns. The loss of biodiversity is also believed to be contributing to the global warming effects that are occurring as we speak. With the lack of biodiversity, it is causing scientists to research and find cures and medicines for diseases. With this loss, it is causing the nation to spend more money than imagined. Scientists have to depend on other things because they are not able to use plants and animals, this is causing global nations billions of dollars each year. This should not be necessary, if the biodiversity was plentiful, we would be able to use this money for other purposes. When we have a greater number of plants species, we have more crops. When we have a greater number of diverse species, the environment can withstand and sustain more life. When biodiversity is high, that ecosystem or area is able to recover better after a major disaster.

= = Factors in Organism's lives:

=Human Recreation= There are many ways in which humans can affect an ecosystem and biodiversity. For example, parking lots and highways near or surrounding an ecosystem can affect which organisms may live in the body of water, and which ones may not. Wherever vehicles are located, they can leak chemicals. Those chemicals could eventually reach water, and contaminate it. Most organisms cannot tolerate harmful fluids, or adapt to them, especially when they must live among them. Parking lots and highways can also affect biodiversity because of the minor choices people make throughout their every day life. Littering can greatly affect an ecosystem. The garbage being carelessly tossed on the ground could travel by rainwater, or wind. If this garbage reaches a body of water, a fish or any organism in an ecosystem could digest it, and it could be fatal. There may also be chemicals contained in the articles of garbage that could affect an organism without needing to be digested. Another form of human recreation could be a nearby house or a building. In any structure, there is almost always a form of restroom facilities. The sewage setups should be closely evaluated. Older houses may have poorly functioning septic systems that allow sewage water to reach the water. City sewers may also be overflowed in heavy storms, allowing sewage to mix with storm runoff. If the contaminated water reaches the ecosystem it could be very harmful for the organisms. If the water is digested it could be fatal. Diseases could be carried through this water and greatly hurt it. This all could affect the number of species in an ecosystem; which may stay and which may die or leave.

=Pollution= Pollution is the number one reason that is affecting the existance of biodiversity. Most of the pollution comes from humans. Which can range from anything from beer cans fishermen threw out to fertilizer runoff from nearby farmlands. However, some of it is non-point pollution, such as erosion from storm runoff. With pollution, different chemical levels in the water will rise and fall, causing organisms to not be able to live in the environment, which will weaken the biodiversity of the water system. The four main pollutions are: air, water, soil, and species. In air pollution, smog and acid rain affect the plant growth by suffocating the oxygen they have around them. Many species are sensitive to this kind of abuse and will die quickly. Humans make the oceans as a large dump site. Toxins affect larvae, eggs, and other species. The infected species either die or become mutated in some size, shape, or form. Larger animals in the oceans are not nearly affected by the pollution, but their bodies keep the toxins when they eat the smaller animals. With soil pollution, toxins are built up in the soil and affect plant life. If a crop is planted in the infected soil, it takes in the toxin and then we, as humans, would eat the crop and end up with that toxin, too. Species pollution is when one specie of animal is over taken by a more harmful specie of animal.

=Climate= To put it in a simple way, certain organisms can't live in warmer or colder climates, so obviously not all organisms can live everywhere. Different seasons can also cause problems because some organisms can't handle the freezing temperatures and have to migrate to a different water system. Global warming is also affecting species. With the rapidly changing weather conditions, plants are suffering and dying or are not able to produce enough. Carbon dioxide is affecting plants, along with water and temperature. These three factors are always changing and can never stay constant. This is not enabling plants to undergo photosynthesis, which is crucial to plant life. Sometimes the weather can become too extreme for species, such as cyclones, floods, and fires. When there is flooding, an entire species in that area die off, or if they are lucky they can travel somewhere off. When the weather becomes too dry and hot, forest fires can occur. Fires destroy habitats and kill off plants. The fire also takes away oxygen, causing nearby plants that weren't in the fire to be affected also.