This diversity includes the species diversity of animals, plants and microorganisms, the genetic and variation diversity of species and the diversity of ecosystems. Among them, species diversity is the key to biodiversity, which not only reflects the complex relationship between biology and environment, but also reflects the richness of biological resources.
At present, we know about 2 million species of organisms, and these various biological species constitute the diversity of biological species.
Biodiversity is the sum total of organisms, their ecological complexes with the environment and various related ecological processes, and it is composed of genetic (gene) diversity, species diversity and ecosystem diversity. Genetic diversity refers to the diversity of genetic factors and their combinations that determine traits in organisms. Species diversity is the expression of biodiversity in species, which can be divided into regional species diversity and community species (ecological) diversity. Ecosystem diversity refers to the diversity of habitats, biological communities and ecological processes in the biosphere. Genetic diversity and species diversity are the basis of biodiversity research, and ecosystem diversity is the focus of biodiversity research.
Someone asked what characteristics can be inferred from the study of nature? It is said that the British scientist J.B.S Haldane replied, "I love beetles too much." Because beetles are the biggest animals on earth. Terry Erwin of the Smithsonian Institution in the United States concluded that most unknown beetle species may exist in the canopy of a tropical forest 30 meters high that we can't get close to.
Biodiversity and health
Biodiversity is also related to our health and the health of this planet. In fact, your health is inseparable from the health of this planet.
When we are sick, we rely on the natural environment to help us recover. For many years, people have been looking for ways to treat injuries from nature. Plants provide effective ingredients for modern medicine, such as ingredients for making aspirin. Homeopathic drugs also use a lot of plant ingredients. From the point of view of money, the value of medicinal plants is immeasurable. The total value of these botanical drugs in the world is about 600 billion.
The economic value of biodiversity is not known to most people, but scientists of pharmaceutical companies are busy looking for specific pharmaceutical ingredients from plants to treat some specific diseases. Not long ago, experts found plant components used to treat cancer in Pacific yew trees and Madagascar Catharanthus roseus. Perhaps, one day, we can find the plant ingredients that kill HIV from a plant.
Doctors in traditional medicine have long relied on plants and herbs to treat diseases. In modern times, people also appreciate the efficacy of traditional medicine. For example, Masai people in East Africa will add some bark when making meat, milk or blood products in the traditional way. Bark can lower cholesterol.
However, the harvest of medicinal plants and animals is not all good. In fact, the demand for these plants and animals makes these species endangered. Traditional medicine used turtles as medicine, which led to the extreme decline of this species.
We searched for medicine from the earth's medicine chest again and again. We need to protect biodiversity, so that medicine cabinets in nature can store the ingredients of existing drugs and the ingredients needed to make new drugs when new diseases need to be resisted in the future.
Biodiversity and the air you breathe
In some cities, especially in summer, it is unhealthy to breathe the outside air. We know that we must reduce automobile exhaust pollution, factory exhaust pollution and power plant air pollution to ensure modern life. Yes, we all know, but do you know what role biodiversity plays in automatically cleaning the environment? Do you know that biodiversity helps to purify the air?
Trees and other green plants inhale carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas mainly produced by automobile exhaust and factory emissions, and then reduce it to natural pure oxygen. Biodiversity is the air purifier of this world.
However, we continue to cut down trees and transport them everywhere. There are 492 species of trees in the world that are endangered. We have cut down about half the trees used to decorate the earth. We cut down but don't repair it, which has hurt the lungs of the earth. Just like an addict who smokes 10 packs of cigarettes a day, he keeps smoking, and his damaged lungs are cut off one by one. How big are our lungs left?
In addition, in many places, we introduce alien invasive species. In the past 200 years, we have transported some tree species from one end of the world to the other. Some of this behavior has developed to the scale of an industry, such as eucalyptus and rattan. There are also some retirees or travelers who bring native plants or trees from their hometown and travel together.
The problem is that these plants are completely adapted to the original growing place, but they are not adapted to the new growing place. They may need more water than local species, or need pesticides to help them not be eaten by local insects.
We must respect the arrangement of nature and cannot force certain characteristics to change. In this way, let nature take its course, and the lungs of the earth can breathe more comfortably.
Biodiversity and the water we drink
All life is inseparable from water, so biodiversity is also related to water resources.
Because we only have limited water-not to say that we can ship from Mars at any time in the future-biodiversity, special different ecosystems purify our water: forests, soil and bacteria, streams and clouds work together-in fact, filtering, so that we can drink water again. Without biodiversity, the world will become barren and toxic-more like Mars-and then we can't regenerate on the earth.
So, the question is, are you ready to move to another planet?
Biodiversity, climate and disasters
Do you know that we have encountered a strange climate recently?
The scientific evidence is irrefutable: the earth's climate is changing. Strange things are happening everywhere on the earth-coral reef deaths, large-scale mudslides, unusual rainstorms and persistent droughts in some areas. Whether due to industrial emissions or natural factors, the world's coping mechanisms for these phenomena are still closely related to each other, from ecosystems to all kinds of life in ecosystems.
For example, in many parts of the earth, people find that when they cut down forests, their villages and towns are prone to floods. When this flood came, it was fiercer and faster than previous floods. Why? It is not the thrust of rockets that makes them run faster, but because trees can keep water and soil with their roots. Roots absorb water in rainy season and release water in summer. This is a natural adjustment method.