In this post, we'll talk about the topic of biodiversity in I/GCSE Biology. Let's get started! 😆
What is the importance of biodiversity?
Organisms are classified into groups according to similarities and differences in characteristics including:
- Physical features (e.g. flowers in flowering plants and the skeletons in vertebrates)
- DNA
The groups start off large with high numbers of organisms with a few features in common (e.g. KINGDOMS such as plants, animals) and reduce in size as they are sub-divided into much smaller groups containing organisms with more characteristics in common (e.g. SPECIES).
Biodiversity
BIODIVERSITY refers to the variety of life on Earth including:
- The number of different species in an area
- The range of different types of organisms, e.g. plants, animals and microorganisms
- The genetic variation within species (how many different alleles there are)
The greater these are, the greater the BIODIVERSITY!
Remember the concept above in I/GCSE Biology!
For humans:
- biodiversity is vitally important because we need to exploit CROPS to feed a growing population.
For plants:
- They are also the source of compounds that are effective against disease and genetic disorders. These could potentially be used as medicines.
The rate of extinction
The rate of extinctions on Earth has been increasing
- this is likely to be due to human activity.
- Humans can cause extinctions directly or indirectly:
Sustainability
- It's commonly asked in I/GCSE Biology!
- It is about meeting the needs of people today without damaging the Earth for future generations.
Maintaining biodiversity to ensure the conservation of different species is one of the keys to SUSTAINABILITY.
And we're done with this topic! Well Done!
Drafted by Alyssa (Biology)
References:
- "12 Best Classification Chart ideas", https://i.pinimg.com/474x/59/4b/29/594b297af41ee2f8cf7439b68d9f9d74--life-science-science-bitch.jpg
- "Biodiversity", https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tCElAPyDvIs/XqnPMn1R-oI/AAAAAAAABgg/Yh0tP_6gttoEXRUA5ugMus2NiMgQFtsSACNcBGAsYHQ/s640/biodiversity-types-importance-conservation.jpg
- "Reason 1: Sustainability – Abbotsford Today Archive", https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/-mbnhJDFfqmoC8ijcNBs8-CRgzDgmF3amdMYdlGyFgrfRSzPWdUk_Do5YBtok938IlRlDEZQXFJGfzg-Rlu57Rfpgynuaq8G-D9qWFS_oeRELKVwSGwfuWAyaRw-vQIlDlZvaThJ6RbjnxikmXI