Biodiversity...biological diversity

[Gloria]

What is biodiversity?

http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/wi...y/chapter1.pdf

Biodiversity can be viewed at three levels,community diversity, species diversity and genetic
diversity.
Each of these levels is composed of three components.
Compositional diversity,Structual diversity and Functional diversity.

[jack]

Originally Posted by Gloria

What is biodiversity?

http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/wi...y/chapter1.pdf

That's a keeper. Thanks, Gloria.

[Gloria]

Biodiversity Bill Silvert

http://bill.silvert.org/pdf/Biodiversity.pdf

Extinction is a natural phenomenon which occurs even in the absence of human pressure, and evolutionary history is a record of species being wiped out by natural occurances or being superseded by better adapted life forms (for example, the replacement of dinosaurs by warm-blooded mammals). Trying to conserve all species increasingly appears to be a futile task, and there is growing awareness that we need to be more judgemental in our approach to conservation. Rather than simply seeking to conserve everything,we have to decide when to fight and when to let go.

One option is to reduce emphasis on individual species and focus on biodiversity,a vague concept but one which captures the idea that we don't want a lot of species to go extinct.

Closer to home few people want a diverse ecosystem flourishing where they live, and those that do keep in pots and behind glass walls.
Modern mankind is not always comfortable with nature,and prefers to visit it during holidays than share space with it.
It can not be taken for granted that everyone supports biodiversity, and conservation may at times encounter surprising resistance.

Perhaps the most important form of biodiversity is functional diversity, the kind of diversity that ensures every task that needs doing within an ecosystem gets done. It doesn't help to have thousands of species of herbivores in a system if there are no primary producers to feed them and no detritivores to clean up after them.

[jack]

Originally Posted by Gloria

Biodiversity Bill Silvert

http://bill.silvert.org/pdf/Biodiversity.pdf

Gloria, reading your threads is like taking a course in ecology! Thanks for that!!

[Gloria]

Jack, thank you for responding. It's nice to know someone else is interested. This particular thread I have been trying to keep on the front page by adding as I find more content. Conversations with many people have led me to believe that the concept of biodiversity could use a little PR. So whenever I chance upon another tidbit it gets shared here with the hope that anyone that googles (or however they search) biodiversity will maybe find this thread.

[Cirsium]

Originally Posted by Gloria

Jack, thank you for responding. It's nice to know someone else is interested. This particular thread I have been trying to keep on the front page by adding as I find more content. Conversations with many people have led me to believe that the concept of biodiversity could use a little PR. So whenever I chance upon another tidbit it gets shared here with the hope that anyone that googles (or however they search) biodiversity will maybe find this thread.

Thank you for efforts on behalf of furthering a deeper understanding of biodiversity. As you said in the first post

I liked the concept of biological diversity being seen not just as a list of living organisims but also including ecosystem processes that maintain, support and repair damage .
A holistic view that tries to understand how each part works with other parts to create and continue ecosystem services to the whole.

biodiversity needs to be understood in a broad context. This thread is now a sticky, so it will remain at the top of the Biodiversity Forum all the time. Don't let that deter you from sharing more content as you chance upon it though.

[Gloria]

Thank you!

[dapjwy]

Originally Posted by Gloria

Biodiversity Bill Silvert

http://bill.silvert.org/pdf/Biodiversity.pdf

Very concise and informative.

[dapjwy]

Originally Posted by Gloria

...the concept of biodiversity could use a little PR. So whenever I chance upon another tidbit it gets shared here with the hope that anyone that googles (or however they search) biodiversity will maybe find this thread.

Another good point. I was not thinking about google searches bringing people this thread, but it make so much sense...and then, perhaps people will explore the site more and related topics. Great job, Gloria!

[dapjwy]

Originally Posted by Cirsium

Thank you for efforts on behalf of furthering a deeper understanding of biodiversity. As you said in the first post biodiversity needs to be understood in a broad context.

Yes, and promoting awareness of the complex relationships that allow the system to *function* is a huge deal. When people can see the bigger picture of water filtration, managing flooding and erosion, decomposition, and the myriad of other functions (both those we are aware of and those yet to be discovered) seems vital for public understanding.

Originally Posted by Cirsium

This thread is now a sticky, so it will remain at the top of the biodiversity forum all the time. Don't let that deter you from sharing more content as you chance upon it though.

Great, thanks Cirsium.

And, yes, please do continue posting...I find it informative and keeping it in the forefront of my mind will allow me access to easily understood concepts should I need to explain it to an interested party.