One of the main topics of nature that has always been studied is biodiversity, that cluster of species from the same habitat that are closely related to each other, generate great fascination. For this reason, in this article you will learn everything about the Classification of Biodiversity and much more. We invite you to continue reading.
Biodiversity Classification
When talking about the classification of biodiversity, it can be said that there are a large number of theories and approaches on how each of the living beings on the planet should be grouped and that they are in constant relationship in the same habitat, or have had some kinship in a remote time. Great researchers have dedicated their lives to developing a wide range of material regarding this, although at present and for practical purposes, it can be classified as follows:
Genetic Diversity
This is the first classification that can be made, which includes all living beings on Earth that are linked to all others thanks to their genes. It should be noted that the deeper the connection between a pair of beings, the more genetic information they will share and the more similar they will appear. The closest relatives of an organism are members of its own species or organisms with which it has the potential to mate and produce offspring.
Members of a species share genes, bits of biochemical information that determine, in part, the appearance, behavior, and lifespan of animals. An eastern gray squirrel, for example, shares the vast majority of its genes with other eastern gray squirrels, whether they live in the same region or are thousands of miles apart. Members of a species also share complex mating behaviors that allow them to recognize each other as potential mates.
For virtually every species, a similar and closely related species exists in the adjacent habitat. Western gray squirrels, rather than eastern gray squirrels, are found west of the Rocky Mountains. Although western gray squirrels are more similar than different from their eastern counterparts, these animals do not share common mating behavior with eastern gray squirrels. Even when they get close, eastern and western gray squirrels do not mate, making them two distinct species.
Each species also has other more distant species with which it shares a more general set of characteristics. Gray squirrels, chipmunks, groundhogs, and prairie dogs all belong to the same family, as they share a number of characteristics, such as the number and shape of teeth and details of the anatomy of the skull and muscles. One could even say that they are related to a more distant group that share continuously growing chisel-like incisor teeth.
However, in the end they all fall into the same classification, that is, they belong to mammals. They have hair, they feed their young through their breasts and they have three bones in the middle ear. In turn, they are more distantly related to other vertebrate animals. All of these organisms are animals, but they share a common cell structure with plants, fungi, and some microbes. After all, all living organisms share a common molecule, ribonucleic acid (RNA), and most also have deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).
Finally, a very important point related to this type of classification of biodiversity should be highlighted, and that is that although all species descend from a common ancestor, it can be noted that the species generate a large number of differences and attributes. special during the years in which they remain on the planet, the result of evolution. In addition, this entire process will end up not only creating a benefit for the species itself, but also for all biodiversity in general.
Diversity according to the Species
This classification is based on the diversity of life forms in a habitat or region. Species are the basic units of biological classification and are therefore the normal measure of biological diversity. Species richness is the term used to describe the number of different species in a given area. The world total is estimated at five to 10 million species, although only 1,75 million have been scientifically named so far.
Some of the places where they are seen, such as tropical rainforests or coral reefs in the seas, are places where there is a great diversity of species. A large number of foundations, institutions and specialists point out that in the American continent alone there are almost ninety thousand species of plants capable of producing flowers. On the other hand, in Asia there are fifty thousand, in Africa there are thirty thousand and, finally, the old continent only has ten thousand species of plants.
Ecological Diversity
This final classification is the intricate network of different species in local ecosystems and the dynamic interaction between them. An ecosystem consists of organisms of many different species that live together in a region and their connections through the exchange of energy, nutrients, and matter. These connections occur when organisms of different species interact with each other. The main source of energy in almost all ecosystems is the sun. It converts plants into chemical energy into the radiant energy of the sun.
This energy flows through systems when animals eat plants and, in turn, other animals eat them. For example, fungal species acquire their food, thanks to the physical deterioration of other living beings that leaves the nutrients they need in the soil. Thus, an ecosystem is a collection of living components (microbes, plants, animals, and fungi) and non-living components (climate and chemicals) that are connected by the flow of energy. Measuring ecological diversity is difficult because each of the Earth's ecosystems merges with the ecosystems around it.
What is Biodiversity?
After knowing the classification, it is also good to explain what this topic consists of. In principle, it can be explained as the sum of all the different species of animals, plants, fungi and microbial organisms that live on Earth and the variety of habitats in which they live. Scientists estimate that more than 10 million different species inhabit the Earth. Biodiversity is the foundation of everything from food production to medical research. Humans use at least 40.000 species of plants and animals every day.
Many people around the world still rely on resources obtained from the wild for some or all of their food, shelter, and clothing. All our plants and pets come from ancient species that live in nature. Additionally, nearly 40 percent of pharmaceuticals or drugs used in North America are based on or synthesized from natural compounds found in plants, animals, or microorganisms.
The set of living organisms found in a given environment in combination with the physical and environmental factors that affect them is an ecosystem. All that are healthy are vital as they maintain the chemical and climatic systems that provide air, water, and abundant oxygen. For example, forests regulate the amount of carbon dioxide, produce oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis, and control precipitation and soil erosion. It can also be said that they depend on the continued health and vitality of the individual organisms that compose them. If a single being is removed from this environment, it would unbalance the entire biodiversity.
However, the higher value of the biodiversity ranking may still be unknown. Scientists have only discovered and named 1,75 million species, less than 20 percent of those thought to exist. Of those identified, only a fraction were examined for their potential medicinal, agricultural, or industrial value. Much of the Earth's great biodiversity is rapidly disappearing, even before we know what is missing.
Most biologists agree that life on Earth is now facing its worst extinction since the event that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. Species of plants, animals, fungi and microscopic organisms such as bacteria are being lost at an alarming rate. Because of this, scientists around the world focus their research on assessing the world's biodiversity to better understand it, reduce the rate of loss, and improve environmental change.
Benefits
It can be understood that the classification of biodiversity plays a fundamental role in how the entire ecosystem is managed and what benefits it offers. The following points are some of the benefits of biodiversity. From it you can obtain food, drinking water, as well as wood, minerals and genetic resources. Climate regulation, floods, diseases, water quality and pollination. Cultural benefits such as recreational, aesthetic and spiritual. And support in soil formation and nutrient cycling.
Agreements on Biodiversity
Concern about the destruction of the environment has led to the signing of various national and international treaties. In 1972, governments around the world at the UN signed a series of regional and international treaties to address specific issues, such as the protection of wetlands and the regulation of international trade in endangered species. These agreements, along with controls on toxic chemicals and pollution, have helped stem the tide of destruction, but have not reversed it.
An international treaty known as CITES came into force in 1975 to make the distribution and sale of all living things in real danger illegal. Two years earlier a similar law had come into use in the United States. In 1987, the Brundtland Commission concluded that economic development must become less ecologically destructive. Years later, the UN conference on these issues met in Brazil, and the Convention on Biological Diversity was created, which has the following purposes:
- The conservation of all living beings that are interrelated in an environment.
- Reasonable use of any item in this category.
- The distribution of commercial and other benefits of genetic resources in an equitable manner.
Human Impact
Most biologists accept American evolutionary biologist Edward O. Wilson's estimate that the Earth loses about 27.000 species per year. The estimation of it is based mainly on the rate of disappearance of ecosystems, especially tropical forests and grasslands, and on our knowledge of the species that live in these systems. This extraordinary rate of extinction has only happened five times before in Earth's history.
Mass extinctions in the geological past have been caused by catastrophic physical catastrophes, such as climate change or meteorite impacts, which have destroyed and altered global ecosystems. Today's sixth extinction is also mainly caused by the disruption of ecosystems, but this time the destructive force is not the physical environment, but humanity. The human transformation of the Earth's surface threatens to be as destructive as any of the catastrophic physical catastrophes of the past.
Conservation
Finally, it should be noted that as the extent and importance of biodiversity loss is better understood, positive steps can be taken to halt mass extinctions. There are several nations that have passed laws to protect endangered wildlife. Over the last three decades, the focus has shifted from preserving individual species to protecting large habitats connected by corridors that allow animals to move between habitats.
For example, one of the great movements that has made these preservation efforts famous is the one to rescue the owl of the Pacific Northwest, which has become an attempt to protect vast areas of old wood. Still, as promising as these approaches are, environmental efforts will never be successful in the long run if the local economic needs of people living in or near threatened ecosystems are not taken into account.
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