WHAT IS THE NATURAL DIVERSITY OF THE EARTH? - BIOLOGY - 2025

The natural diversity of the earth, also called biodiversity, is the variety of living beings existing on the planet. The term is used to define the entire set of organisms that inhabit every corner of the earth adapted to even the most extreme environments.

Diversity has been studied in all realms of natural life and existing (or discovered) levels; from humans, animals, plants, fungi and microorganisms, to genes between species and ecosystems.

Biodiversity forms the basis of all the natural services that ecosystems offer to the natural balance of life, and is critically crucial for the sustainable well-being of human beings.

The oxygen in the air, the drinking water, the fertile soils, the productive lands, the abundance of the seas, the climate, and other natural services, are the manifestation of the constant work of life on earth since its inception.

This intricate, dynamic and complex network of layers of living organisms (and environments) of different sizes and shapes, linked in a chemical and physical way, is called the biosphere.

Life has thrived on planet earth thanks to the collective metabolic activities of all species.

3 levels of natural diversity on earth

Biodiversity is much more than the sum of all species, genetic material and ecosystems; it also includes the variety within them.

It is an attribute of every life on the planet, such as the different types of mammals, the different genes between similar species, types of forest, etc.

Genetic diversity

It is the variety of genes within the same species. The genetic material in the same population can be very diverse, this allows at the time of procreation a greater probability of transmission of the most functional genetic characteristics to the next generation.

It is related to the ability of a species to adapt to changes in the environment. In this way, there could be populations of the same species with different genetic material.

This is most evident in trees, whose seeds can be carried many kilometers by water, animals or the wind and flourish.

In large forested areas in the mountains, trees of the same species that are close to the snow line may have some genetic differences from trees of the same species located more towards sea level.

These properties generally make a visual or physiognomic difference between one individual and another, but they are the same species.

Domestic dogs are the greatest example of genetic diversity. For that reason they are grouped by the different and numerous known races.

Species diversity

It is the variety of different species in a certain environment. Some areas of the planet are richer in species than others.

Coral reefs and forests or rainforests are often habitats with many species. Salt flats and glaciers tend to be inhabited by very few.

On the other hand, there are more species in the equatorial areas, and the number decreases the closer it gets to the poles. The oceans are much more populated near the shores than in the depths and in the abysses.

Species are grouped into families according to the characteristics they share. It is known that humans and chimpanzees share 98% of genes.

Genetic closeness puts them within the same family, but it is that 2% that makes them different species.

It occurs in a similar way with the different species of canines, cats, marsupials, antelopes, bears, birds, among others. When individual species or entire families (both animals and plants) only exist in one place on earth, they are called endemic species.

This occurs in most cases on the islands as a result of their isolation from the continental land bodies. Australia and Madagascar are prominent and famous examples of animal and plant endemism.

Invertebrates occupy almost 97% of all animal species on the planet, and most of them are insects.

It is stated that the great importance of insects in the maintenance of life in many ecosystems is thanks to the fact that they are the main pollinators, as well as recyclers of nutrients, scavengers and food for others.

Vertebrate animals occupy about 4% of the planet's animal population, where mammals comprise less than 1%.

Ecosystem diversity

It is the variety of ecosystems in a given natural area, a geographical location, a region or throughout the planet earth.

A single ecosystem can encompass large areas such as forests, deserts, tundras, cloud forests, and coral reefs, or very small or strange spaces such as a pond, caves, plumbing systems, or the back shell of a crab.

All of them provide a home and food for different species that establish a balance, without forgetting the complex relationships with other elements such as sunlight, air, water, minerals and nutrients.

Human-planned and managed ecosystems such as plantations, farms, agricultural spaces, grasslands, farmland, urban parks and other urban ecosystems also fall into this category.

Why is biodiversity important?

The diversity and prosperity of the earth's ecosystems may seem like permanent fixtures, but they are highly vulnerable to collapse. The relationship between the diversity of species in the environments means that each element has an important role in the natural balance.

Until now, the interlaced biodiversity of the three levels already explained has been the protective mechanism of balance, maintaining the conditions and levels of resources and natural services necessary for all living beings.

Fluctuations, such as climate change and disease, tend to be some of the natural events that endanger the most vulnerable species to adapt. Either because they have a small population, they have less genetic diversity or they are isolated.

But thanks to the volume of diversity between species and the complex interconnected network of symbiotic relationships, it is quite likely that if one species disappears in a given ecosystem, another could take over and stabilize the cycle. Thus the ecosystem protects itself from changes.

Human intervention, categorically, is currently the main destabilizing agent of entire ecosystems.

The fragmentation, reduction or destruction of habitats caused by man ends up removing important elements of a system that may not regain its stability.

References

1. Convention on Biological Diversity (2007). What is biodiversity? Recovered from biodiv.be
2. GreenFacts Editorial Team (2006). Biodiversity & Human Well-being. GreenFacts Digest. Facts on Biodiversity. Recovered from greenfacts.or
3. Australian Museum (2015). What is biodiversity? Recovered from australianmuseum.net.au
4. Eni scoula.net. What is biodiversity? School Energy & Environment. Recovered from eniscuola.net
5. Kim Preshoff (2015). Why is biodiversity so important? (online video). TED-Ed Originals. Recovered from ed.ted.com
6. Queensland Government site (2014). What is biodiversity? Recovered from qld.gov.au
7. American Museum of Natural History. What is biodiversity? Recovered from amnh.org