ü What is biodiversity, how do humans affect it, and how does it affect humans?
Biodiversity is the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem. Humans, not only being part of it, affect it. We, as a developing species, affect those species habitats with the amount of tearing down trees to make our own houses and businesses. Since we are able to be more efficient about what we do, we can put a huge impact on the deaths from hunting to get our own food. We lessen the numbers of some species through hunting and disturbing their habitat, reducing the possibility for their survival. Today we have so many endangered species, and the negative isn’t the only impact we give. We also have made efforts to protect those animals and plants. There are a few people that choose not to disturb any of the animals to let them live their own lives as they please. Us as humans are affected by it in several ways. If biodiversity were to come to a loss, the food supply would become vulnerable to us, since we do eat those plants and animals. We rely on biodiversity for survival.
ü Why is biodiversity important to the Earth and to humans?
Biodiversity boosts ecosystem productivity where all the species have a certain role to play. With missing on or another, the whole would be effected, no matter the size of itself. It there is more diversity, there is more natural sustainability for all life forms. So even though we as humans dominate this planet, it is in our favor to preserve the biodiversity is we want to sustain our natural resources to survive as a whole. With the Earth, we keep each other alive and striving through the diversity we have. Since there are so many different plants, so many animals can survive that need those specific plants. If one were to die, it would affect those animals. If those animals were to die, the predators eating those animals would struggle because of it. It becomes a vicious cycle to where everything is affected. If there wasn’t that much diversity, the struggle would be drastic and happen much faster than if it were more diverse. Over all, biodiversity is extremely important to humans and the environment because we are dependent on the variety for our survival.
ü How is it that there are millions of different species on earth today yet all species descended from a common ancestor?
A big factor of this is isolation. Once the species is separated from their species. They evolve differently. Some survive and other’s don’t, depending on if they can adapt to the new area. If the species changes enough to fit the new environment, then they would be different from the original species. And the process would continue for the existence of Earth, until enough changes have occurred that they become different, but from the same family.
ü Why scientists are interested in understanding how closely related organisms are to each other.
Scientist are interested in understanding how closely related organisms are to each other because it can help us with understanding where things come from and how they got to there. It helps with the biodiversity, where Taxonomy comes in. Where we can classify the different species and make connections within the millions of things that inhabit this world. Darwin said, “seem rather to be clustered round points, and these round other points, and so on in almost endless cycles.. it is explained through inheritance and the complex action of natural selection, entailing extinction and divergence of character.”Meaning that from understanding the connections of the species DNA, we are able to see natural selection in play. It is not simply just this random round about that goes where ever the wind does, in a random motion.
Biodiversity is the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem. Humans, not only being part of it, affect it. We, as a developing species, affect those species habitats with the amount of tearing down trees to make our own houses and businesses. Since we are able to be more efficient about what we do, we can put a huge impact on the deaths from hunting to get our own food. We lessen the numbers of some species through hunting and disturbing their habitat, reducing the possibility for their survival. Today we have so many endangered species, and the negative isn’t the only impact we give. We also have made efforts to protect those animals and plants. There are a few people that choose not to disturb any of the animals to let them live their own lives as they please. Us as humans are affected by it in several ways. If biodiversity were to come to a loss, the food supply would become vulnerable to us, since we do eat those plants and animals. We rely on biodiversity for survival.
ü Why is biodiversity important to the Earth and to humans?
Biodiversity boosts ecosystem productivity where all the species have a certain role to play. With missing on or another, the whole would be effected, no matter the size of itself. It there is more diversity, there is more natural sustainability for all life forms. So even though we as humans dominate this planet, it is in our favor to preserve the biodiversity is we want to sustain our natural resources to survive as a whole. With the Earth, we keep each other alive and striving through the diversity we have. Since there are so many different plants, so many animals can survive that need those specific plants. If one were to die, it would affect those animals. If those animals were to die, the predators eating those animals would struggle because of it. It becomes a vicious cycle to where everything is affected. If there wasn’t that much diversity, the struggle would be drastic and happen much faster than if it were more diverse. Over all, biodiversity is extremely important to humans and the environment because we are dependent on the variety for our survival.
ü How is it that there are millions of different species on earth today yet all species descended from a common ancestor?
A big factor of this is isolation. Once the species is separated from their species. They evolve differently. Some survive and other’s don’t, depending on if they can adapt to the new area. If the species changes enough to fit the new environment, then they would be different from the original species. And the process would continue for the existence of Earth, until enough changes have occurred that they become different, but from the same family.
ü Why scientists are interested in understanding how closely related organisms are to each other.
Scientist are interested in understanding how closely related organisms are to each other because it can help us with understanding where things come from and how they got to there. It helps with the biodiversity, where Taxonomy comes in. Where we can classify the different species and make connections within the millions of things that inhabit this world. Darwin said, “seem rather to be clustered round points, and these round other points, and so on in almost endless cycles.. it is explained through inheritance and the complex action of natural selection, entailing extinction and divergence of character.”Meaning that from understanding the connections of the species DNA, we are able to see natural selection in play. It is not simply just this random round about that goes where ever the wind does, in a random motion.
ü How are related organisms organized on a cladogram? How can you tell which organisms are most closely related? More distantly related?
Related organisms are organized on a cladogram by if they are closely related, they are closer to the one animal that they are comparing others too. So if you look at the diagram, you can know that the chimpanzee are closer to the bear than they are to the sunfish. The sunfish would be much more distantly related to the chimpanzee as it is further away. |