biological diversity, biodiversity — English

The variety of plants and animals found in any specific area, habitat, ecosystem or ecozone. The total variety of living organisms – that is all living things present – in the specified area are included. Humans are usually not included in a biodiversity survey, but in the true sense of the term they should be included. Different areas on Earth contain different varieties and numbers of living organisms. An area of low biodiversity is one where there are only a few types (species) of living organisms and only a few specimens of each type; an area with a high biodiversity is the exact opposite. The carrying capacity of an area to sustain biological life depends on many factors, such as climate, soil type, altitude, and human activities. Sandy, hot deserts and cold, large ice masses are good examples of areas with low biodiversity. Such areas are not devoid of any living organisms, but the number of species as well the numbers of individuals of each species will be low. The warm, humid tropical forests sustain a rich variety of vegetation and many different animals and insects, and represent areas of high biodiversity; these areas are the so-called biodiversity paradises. The island of Madagascar was once one of the areas of extremely high biodiversity – a true biodiversity paradise. Unfortunately human beings have nearly destroyed the island’s biodiversity through deforestation and hunting. Certain animals, such as the dodo bird, have been hunted to extinction and deforestation and erosion have destroyed the habitats of many other animals and plants. (See “extinction”, “natural selection” and “habitat destruction”.)

Afrikaans     Sesotho sa Leboa     isiZulu    

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