Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Muddiest Point
Hey guys! I need some help understanding some things in section 6.3. The first thing that got me confused was biodiversity. I don't understand what biodiversity actually is. One paragraph said that it was a type of natural resource....what??? Another thing that was confusing to understand was genetic diversity. I didn't understand the definition that was in the book, it made no sense to me. The more I kept reading about biodiversity and genetic diversity, the more it confused me. If someone understands, please please please help me! :)
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I don't have my actual book on me to read over what specifically was confusing you, but this is what i can tell you...
ReplyDeleteBiodiversity just refers to the variety of living things that exist on Earth. More biodiversity would mean more different species in existence. Biodiversity is a good thing for many reasons... more biodiversity means more niches which means more available habitats for organisms. More biodiversity means the possibility of discovering medicines and more food sources. A loss of biodiversity is bad because all organisms play a roll in the food web... so a loss of one will affect others.
Geneticdiversity is harder to explain without an understanding of evolution. But basically... more genetic diversity gives natural selection more 'raw materials' to work with. The more diverse the gene pool, the better chance that the BEST genes will survive and be passed on.
Bottom line... diversity is good for everyone! Diversity keeps balance in nature.