| What_is_Biodiversity? An introduction to meanings associated with the term biodiversity. |
| What_is_Biological_Diversity? Overview and definitions. |
| World_Atlas_of_Biodiversity Interactive maps of biodiversity and human impacts from the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre. |
| Environmental_Education_Directory_of_New_Zealand Directory for sites about the environment including field studies and activities directed at influencing environmental concerns. |
| Environmental_Education_Resources Comprehensive directory of environmental educational resources for all audiences and age levels, from the Center for the National Institute for the Environment |
| Environmental_Programs An extensive list of higher education environmental programs around the world (but mostly in the US), compiled by Brown University. |
| Environmental_Protection_Agency__Educational_Resources Portal includes learning pages about the environment for kids, students, teachers, and researchers. Site also includes links to grant programs, training, and youth awards. |
| SEEK_Sharing_Environmental_Education_Knowledge Minnesota's interactive directory of environmental education resources lists events, curriculum resources, learning centers, and other resources. |
| Air_Quality_Meteorology Developmental course of the US Environmental Protection Agency in conjunction with the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |
| Auroras__Paintings_in_the_Sky Illustrated journey of the "Northern Lights." Site includes photos and QuickTime movies of the northern lights, and Realaudio interviews with NASA scientists. |
| Bad_Meteorology Debunks some widespread misconceptions about clouds, rain, atmospheric circulation, the greenhouse effect, and other topics. |
| Booty_Meteorological_Information_Source Keeper of the uk.sci.weather FAQ's, associated glossaries and links to other related meteorology sites. |
| Bournemouth_School_Met_Office Educational site with project information, quizzes, games, and links. |
| Caribbean_Institute_for_Meteorology_and_Hydrology Outlines of courses available, data held, contact details, and history of this cooperative by sixteen governments in the region. |
| Carroll_Magnet_High_School_Atmospheric_Sciences This page is dedicated to the promotion of science through the atmospheric sciences. Carroll's world renown Atmospheric Science Program has continued to gain recognition not only locally, but interna |
| Center_for_Atmosphere_Ocean_Studies,_Courant_Institute Research, graduate school studies in applied math, dynamical meteorology, physical oceanography and climate system modeling. |
| Dutch_Meteorological_and_Climatological_Association European weather maps, forecasts and reports. |
| El_Nino_Resource_Center Welcome to the El Niño Workshop - online for education. |
| Everything_about_Teaching_Weather Information for K-12 teachers planning weather lessons, categorized into five divisions. |
| For_Spacious_Skies Information about K-12 meteorological education program. |
| Index_to_Training_Materials_and_Essays_on_Storm_Chasing_and_Meteorology This site provides an organized list of training materials and essays on storm chasing and meteorology that are available on the internet. |
| Infography_about_Meteorology Online and print resources recommended by a professor who specializes in research about meteorology. |
| Layer_of_Earth\'s_Atmosphere Graphically shows the differences between each layer of the atmosphere and where atmospheric phenomena occur. Shockwave required. |
| Matt\'s_Weather_Page For a novice or young person interested in weather. Teaches basic weather concepts and cloud types. Also contains links weather sites. |
| Meteorology_FAQs Archived FAQs from the Usenet newsgroup sci.geo.meteorology. |
| One_Sky,_Many_Voices Mission of the project is to create innovative, inquiry-based K-12 weather curricula that utilize current technologies such as CD-ROMs and the internet for the interactive study of current weather and |
| Professor_Mandia\'s_Weather_Resources Website for a introduction to weather class at Suffolk County Community College. |
| Royal_Meteorological_Society Shows the history, qualifications offered, membership benefits, educational activities, planned meetings, and publications. |
| Significant_Opportunities_in_Atmospheric_Research_and_Science SOARS provides educational and research opportunities, mentoring, career counseling and guidance, and financial support for culturally-diverse students in the atmospheric and related sciences. |
| Snow_Crystals Information about the physics of snow crystals and snowflakes as well as the history of early scientific observations and photographs, how to take photos, preserving snow crystals, and unusual snowfl |
| Stuff_In_The_Air Weather phenomena and imagery. Concise descriptions of how weather instruments work. Atmospheric problems and solutions. |
| Tom_Skilling\'s_Severe_Weather_Seminars Annual seminar on severe weather conducted in conjunction with support and assistance from Fermilab, the National Weather Service, the Severe Storms Forecast Center and others. |
| Weather_and_Business Two papers, covering seasonal climate forcasting and business planning, and weather risk management. |
| Weather_By_Giannetta Articles on "Weather and Meteorology," El-Nino, Hurricanes, Tornadoes. Many weather charts/graphics/maps/pictures. Links to other weather sites, some as far away as the South Pole. |
| The_Weather_Doctor Explores the science and beauty of weather, including a monthly almanac, weather history, weather elements and phenomena, weather and the arts. |
| Weather_One Discusses several topics of weather including clouds, seasons, air pressure, winds, global warming, and violent weather. Also contains activities to give students a hands-on experience with weather. |
| Weathercation Weather education information and products. |
| Weathernet_Classroom Weathernet Classroom offers educational technology and weather, geography, math, and science lesson plans. |
| WeatherSavvy__Understanding_Our_Weather,_Climate_and_World Question and answer forum to address a variety of weather-related questions also with background weather resources. |
| What_is_a_Rainbow? Educational site explaining the physics and chemistry of rainbows. |
An
Introduction to Biodiversity Theory
The science of
biodiversity originates largely from ecology (the study of the relationship
between organisms and their environment) and evolution (the study of the
origin of diversity). From these two fields come its two main goals: to
understand the way the natural systems work and are structured, and to
understand how it got that way.
Why study biodiversity? Although
the theory of biodiversity can be studied for its own sake to gain a better
idea of how the world works, it has several important practical uses,
mostly centred on conservation. By understanding the theory, we can better
understand which types of species are most likely to decline under different
circumstances and also know how best to protect those species from extinction.
If diversity is reduced in an area, we can also best prevent further loss
and try to restore the lost diversity if we have a good grasp of what
the outcome of different actions, such as reintroducing lost species,
will be. As human activities continue reduce the biodiversity on the planet,
it becomes increasingly important to know what the effect of our actions
will be before we lose any more diversity.
This section consists of four
parts. The first introduces the three levels of biodiversity that are
studied, the second looks at how diversity can be gained or lost, the
third examines the composition of diversity in more depth, and the fourth
looks at how biodiversity affects the functioning of ecosystems. Each
of these only scrapes the surface of the research available; the References
section of this site lists more detailed resources.
As one would expect, theory
is a complex issue, full of new concepts and terms. This is the most difficult
section of the site, and much of the complexity is unavoidable.
Page 2 The
three levels of biodiversity
Page 3 Gaining
and losing biodiversity
Page 4 Composition
and abundance
Page 5 Biodiversity
and ecosystem functioning
