About site: environment/biodiversity - Kind Planet Biodiversity

About site: http://www.kindplanet.org/bio.html

Title: environment/biodiversity - Kind Planet Biodiversity Introductory notes.

Mass_Extinction_Underway Links to articles on biodiversity and species extinction.

Natural_Resources_and_Biodiversity Background papers from the World Resources Institute on social and political dimensions of environmental policy-making.

Resources_for_the_Future_Library__Biodiversity Research papers (PDF files) and project summaries related to economic and policy aspects of biodiversity protection. Topics include ecosystem valuation, endangered species laws, and habitat conservati

Species_2000 Project to provide indexing and links for all known species as the baseline dataset for studies of global biodiversity.

What_is_Biodiversity? Different definitions used by resource managers and ecologists.

What_is_Biodiversity? An introduction to meanings associated with the term biodiversity.

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Related sites for http://www.kindplanet.org/bio.html

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.

Wind_and_Sea Educational information and links provided by the NOAA Central Library Teachers' and Students' Corner.

This is sites2007.com cache of m/ as retrieved on 2009.01.09 sites2007.com's cache is the snapshot that we took of the page as we crawled the web. The page may have changed since that time.

Kind Planet Environmental Info - Biodiversity - Part of Our Environmental Forum

Biodiversity - By Mara Hurwitt Towards A Whole Planet Simple prudence dictates that no species, however humble, should ever be allowed to go extinct if it is within the power of humanity to save it. - Edward O. Wilson, Pellegrino University Research Professor and Honorary Curator in Entomology at Harvard University What Is Biodiversity? In essence, biological diversity or biodiversity is the sum of all life on Earth. It includes the vast array of life forms, their individual genetic makeup, their life processes, and their interrelationships in communities and ecosystems. Peter H. Raven, Director of the Missouri Botanical Garden offers this more eloquent definition: "At the simplest level, biodiversity is the sum total of all the plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms in the world, or in a particular area; all of their individual variation; and all of the interactions between them. It is the set of living organisms that make up the fabric of the planet Earth and allow it to function as it does, by capturing energy from the sun and using it to drive all of life's processes; by forming communities of organisms that have, through several billion years of life's history on Earth, altered the nature of the atmosphere, the soil and the water of our planet; and by making possible the sustainability of our planet through their life activities now." Biodiversity Studies According to Edward O. Wilson, a world-renowned scientist and researcher, biodiversity emerged as a scientific discipline during the last 25 years in response to two important events: the realization that human activity threatens the extinction of many plant and animal species either directly or indirectly, by habitat destruction, and the recognition that we have the ability to end that process at minimal cost to human welfare. Biodiversity studies are a hybrid discipline, drawing on both evolutionary biology and biotechnology in "the systematic examination of the full array of organisms and the origin of this diversity, together with the technology by which diversity can be maintained and utilized for the benefit of humanity." Levels Of Biodiversity Biodiversity is commonly studied at three levels: genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity. Genetic Diversity Genetic diversity refers to the different genetic makeup up of individual plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms. It includes both genetic variation within a single species and between different species. Species Diversity Species diversity is, simply, the variety of species. It includes all the differences within and between species populations, as well as among different species. Species diversity is often used to mean "species richness," or the number of different species present in a specific habitat. However, it can also be measured in terms of either "species abundance" - the relative population sizes among various species - or "taxonomic diversity" -- the genetic linkages between different groups of species. (To learn more about how organisms are classified, follow links from our Biodiversity Reference Material Page to the Sidwell School's Classification Lab website) Most discussions on biodiversity focus on species diversity. Evolution occurs at the species level, and the origination and extinction of species are the primary factors impacting biological diversity. Ecosystem Diversity Ecosystem diversity is more difficult to define than the other two levels of biodiversity. It comprises the many differences among ecosystem types, including diversity of habitats and ecological processes. In practice, ecosystem diversity can only be evaluated on a local or regional basis, rather than on a global scale; however, even this assessment is difficult due to the ever-changing boundaries of ecological communities and ecosystems. Number of Species Approximately 1.7 million species have so far been identified and scientifically described, but this represents only a fraction of life on Earth. The United Nations' 1995 Global Biodiversity Assessment estimated the total number of species at 14 million, although other estimates range from 5 million to more than 100 million! Microorganisms and insects are thought to comprise the largest numbers of species. Insects alone are estimated to account for between 2 and 100 million species, with a working estimate within the scientific community of 8 million. Of the 100 species of animals described to date, approximately 750,000 are insects. Scientists are working to classify and describe additional species, but it is a slow and painstaking process. For example, as many as half the plant species of Colombia's Choc� region, including trees and shrubs, do not have a scientific name. On occasion, even new species of mammals are discovered, such as the Chinese muntjac, a kind of deer, and the sun-tailed guenon, a monkey found in Gabon. Most recently, in April 2000, the Amazon National Research institute announced the discovery of two new monkey species in northwestern Brazil. Measuring Biodiversity The history of life on Earth spans approximately 3.75 billion years, the last 600 million years of which has seen a tremendous growth in biodiversity. At that time, the Earth underwent a major ecological transformation. The concentration of oxygen in the atmosphere increased dramatically, and a shield of ozone was created in the stratosphere, providing protection from harmful ultraviolet radiation. These changes permitted the emergence of larger animals in the Earth's oceans and proliferation of plants, and later, animals on land surfaces. With the exception of a plateau reached during the Mesozoic Era, this diversity of life forms continued to grow, and Earth's biodiversity is now at or near its peak. Every life form plays a role in ecosystem processes, although both the nature and scope of its functions will vary. The contribution of a single species to biodiversity is frequently measured in two ways. The first is its taxonomic significance; that is to say that the more different a species is - or the more isolated in the taxonomic hierarchy used to classify species - the greater its contribution to the overall measure of global biodiversity. The second measure focuses on the impact of a particular species on an ecological community. So-called "keystone species" are those whose role within the ecosystem is so great that their removal from the local or regional ecosystem will have a disproportionate effect. Recent experimental studies have shown that overall ecosystem productively declines as the number of species in the community decreases. This loss of productivity is most dramatic in managed ecosystems - such as crop growing lands and timber plantations - where the variety of species is particularly small. The findings of the one available long-term field study on plant species richness also indicate that reductions in plant species diversity lowered the ecosystem's resistance to drought. Researchers have identified two possible explanations for this relationship between plant diversity and productivity. The first, called the "sampling effect," relies on basic probability, i.e., greater the number of species present, the more likely some will be species with higher levels of contributions to ecosystem functioning. The second proposed explanation is the "complementarity effect," where increased diversity leads to an increase in the number of species which are complementary rather than competitive in their use of available ecosystem resources. This creates a more efficient and productive ecological community. Ecosystem processes are driven by the combined activities of all the species which comprise that community, and reductions in species diversity can severely diminish its productivity. However, it is as yet impossible to predict how the loss of any single species will impact the overall ecological balance - or how it may affect the welfare of man. Where Beings Reside On A Diverse Planet >> Want To Add An Article? Be Notified Of New Kind Planet Content? Communicate With Us? Contact Kind Planet is created at The Sanctuary. Lost? Go to the Site Map or Search Our Site var MenuLinkedBy='AllWebMenus [2]', awmBN='520'; awmAltUrl='';awmBuildMenu();

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