Montshire Minute: Biodiversity

Originally aired during the week of January 28, 2002

Monday

What is biodiversity? Well, take the words biology and diversity, put them together, and you've got biodiversity. That still doesn't tell us much, does it? Think of it this way: biodiversity is concerned with all living things on earth - plants, animals, fungi, microorganisms - and the habitats where they live. How does the disappearance of a species affect populations of animals it feeds on, or animals that feed on it? How might these changes affect plant life? And what do all these changes tell us about what's happening on earth? Am I asking too many questions? Look, biodiversity is interested in the big picture. It recognizes that big human settlements like New York City are somehow related to the smallest clusters of microbes in the soil. Find out more about the importance of these interactions in a new visiting exhibit called Biodiversity 911, opening February 2nd.

Tuesday

Many biologists study the small picture. They may specialize in certain species of plants, animals or insects. Over the years they have collected a tremendous amount of data about the natural world. Biodiversity looks at the big picture. It's not TV - it's like a big, wide movie screen, maybe with "surround sound." It tries to describe how living things are related, and what factors influence the health of the environment they live in. To preserve a species of insect, for instance, we have to look at the whole ecosystem where it lives. Why is biodiversity important? The more we learn, the more we discover about how vital healthy ecosystems are. For instance, the disappearance of one small species of frog may be a sign that really big changes are taking place in the climate, soil, or stream environment that we're not paying attention to.

Wednesday

There are big, natural machines operating all the time that make it possible for life to exist on earth. Forests, for example, regulate the amount of carbon dioxide in the air, produce oxygen through photosynthesis, and keep the soil healthy. There are tens of millions of other species that live with humans on our earth. Each survives because it has adapted to its very own niche in the environment - wind blown mountaintops, the icy depths of the ocean, or sun-drenched deserts. Life is almost everywhere - put a drop of seawater under the microscope and you might see all kinds of little organisms swimming around! You know what happens when you build a house of cards and remove one of the cards at the bottom? Well, many scientists are concerned about what happens when a key species disappears from an ecosystem. The complex relationship between organisms can be disrupted.

Thursday

Biodiversity - what's in it for us? Plenty. Biodiversity is connected to lots of basic human needs. We depend on at least 40,000 species of plants and animals for food. Plants are still a vital source of raw material for clothing. Many drugs used in the United States come from natural compounds found in plants, animals, or microorganisms. Still, it's estimated that we've discovered and named only about 20 percent of the species that exist. Only a fraction of these have been examined for agricultural or medicinal value. The alarming thing is, the earth's biodiversity may be evaporating before our eyes. Some biologists estimate that we're losing as many as three species an hour. Perhaps one of these organisms contains the material for a new wonder drug. So you see, biodiversity is a concern to all of us.

Friday

Biodiversity is the variety of organisms - animal, plant and other - that make up the interconnected web of life on earth. When one part of the web, (say, one particular animal species) becomes weak, other species are threatened. They all depend upon one another to sustain life as we know it. In recent years, there has been a shift away from preserving individual species and concentrating on protecting large areas of habitat. In northern New England, the return of the forested landscape has helped woodland animal populations rebound. Today, much of the world's undisturbed land lies in developing countries. Conservation biologists are encouraging people who live near these lands to develop sustainable alternatives to destructive land use. This helps preserve the subtle relationships between creatures great and small which makes the habitat healthy and viable. Find out more about the importance of biodiversity in a new visiting exhibit called Biodiversity 911, opening February 2nd.