IB 105 Lecture 9: Week 5 IB105

• School: University of Illinois
• Department: Integrative Biology
• Course: IB 105
• Professor: Harmon

Document Summary

Ecosystem diversity: variation in habitats that include their living and non-living components across space and time. There are currently ~1,780,000 species known to science. Based on the rate at which new species are still found upon intensive sampling, it is estimated that there may be up to ~14,000,000 species on this planet. Large variation in species diversity across major taxonomic groups. Beetles make up the vast majority of all insects and are the most species rich group on the planet. What is the value of biodiversity: utilitarian/instrumental value, direct ecosystem goods (e. g. timber, fish) and services (e. g, direct ecosystem goods (e. g. timber, fish) and services (e. g. pollination, water purification, climate regulation) it provides to humanity. Ecosystems are typically less functionally useful if we reduce their diversity: criti(cid:272)all(cid:455) i(cid:373)porta(cid:374)t are the (cid:862)u(cid:374)k(cid:374)o(cid:449)(cid:374)(cid:863) (cid:448)alues the drought resistant wild relatives of crops or unknown plant chemicals that have anti-cancer properties, etc.