Biodiversity is, as far as science can tell, one of the most unique aspects of Earth as a planet. While astronomers hope to find Earthlike planets out in the galaxy, as far as Earth’s solar system is concerned, it contains all of the biodiversity orbiting the Sun. Read the full story

Biodiversity is the variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, or on Earth more generally. Maintaining biodiversity is important for many reasons, not least of which are the many direct benefits to humankind. Biodiversity tends to be closely tied in the popular imagination with philosophical or purely environmentalist ethics, but there are a number of very practical reasons to support biodiversity conservation. Read the full story

Biodiversity can have three general meanings. (see http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/environment/biodiversity/ for more information) First, it can be used to describe the complexity of biological species that populate a specific ecosystem. At a macro level, biodiversity is influenced by the natural environmental features found within an ecosystem. These features may include lakes, oceans, forests, mountains, deserts, and swamps. Within these macro-environmental features there usually exists overlapping or distinct micro-ecosystems. Read the full story